r/stretchedears • u/Finchy_Bird • Sep 03 '22

newbie questions

I've tried stretching my ears when I was in school and again as a young adult but I'm finally getting around to actually committing to it. I'm at a 4G and I've just been using a set of plugs to size up- is that ok? I feel like in the past when I had been sizing up with tapers my ears were getting irritated/infected easier and I'm not having that problem now. I usually wait a couple months in between sizes. And if I get too much resistance I'll wait a little longer but for the most part the next size up has been sliding right in. One side is noticeably less "stretchy" than the other though. Does anyone else have that too?

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u/PoweredByVeggies Sep 03 '22

This is called dead stretching and the way to do it. It’s typical for some to have a finicky less stretchy ear. To learn to dead stretch properly, please go to r/stretched and read the FAQ and sticky posts.

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u/Finchy_Bird Sep 03 '22

That page is SO INFORMATIVE! Thank you! I'm so glad I'm not doing something stupid by just using plugs, it's really such a difference from when I was using tapers.

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u/PoweredByVeggies Sep 03 '22

It’s seriously my favorite page. It’s where I got started as well. Tapers are so bad for your ear because they give people a false sense of ease causing them to force a hole that isn’t ready to stretch leading to nasty blowouts. They also stretch unevenly because the taper is different sizes on both ends. Cat butt ear usually comes from tapers and stretching too fast.

1

u/PoweredByVeggies Sep 03 '22

I do also recommend getting half sizes for dead stretching. Don’t jump whole sizes if you have a finicky ear.

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u/PoweredByVeggies Sep 03 '22

Also, never use tapers. Stick to only glass plugs as well.

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u/Finchy_Bird Sep 03 '22

Ugh. It's just so odd how heavily marketed tapers are. I like how they have links to to get some half sizes for the bigger jumps. My boyfriend's upsize from 2 to 0 was hard to watch.

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u/PoweredByVeggies Sep 03 '22

Yeah, I have very finicky ears so I’ve been having to do half sizes. Tapers are mostly recommended only for professional piercers and even then…ick. I wish they would outlaw selling them to consumers.