Gauging earlobes is stretching earlobe piercings one step at a time until they are of a large enough diameter to suit your choice of ear jewellery. That might be no more than a simple stud, with a pin a gauge down from your current piercing, or it might be a 25 mm or 1 inch hole more suited to a large diameter flesh tunnel.
In fact, gauging earlobes to suit flesh tunnels can be quite a lengthy process, depending upon the diameter of the flesh tunnel. If you have had your ears pierced with a gun in a shopping mall or hairdresser, then they are likely at 20g or 18g, whereas a professional can needle-pierce your ears to 16 gauge. Use a professional if you have yet to have the initial piercing carried out, and ask for a 16g needle piercing (the lower the gauge, the greater the hole diameter).
Take note of how long it takes for your piercing to completely heal, and don't try any ear lobe gauging until it has healed with no pain and no scabs. Each stage below will take 3 times the time it took the initial piercing to heal.
If you are using the insertion taper method, choose a taper marked with your target gauge. One end will be the thinner starting gauge and the other the target gauge at one step down (one size up). Never try to cut corners by skipping a size. Then follow these steps:
1. Clean the taper and/or jewellery: Wash the taper and jewellery in sea-salted water (about 3 tablespoons to about a quarter pint). If you are friendly with your professional piercer he or she might autoclave them for you.
2. Clean Your Ear Lobes: Have a shower or warm up your earlobes with warm water. This softens them so that there is less chance of tearing when the ear lobe gauging is increased. Then use a plain, unscented anti-bacterial soap to wash your hands and ears clean.
3. Lubricate the Equipment: Lubricate the taper and jewellery pin to make it easier to work through the existing earlobe piercing gauge. Use either jojoba oil, emu oil or a water-based lubricant, but never Vaseline or any other petroleum-based oil that can contain bacteria.
4. Insert the Taper: Slowly work the thinner end of the taper into your piercing, going through the front, and work it through until the thicker end is level with your skin. Now place the new ear jewellery with the thicker pin against the end of the taper, and continue pushing both, so the jewellery enters your ear right behind the taper. Close off the ear jewellery you chose and that's it.
5. Now Wait: Now wait for about three times as long as it took the original piercing to heal. Don't be tempted to cut corners when gauging earlobes, because if the stretched skin has not thickened properly then you will likely damage it when you try to repeat this with a thicker gauge.
6. Rinse and Repeat: repeat the entire process each time your earlobes have been left the correct length of time to heal, going down a gauge or up a size until you have reached your desired diameter.
7. Teflon Method: This involves adding successive layers of Teflon tape to the pin of your ear jewellery, and is easier than above but not so precise, and can take longer.
Aftercare for Your New Gauged Earlobes
Gauging earlobes does not require as much after care as piercing, but you should still wash them daily with sea salt solution, made as above. Alcohol can dry out your skin, and you are better not to use it even though some recommend it.
Jewellery for Stretched Piercings
There is a vast range of jewellery for stretched piercings of any kind, but earlobes are particularly suited to all forms of pinned ear jewellery, rings, hoops, barbells, plugs and particularly flesh tunnels. Because your ear lobe gauging has provided a large diameter hole in the lobe, you can use materials that would have been too fragile for use in standard gauge piercings of 20g - 16g or even lower.
You can use any metal, but particularly gold, platinum, stainless steel and titanium, and also stone, bone, wood, horn, shells, glass, crystal and even amber. Flesh tunnels can be decorated with crystal, amber or precious stones such as diamonds, and be decorated themselves and used for holding other hanging jewellery from silver or gold chains and beaded decorations.
The sky is the limit, as long as you take your time to follow the instructions exactly and not cut corners. Gauging earlobes is not difficult, but it does take time and patience, but it is all worth it in the end.
More information on gauging earlobes is available from Mark's website Flesh Tunnel where you will also find a wonderful selection of Ear Stretching Tools and some great ear jewelry. |
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