All About Ear Stretching (Ear Gauging)

What is ear stretching?

Ear stretching began thousands of years ago as a form of beauty enhancement. It’s still widely practiced today by communities like the马赛在肯尼亚和亚马逊的柔罗拉尼。

The famous “冰人“1991年在德国发现的一个保存完好的人体，并在6000多年前时期似乎延伸了泡泡。

你需要什么耳朵伸展

The first thing to do is get an ear piercing. This is as simple as going to a reputable piercing shop, getting your ear pierced, and letting the piercing heal for a few months.

选择一个带有许可证的穿戴者，以便在您所在的州刺穿。纹身艺术家和美学家经常在穿孔上获得额外的培训。有一种风险肝炎,艾滋病病毒等疾病，如果穿孔器不使用干净的设备和流程。

After the piercing has fully healed, then you can get all the equipment you need to increase the size of your piercings.

你需要：

• 录音机
• plugs
• lubricant

Tapers

These are the long, spiky things you put into your piercings to start stretching out the skin. They come in various sizes (or gauges), depending on how much you want to stretch out your piercing.

Most tapers are acrylic or steel. It’s really up to you which one to use. Many people recommend steel tapers because they slide through the piercing easier. But they’re slightly more expensive.

更便宜的锥度和更便宜的插头通常是未知的质量，可能会刺激耳朵，减慢愈合过程。

The following illustration shows various sizes of tapers with their associated plugs.

Plugs

Plugs are the round jewelry you put in to keep your ear stretched. They’re made out of a number of materials, each with their own benefits:

• 钢是耐用的。
• 钛就像钢，但打火机，不太可能刺激你的耳朵。
• 硅酮is a hypoallergenic material. It may need more frequent cleaning.
• 有机的options include glass, finished wood, polished stone, or any nonartificial materials.

许多插头,更容易“爆发”for them to be inserted. It might be a good idea to stock up on them so you don’t have to worry about having trouble with putting your plugs in.

润滑剂

任何类型的安全润滑剂都会帮助锥形更容易地滑过穿孔。

大量的珠宝商店卖商用级润滑剂，但您也可以使用植物的润滑油，就像椰子油orjojoba oil.

Try not to use any lubricants that have chemicals or additives in them, as these could irritate or infect your piercing.

如何进行耳朵伸展

Now that you’ve got all the materials you need, here’s how to do the actual stretching:

1. Wait for your ear piercing to fully heal(no swelling, discharge, itching, etc.).
2. 按摩你的耳垂让皮肤加热并伸展出来。您还可以享用热浴或淋浴，因此增加了耳朵的血液。
3. 洗手至少20秒用肥皂和水。
4. Sterilize all of your piercing equipmentwith rubbing alcohol.
5. Lubricate your piercing and your taperfrom end to end.
6. Begin pushing the taper through the hole，首先将较薄的一侧插入刺穿。慢慢走。如果您体验到任何不适，那么你做得太多了。
7. Put your plug in at the thicker end of the taper所以你可以立即将其插入拉伸的刺穿。
8. 将插头插入孔中一旦锥度一直穿过。

How to care for your ears during and after stretching

Once you’ve first started the stretching process, the most important part is to wait. If you stretch your ears too much and too fast, you can tear or injure your ear cartilage.

Here are some tips to关心你的耳朵在拉伸过程中，在你终于达到了所需的规格之后：

• Wash your piercing at least twice a day用温水和无化学肥皂。
• Soak your earlobes at least twice a day在温暖，清洁水，每1杯水约1/4茶匙盐。
• 按摩你的耳垂s at least once a daywith coconut oil, jojoba oil, or another safe oil to keep it moisturized and promote healing.
• Wait at least 6 weeks between gauges, but keep an eye on your piercing. Don’t go up to the next gauge if you notice any redness, swelling, or irritation after 6 weeks. It may take longer based on your own healing process.
• Don’t touch the piercing with dirty handsto avoid introducing bacteria.
• 小心不要在穿孔中抓住任何东西that can pull or stretch it, like a loose thread.
• 不要担心有点气味。A gauged ear can smell a little bit because of dead skin cells that can’t be flushed out of the piercing while you’re stretching. This is totally normal. But if the odor continues after washing, seek medical attention.

You shouldn’t see too much redness or swelling during the ear stretching process. If you do, you may have torn or damaged your ear skin. Make sure to follow your piercer’s aftercare directions. If you think you’re developing aninfection，看看你的医生。

What precautions or side effects should you be aware of?

A “blow out” happens when you stretch your ear too fast and scar tissue builds up in the hole. This can result in permanent scarring.

Stretching too quickly can tear your ear tissue in half or cause earlobe skin to detach and hang from your head.

伸展太快或不照顾您的耳朵也可能导致感染。以下是一些感染症状，以注意：

• painful redness or swelling
• 从穿孔中出血
• cloudy yellow or green discharge from the piercing
• fever
• 淋巴结肿胀

如果你改变主意怎么办？

A stretched ear can grow back if you didn’t stretch it too far. Extreme stretching may leave permanent holes in your earlobes.

伸展的耳朵可以手术修复。外科医生会：

1. Cut the stretched earlobe hole in half.
2. Remove excess stretched tissue from the ear.
3. 把耳垂的两半一起缝合在一起。

Keep in mind that since this is a cosmetic procedure, it’s not covered by insurance.

带走

如果您患者耐心，耳朵伸展是安全的，并仔细和仔细地跟随步骤。伸展太快可能导致感染或永久伤害耳朵。

好好照顾你的耳朵也至关重要。如果您不遵循良好的追踪程序，则风险感染刺穿或导致不需要的瘢痕组织的积聚。

Stretch your ears slowly. Make sure you take the necessary aftercare steps every day until you’ve reached the gauge that you wanted.