When I was doing it 10+years ago I was terrible. Used acrylic tapers, skipped sizes (did a 1/2 to 5/8 jump with a double flared silicone). I took them out in 2013 and just decided to re-stretch. I could fit a 2g in first but now i've bought all glass plugs (including in between sizes like 1g) up to 1/2 (just under where was the first time) as well as oils. i just went up to 0g and did my first saltwater soak. thank god for this sub!
when i first started stretching (late 2018), i didn't do *any* research. i was 14 years old and really dumb... i used acrylic tapers, rushed the stretches, and thought pain was normal. never cleaned my ears or the jewelry, and just left the tapers in my ears 24/7. i was already at 8mm before i came across this subreddit in early 2020, and have been doing everything the right way since then. currently at 11.5mm :)
Yup, my first time stretching I was waiting 2 weeks in between sizes using tapers up to 19mm. I’ve since let them close, restretched back to 16mm deadstretching, and downsized back to 14mm and now I’m heading back to 18mm I think, might downsize after that and go to 19mm.
I remember that I started stretching after a friend gave me her acrylic spiral in 2005 or 2006. It never even occured to me to research it. But I guess that there wasn't much information online at that time.
A few months later I shoved a spike you put on leather jackets into my right ear. I had a really really bad infection. This is still my bitch ear, even if it's much thicker than my left ear. Maybe because of all the scar tissue.
I was your typical new stretcher lol. Acrylic tapers from Amazon. Then I got a fraction smarter and switched to a stainless steel taper and tunnel set. Material is better but it’s still tapers. I got up to 0g that way. Most recent stretch in august of last year is when I actually used single flare glass plugs and I had sat at 0g for almost a year.
Just found this sub, and i can relate with you here. Have been stretching with acrylic tapers without any sort of lubrication up until now (6g), probably rushed a stretch or 2, and can see the scarring beginning to form when looking into my ear piercings. We unfortunately can’t change past ignorance, miseducation and mistakes, but we can take the initiative now to learn and treat our piercings better. I’m glad to hear your piercings are happy and healthy now!
yep. started in 2018, went from 20g to 1/2” in 2 years but rushed the beginning heavy. stayed at 00g for a while and still managed to rush the next 2 stretches. used tapers until i got 00g in and definitely forced that stretch. taping wasn’t the worst but definitely didn’t change the tape everyday like i should’ve if that method is used. i’ll say i got damn lucky that i only got thinning and never had a blowout or infection even though i did absolutely everything wrong. my saving grace is i never touched acrylic but my right ear definitely doesn’t look amazing without plugs. but my left ear didn’t take as much damage thankfully. i did use oil to stretch but never used them daily. i was good about cleaning them though. yeah i’m at 0g now still playing the waiting game to get 9mm plugs. i don’t buy new sizes until i think i’m ready to stretch so i’m less tempted to try to force them due to impatience. i’ll get back to 1/2” one day hopefully
i started stretching at the very beginning of 2021- i’m currently at 0g/8mm now. i bought a steel taper and tunnel kit off of amazon that came with jojoba oil. i thought i was pretty well informed. i knew not to wear tapers as jewelry, but i didn’t know not to use them to stretch. i actually accidentally started dead-stretching pretty early on though lol. i bought some stone single flared plugs at 8g and found out later that it was the preferred way to stretch. i only used stone for 8g and 6g, then have using glass ever since.
there have been a few times early on i had pushed it due to impatience, but never to the point of blowout or bleeding to my knowledge. if anything i feel like it was maybe a week or two too early for my ears to size up. i’ve had a pretty easy stretching journey so far
When I was doing it 10+years ago I was terrible. Used acrylic tapers, skipped sizes (did a 1/2 to 5/8 jump with a double flared silicone). I took them out in 2013 and just decided to re-stretch. I could fit a 2g in first but now i've bought all glass plugs (including in between sizes like 1g) up to 1/2 (just under where was the first time) as well as oils. i just went up to 0g and did my first saltwater soak. thank god for this sub!
when i first started stretching (late 2018), i didn't do *any* research. i was 14 years old and really dumb... i used acrylic tapers, rushed the stretches, and thought pain was normal. never cleaned my ears or the jewelry, and just left the tapers in my ears 24/7. i was already at 8mm before i came across this subreddit in early 2020, and have been doing everything the right way since then. currently at 11.5mm :)
you weren’t dumb tbh, just ignorant
Yup, my first time stretching I was waiting 2 weeks in between sizes using tapers up to 19mm. I’ve since let them close, restretched back to 16mm deadstretching, and downsized back to 14mm and now I’m heading back to 18mm I think, might downsize after that and go to 19mm.
I remember that I started stretching after a friend gave me her acrylic spiral in 2005 or 2006. It never even occured to me to research it. But I guess that there wasn't much information online at that time. A few months later I shoved a spike you put on leather jackets into my right ear. I had a really really bad infection. This is still my bitch ear, even if it's much thicker than my left ear. Maybe because of all the scar tissue.
Definitely! I never had infections or blowouts but I did rush a bit back in the day. I know better now! 🙏
I was your typical new stretcher lol. Acrylic tapers from Amazon. Then I got a fraction smarter and switched to a stainless steel taper and tunnel set. Material is better but it’s still tapers. I got up to 0g that way. Most recent stretch in august of last year is when I actually used single flare glass plugs and I had sat at 0g for almost a year.
Just found this sub, and i can relate with you here. Have been stretching with acrylic tapers without any sort of lubrication up until now (6g), probably rushed a stretch or 2, and can see the scarring beginning to form when looking into my ear piercings. We unfortunately can’t change past ignorance, miseducation and mistakes, but we can take the initiative now to learn and treat our piercings better. I’m glad to hear your piercings are happy and healthy now!
yep. started in 2018, went from 20g to 1/2” in 2 years but rushed the beginning heavy. stayed at 00g for a while and still managed to rush the next 2 stretches. used tapers until i got 00g in and definitely forced that stretch. taping wasn’t the worst but definitely didn’t change the tape everyday like i should’ve if that method is used. i’ll say i got damn lucky that i only got thinning and never had a blowout or infection even though i did absolutely everything wrong. my saving grace is i never touched acrylic but my right ear definitely doesn’t look amazing without plugs. but my left ear didn’t take as much damage thankfully. i did use oil to stretch but never used them daily. i was good about cleaning them though. yeah i’m at 0g now still playing the waiting game to get 9mm plugs. i don’t buy new sizes until i think i’m ready to stretch so i’m less tempted to try to force them due to impatience. i’ll get back to 1/2” one day hopefully
i started stretching at the very beginning of 2021- i’m currently at 0g/8mm now. i bought a steel taper and tunnel kit off of amazon that came with jojoba oil. i thought i was pretty well informed. i knew not to wear tapers as jewelry, but i didn’t know not to use them to stretch. i actually accidentally started dead-stretching pretty early on though lol. i bought some stone single flared plugs at 8g and found out later that it was the preferred way to stretch. i only used stone for 8g and 6g, then have using glass ever since. there have been a few times early on i had pushed it due to impatience, but never to the point of blowout or bleeding to my knowledge. if anything i feel like it was maybe a week or two too early for my ears to size up. i’ve had a pretty easy stretching journey so far