Stretching Overview
The #1 thing to bear in mind about enlarging piercings is to hear your body! Your body knows when something isn’t working, and learning to hear what it’s enlightening you is critical. Stretching piercings takes forbearance and time. Scar tissue can build up and create repulsive, difficult piercings that may be hard to stretch.
A good rule is to attend 3 times as long as it took to fix before the 1st stretch. This allows the new skin a little time to thicken and harden up before it becomes injured by the enlarging process. Each new size becomes bigger dramatically. 10ga to 8ga doesn’t appear like much, but 0.5 ” to nine / 16″ is a major jump although it’s the very next size. The bigger your hole, the more time you need to permit between stretchings. Start with a month or 2 between stretchings and, as you get bigger, begin extending that time-frame.
Stretching piercings can be dire and often painful, but it does not always have to be. Understanding how and when will help. Since lobes are the most typically stretched piercings, special attention must be paid to them. Lobes get masses of circulation so they incline to cure quickly and grow new cells simply. But it is also easy to hurt the soft tissues of the lobe. To avoid injury, soak the tissue in hot water before stretching to extend circulation and melt and relax the tissue. Massage is also a good way to help the tissue relax. Using insertion tapers is the simplest way to stretch a piercing. A taper is a long, needle-like tool that steadily thickens to the size you need. There are tapers available in each gauge from 18ga to 00ga, and even up to one in. and larger-the more steady the taper, the less dire the stretch ( Tribalectic’s tapers are three inches long permitting you to safely stretch your piercings ). Lubricants shouldn’t be water based unless the stretching is happening in the mouth, or is an easy, fast stretch. Water based lubricants have a tendency to absorb and liquefy too fast.
Petrol based ointments are tricky to clear out from piercings, can bay bacteria, and we simply do not know the possible effects these products could cause by being used within skin. Better lubricants would include Satin Soap or other mild, liquid soaps like Provon or Dial ( delicate skin Formulas ). Many piercers opt to use Technicare, a surgical scrub containing the same active component found in Satin and Provon. Soaps wash away and are very greasy. While they can be tough to control, liquid soaps make for great lubrication. Remember, a miniscule amount goes a good distance. You may even add water to make them far more greasy. Enough lubricator to guarantee a smooth insertion should be used…too much can make the jewelry too greasy to hold on to. When you are prepared to begin stretching, it’s wise to see a pro piercer. The stretching process should be finished following the same aseptic strategies used in the piercing process. Although a piercing is healed, the skin can become so thin that it can become subject to infection or maybe rip. If you’re going to stretch your own piercings, be certain to scrub your hands with hot water and a liquid, antibacterial soap ( like Satin ).