Stretching

The enlargement of pierced holes has been practiced on nearly every continent, among countless people for thousands of years. The Buddha himself was known to be a king when he was born with his earlobes already gracefully enlarged, marking him as wise and destined for greatness.

There are several different ways to go about stretching. The key to all of them is time. Your body's tissue needs time in between stretches to adjust, heal and grow new cells. The slower you stretch, the easier and more comfortable it will be, and the further you will be able to go. We recommend going no faster than one size a month (e.g. 12g -> 10g, 00g -> 7/16") at the smaller sizes, remembering that the harder the stretch or the bigger the size, the slower you go. Also, some body parts are easier to stretch than others (eg. earlobes, PA, inner labia, and lips often stretch more easily than nipples, cartilage, apadravyas). Keep in mind that each stretch is bigger than the one before. Jewelry is measured in diameter, but what your body feels is circumference, which increases far more quickly. If you do not allow sufficient time for tissue regeneration, your skin may tear (requiring lengthy healing) or become thin or scarred (limiting future stretches). If you go slowly enough and keep your holes healthy, you can go on forever.

Massage can help maintain healthy tissue and promote cell growth. It increases circulation and may speed healing and the breakdown of scar tissue. Gently kneading the skin between your fingers, with or without cocoa butter or oils (jojoba, vitamin E, etc.), can increase your overall stretching and healing success.

Plugs

Probably the most popular method of stretching in the U.S. today is by gradually inserting larger and larger plugs in holes (primarily earlobes), leaving each for several weeks to heal up. This works especially well at smaller sizes, when the next size can simply be pushed into the hole (try the shoe-horn method on particularly tough ones--first one edge, then the other, while pulling down on the piercing). After a few weeks, the hole will begin to loosen around the new jewelry, and when a good amount of light can be seen above it, you are ready to go on.

If you are not quite ready for the next size, or don't want to buy new jewelry, you can slip all kinds of things in your hole with the old plug. Any extra rings, barbells, straws, beads, etc. can be put in with the plug to pack the hole. Move the objects around periodically to relieve any sore spots, and avoid using thin ( < 14g ) or sharp pieces which may cut skin under pressure. A method common in Burma and Thailand, among other places, is to wrap plugs with cotton or silk string to increase their circumference by smaller increments. You can also do this with non-reactive tape (surgical tape, good quality black electrical tape or Teflon plumber's tape works well), but take care not to overlap the ends of each layer as it will create irritating uneven spots. You could also try plastic coated telephone wire wrapped tightly around the plugs.

Keep them clean! Keep in mind that it is hard to get dead skin cells and other matter out of plugged holes without removing jewelry. Therefore, after the piercing has adjusted to the stretch (a few days), begin popping plugs out in the shower to clean your ears. The larger the hole, the greater the internal surface area-->more dead skin cells, more stink. Keep them clean! Also, the action of removing the plugs daily and massaging the tissue with soap helps keep skin supple and helps you stretch more easily.

Tapers

An insertion taper is a graduated piece of metal, plastic, wood, glass or bone which begins at or below the current hole size, and increases smoothly in diameter to the desired size of the hole. Tapers can be used either as a method to insert other jewelry, or be worn as jewelry themselves. At smaller sizes, they can be used to simply insert jewelry of the next larger size, stretching in a matter of minutes and following the jewelry in behind the taper. This is a service offered in most shops.

You can also use tapers to gradually work your holes up, slowly sliding them through over several days or weeks. Make sure to keep the taper lubricated (K-Y jelly, Bacitracin, etc.), and never push past what is comfortable. Don't force it; it will get there! A pair of strategically placed rubber or silicon o-rings can help keep your progress from backsliding (see notes under materials).

Weights

Perhaps the most common method of stretching worldwide is by adding heavy weights to existing holes, allowing gravity to work for you. Weight can gradually be increased by adding more pieces as your skin adjusts. This is one of the most gentle ways to stretch, and it allows you to wear more variety of jewelry than just plugs. Beautiful silver, brass, copper and gold weights can be found from cultures around the world, from the Dayaks of Borneo to the Maasai of East Africa. Wearing weights, either for stretching or simply for their elegance, provides you the opportunity to wear some of the jewelry people originally began stretching their holes to wear. Weights can also be used in combination with plugs, adding the weights below an outgrown plug.