Stretching
Many of the piercings that we see today respond really well to stretching, and can even benefit from having thicker jewellery inserted. Thin jewellery can cut it's way out of the skin in what we call the "cheesewire effect". This is particularly true of ear lobe piercings. We have all seen ear piercings that have slit because of the thin wires on heavy ear rings. The easiest way to avoid this is to stretch the piercing to insert thicker jewellery. Many of the intimate piercings such as the Guiche, Labia and even the Prince Albert become more comfortable at larger guages.
Some piercings do not respond well to stretching. Cartillage piercings, like the top of the ear, the tragus and the nostril are notoriously difficult to stretch and can be quite painful for weeks or even months later. Not impossible, though. I have a mate who has a 5mm nostril piercing and there is a picture in the gallery which shows a tragus stretched to 8mm.
A piercing is actually regarded as being "semi-permament". This is rather an odd expression, because you would expect something to be either permanent or temporary. A piercing is usually temporary during the first 12 to 18 months. This means that if you remove the jewellery within this time for longer than a few minutes, the piercing will usually close and heal, leaving a small dimple in the skin and no holes.
If you wish to make your piercing permanent you will either have to leave jewellery in the piercing until it becomes permanent, or stretch the piercing to make it bigger.
Stretching a piercing wil ensure that the piercing will ALWAYS be there, so you must be absolutely sure that you want to keep the piercing before deciding to stretch it. As you stretch further, you will decide, between stretches, whether you want it "there" more and it will give you the time you need to make an INFORMED decision.
It is possible to shrink a stretched piercing down a little, but not much, which is why I think it important that you think ahead to when you are ninety years old, and think about whether the words "Doesn't that hurt?.....Does that go all the way through?....What happens if you take it out .....That's a handy place to keep yer ciggies ....Why do you do that?" will be getting a little annoying a thousand times a day - EVERY day of your life until you die. What about the girl at McDonalds that can't serve you because she can't stop looking through your ear? You need to be able to stay patient enough to discuss the same basic piercing topics with EVERY person you meet (Apart from others with piercings of course, thats when the conversation gets more interesting ! ).
If you are not a patient person, stretching your piercing is one of the hardest things you can do. I have learnt more about my own lack of patience (which stretching IS actually helping ), the way my body works and heals, and more about other peoples attitudes, opinions and intolerance, whilst stretcing my piercings, than I did when appearing with new ones. You need the patience of a Saint so that you don't overwork your immune system and you need to be open enough, and honest enough, at least with yourself, to change the way you think about yourself and others. This is the start of the journey. Piercing is a slap accross the face which wakes you up and shouts at you to find your balance. Stretching your piercings FORCES you to find it.
Timing is important. You need time between each stretch, not just for physical reasons, but for spiritual reasons also. We need to assimilate the knowledge we amass at each stage to ensure we have the foundation of the next stage before proceding. This is sooo important. "There are 2 ways to do everything - The easy way and the hard way. The hard way is REALLY , REALLY hard ...... The easy way doesn't work".
I'm going to digress a little here, talking about the easy way, because I really am concerned at the increase in the use of dermal punches to create large guage piercings instantly.
The body's tissues are a finely tuned network of cells, blood vessels, lymphatic ducts and nerves. When a piercing is made, the piercing goes between layers of tissue, around and between nerve branches and blood vessels, and causes very little damage, when done properly.
The piercing is actually 2 small, slightly semi-circular slits in the surface of the skin and no tissue is removed so that all the blood vessels still carry fuel to the cells, and the nerves and lymphatic system are not harmed. Nature has built us the way we are for a good reason. We NEED the tissues that nature has given us.
The dermal punch is a tool for taking biopsy samples for lab testing . It REMOVES a disc of tissue that includes blood vessels and nerves . The cells that are relying on these blood vessels will die . I don't like removing parts of the body and I will not use dermal punches for piercing, so please don't ask !
How to stretch your piercing
The one thing you must always remember when stretching a piercing is BE PATIENT. If you stretch too far or too quickly you can tear your piercing. If you tear it you will always have a weak spot that will tear every time you stretch your piercing. I've learnt that one. It's taken a while and all my regulars laugh at me about not taking my own advice.
A piercing heals by building up layers of scar cells around the jewellery. These layers of cells need to thicken and toughen over a period of time. A piercing is considered healed when this tunnel of scar tissue is complete, but will actually take 6 to 12 months to thicken enough to stretch out to a thinner layer. You must leave a sensible time period between stretches to allow this layer to thicken again.
The amount of time required is different from person to person, but I have found that usually a healthy person can start to stretch their piercing after about 6 months. The period between stretches needs to be as long as you can manage. The more time you leave between stretches, the less discomfort and damage you will have to contend with later on. I usually advise AT LEAST 6 weeks wait between stretches, although this can change quite a lot depending on the state of your immune system.
It is important that you only stretch one increment at a time:
1mm (18ga) to 1.6mm (14ga)
1.6mm (14ga) to 2.0mm (12ga)
2.0mm (12ga) to 2.4mm (10ga)
2.4mm (10ga) to 3.2mm (8ga)
3.2mm (8ga) to 4.0mm (6ga)
then in increments of 1mm up to 30mm
Stretching methods
There are as many different ways to stretch a piercing as there are people who want to do it, and everybody has their own favourite method. This isn't intended to be a list of every method. Just a few ideas to get you started.
By far the easiest way for the smaller guages ( up to 5mm ) is to use a tapered insertion pin and a standard ball closure ring or barbell. An insertion pin is a length of steel or acrylic that is thin at one end and thicker at the other end. It is pushed slowly through the piercing, which gradually stretches the piercing out to the thickness of the jewellery. The jewellery is pushed through behind the pin and is then fastened to make it secure. This is quite an expensive method, as you will usually have to pay for both the insertion pin and the jewellery. This also means that you will have a lot of spare jewellery and insertion pins!
You can buy a stretching crescent which is like an insertion pin, but curved in a crescent shape. These stretch over a number of increments (e.g from 1.6mm to 4mm) and you must be careful that you do not stretch too far at once. These do have a tendency to fall out whilst you are asleep and are very awkward to use.
Household Objects such as pen lids and knitting needles can work quite well. I have seen strips of washing up liguid bottle rolled up and stuffed with matchsticks, cotton reels, dowelling etc.! Whatever works without causing damage is fine! It's important to remember that certain materials can react with your skin or with your immune system.
Lubrication
It is important to use a good lubricant when you stretch your piercing and to make sure your skin is pliable. It is a good idea to soak your piercing in the bath with some moisturising bath creme for 10 minutes before stretching (This also make sure you are relaxed) and then apply some lubricant to the piercing, jewellery and insertion pin before starting.
Some lubricants work better than others. I have found that "KY Jelly" is a little too sticky, but "KY Liquid" is good, as is "Liquid Silk" a sensual lubricant usually sold in Gay sex shops. Shirley swears by "Germolene Antiseptic Cream" and won't use anything else. It's your choice. Try a few and see what suits you best.
Moisturising
I have noticed some benefits using moisturiser containing vitamin e. Moisturising the piercing with a good moisturiser helps to keep the skin supple and helps make stretching easier. Absolutely vital in winter for stretched earlobes!
Finally : Get some good advice
Stretching is something good piercers know a lot about, both from their own experiences and those of their clients. Before you attempt to stretch your piercing, go to your piercer and ask his advice. He will be able to tell you whether your piercing is ready for stretching, will discuss your requirements and suggest some of the safe methods you can use. Don't assume that you know everything, even if you have stretched a piercing before, every piercing is different.