I first got my earlobes pierced when I was about 10 months old. I didn't get my second holes until I was 15 though. That's when I decided to start the stretching process.
At A Glance Author courtnie When A week ago Artist dustin martin Studio american tattoo Location baton rouge, louisiana I hadn't really decided how large I wanted them to be though. So I started simple. Almost a year ago I put in 16 gauges. That took forever because my ears were at a 20g. A disadvantage of getting them pierced with a gun. The next day they were really sore and swollen but I cleaned them and eventually they healed.
I then put in 14gs. I decided to stop there. I didn't want them to be so big that I couldn't wear regular earrings anymore. But soon I put in 12gs.
This was the first hurdle to overcome. My left ear, for some reason, rejected it. No matter how much I cleaned it, it just wouldn't heal. I left it alone for a while and put my 14g back in. It took a while for even that to go through because the lobe was so swollen. I was probably stupid to even mess with it but I was determined.
Then I did one of the hardest jumps ever. I went from a 12 to a 10. It took me weeks to get it in. Everyday I would sit down and push and shove the earring until I couldn't take it anymore. I tried everything I knew how to do. I used lubricant, I waited until I got out of the shower, I did everything. Eventually, that went through. My ears were sore for a really long time after that. My mom kept telling me I was crazy and that I would never be able to get normal earrings back in again and I was having doubts now. I was kinda worried that I wouldn't want it when I was older and I was doubting they would close back up in case I didn't want it anymore.
But before I knew it I was back at the store buying 8g jewelry to put in my ears. I didn't have much trouble getting those in. I was deciding to stop there but I didn't realize how addicting it could be. It was almost like getting tattoos and I have two so I know how addicting those can be.
The next time I stretched, I decided to get plugs. I couldn't get them in for anything though. So I went to American Tattoo and got a piercer to do it for me. I wasn't nervous at all until he told me they would be tapered. He explained the process to me and then I got a little freaked out. He told me that he had 9 tattoos and 12 piercings and tapering his ear was the worst pain he's ever felt. Great. So he sat me down on the table and got out the taper and everything. It hurt. a lot. There was blood on the taper and I was kind of amazed. However it only took about 5 minutes.
I was at a 6g for a couple of months before I decided to stretch again. I wasn't even planning on it except I lost one of my plugs and kept losing O-Rings. My ears were getting too stretched out by the metal plugs so I figured a 2g would be nothing. Yes, I skipped a gauge. It's not really the smartest thing to do and I risked a lot when I decided to stretch. But I did anyway.
So one night I went and bought some silicone plugs. The next day I went to American Tattoo once again to get them stretched. My ear was tapered and it hurt but not bad. Then came the problem. Dustin could not get the plugs in for anything. He tapered my ear like 3 times and it just wouldn't work. So he went to find more solid plugs. he found wooden ones and acrylic ones. Yet those wouldn't go in either. He told me he had never seen someone's ear be so uncooperative. I was getting kinda discouraged, but he was determined. He told me I was leaving there with plugs in my ears. He kept trying the two pair he had and it wasn't working. He had asked me the pain factor when he did it the first time and I asked why. He said that he had to do them bigger and I was like "...blah."
He sent Ryan (a tattoo artist) and Paco to get metal plugs. I sat there with a taper in my right ear for about half an hour or more. It was getting painful. I was worried that it was gonna kill me when he tried again because if you're getting a tattoo and then take a break from getting it, It's gonna hurt when you go back under the needle. I learned that when I got my first tattoo. So Ryan came back with the plugs. Dustin tapered my right ear once more and it went through with no problem. It didn't hurt too much. The left ear was pretty bad. I dont know why. But it was bad. He got the plug through though and he told me that when I got home I should put ice on it to keep the swelling down because he figured it would be bad. Well I got occupied and stupid and didn't.
For the next few days my ears were really sore but it had been a week. My ears weren't too happy with me. I cleaned them with sea salt and warm water like any piercing. I took my plugs out for a second to clean them and my right ear wasn't looking so good. It looked pissed off. I cleaned it and put the plug back in. Well my ears were getting more and more sore. So i decided to put my silicone plugs in and bam. No more trouble. They are not sore and look really good. No more crusties or anything. I am so happy. Im not stretching any higher than a 2g. I don't think I'd have any room left because I have 2 more holes in my ears. But I'm really happy with my 2g.