Maybe you can help me.

Skelet0n

Hey guys, I'm new here so...be nice
I got a few questions about getting my ears pierced and stretched.

1. What size should I start at? I am slightly wary of getting anything big done because of the pain (Yes, I'm a wuss I know)
2. I want to work up to a 2 gauge because I do want to shrink them later.
3. What is put in when they are first pierced because I don't want just a fake diamond stud like most people who get one.
4. Where is the best, both priced and quality, place in dublin to get it done?
5. Were I to reconcider, how long would it take to close?
And finally, can you point me in the right direction of some good online stores just so I can sort of make a wish list.

Thanks for your help.

Will

To be honest if you are thinking you won't be happy in a few years/months with your stretched lobes-to-be I wouldn't go ahead with it. It is a very serious thing to undertake and there are no guarantees your lobes will go back to normal even at some smaller sizes.

Skelet0n

Yea, I understand that it is serious and that is why I wanted to stay small. I was intending to stretch really slowly to maximize my chances of them going back to normal size.
Just as a matter of interest, if someone like gauge or you took out yours, would they shrink or at least how small would they go?
Thanks for the help.

Will

Hmm eh... you've two posts on this forum... how do you know how big my lobes are, or even Gauge's?? o.0 *gets scared*

Mine will never go back to normal without surgery *hides*

Skelet0n

Looked at the plugs!!! thread and your blog.

Will

Ah ok, cool. Was getting worried there

I will answer your original questions if you want, but you'd really wanna be sure you'l be ok with having biggish lobes for the rest of your life

Skelet0n

Yea, it would be cool if you, or someone else, could answer my original questions.

Crumble Froo

about where to get it done.. i'd highly recommend mark in inkwell or steve in snakebite, the two guys have oodles of time for everyone (despite waiting room queues, sometimes), and will have no problems telling you why you should or shouldnt get something done, based on your own personal take on it. they wont just say 'do it', cos it means they get some money out of it. youll get good advice and absolutely everythin you need to know.

popecatapetal

Skelet0n wrote: »

1. What size should I start at? I am slightly wary of getting anything big done because of the pain (Yes, I'm a wuss I know)

You can get your ears pierced at almost any size you like. On the BMEshop site, you can get needles up to 4 gauge (a bit over 5 mm) so I'm assuming you can get pierced at up to gauge 4. Most piercers will pierce ears at 1.2 mm, 1.6 mm or 2.4 mm (approx 16, 14 and 12 gauge, respectively) quite frequently, but you have a lot of wiggle room here. The piercing will probably hurt a little more at a larger size, but it's all lobe so it won't be anything unbearable. And a larger gauge often heals faster.

2. I want to work up to a 2 gauge because I do want to shrink them later.

It depends an awful lot on the person's body whether they'll shrink down from any gauge. Some people can stretch to 10 gauge and never come back, some people (much rarer) can come back from over a cm. But it's not a good idea to go into stretching with the mindset of 'oh, I can let them shrink back/have them sewn back together later'. Yes, you can, but it's like going into a tattoo saying ' oh, I can get it lazered off later'.

That said, taking care of your ears while you're stretching helps a lot - some of the BME staff are recommending not actually stretching at all now, but just letting your ear heal and then massaging it frequently, and after a year or so you should be able to slip the new jewellery in without any effort. It takes patience, but it causes the least damage to your ears.

Another way to stretch is to go to your piercer in studio, and they can do it for you with minimum pain and damage.

The way a lot of people go, DIY stretching, can be risky if you don't listen to your body, and if you try to force the jewellery or stretch too fast. This can cause blow outs and scarring, and scarring can seriously affect your shrinkability, should you wish to do so.

3. What is put in when they are first pierced because I don't want just a fake diamond stud like most people who get one.

Most reputable piercers will have a wide selection of jewellery. It will probably be a straight titanium (or sometimes stainless steel) bar, as rings are too likely to get caught on things. Then you can get either plain titanium (silver-y colour) balls, or balls with shiny glass in them, of many different colours.

The reason 'most people' have fake diamond studs when they get their ears pierced first is probably because they go to Claire's Accessories or some other gun-piercing stall with a wide range of crappy jewellery, designed primarily for little girls. FOR GOD'S SAKE DO NOT GO TO ONE OF THESE IF YOU VALUE YOUR EARS!

4. Where is the best, both priced and quality, place in dublin to get it done?

Any of the piercing studios in the Piercers and Tattooists in Ireland thread, stickied at the top of this forum.

I like V, and the prices are quite low, and include basic jewellery. (€15 for one ear, €20 for two. Or, if you want Mark to stretch for you, €20 for one ear, €30 for two)

However, Snakebite are very awesome as well. (€23 for one ring, €40 for two, €28 for one bar, €50 for two)

So are Bodyshock, although I don't know this first hand. (don't know their prices)

Wildcat are good too. (€20 per lobe, plus jewellery)

5. Were I to reconcider, how long would it take to close?

See response to question 2 (summarized - not a guarantee that you'll ever shrink down)

And finally, can you point me in the right direction of some good online stores just so I can sort of make a wish list.

Online stores are only good for when your ears are fully healed, as their jewellery isn't going to be sterilised. Mark at V says that he recommends not changing the jewellery in a piercing until said piercing is over half a year old. So no stretching on your own before then either!



So there you have it. Your options. I would advise against stretching if you aren't going to want to keep them permanently. But if you would like to go ahead, you now have some options.

Will

*wham*
In comes popecatapetal with some grade A material!

Just a further note to her response, I got my ears pierced at 3.2mm, I wouldn't recommend it plainly because it hurt, i did swell and my ears tried to gobble the jewelry. I also had a 'flap' or scar tissue as a result but it fell off thank jeebus (it was where the needle caught some tissue)

I would recommend getting pierced at 2.4mm then slowly increasing your size. The longer you wait the better it is for your ears in the long run.

Skelet0n

Thanks all three of you, that is some awesome information. If/When I get it done, I will post pics

Thanks again.