In the western world, stretching your ears is a type of body modification that many people do for fashion purposes.
However, while it may seem like something you can do to add some uniqueness to your style, you will want to make sure you are doing it properly to avoid problems.
If you are planning to stretch your ears, then you may be wondering how long ears hurt after stretching.
When stretching your ears, they should not hurt. While they will feel sensitive, you will not feel intense pain if you stretch correctly.
This is because you should only stretch up a single gauge size every time you do so.
You will also need to use a lubricant too. This will help to make the process much easier.
If you want to know more about stretching your ears and what to expect when doing so, then read on to find out more.
What Actually Is Stretching Your Ears?
Stretching your ears relates to the ear lobe area. Once it has been pierced, the hole can be stretched to a bigger size.
However, this is not something you should do within the first year of having your ears pierced.
This is because the piercing takes months to heal properly. Stretching it might cause an injury to such a soft area of your body.
Why Do People Stretch Their Ears?
People stretch their ears for a number of reasons. One reason might be because they want to fit earrings that have a bigger post.
Another reason is because of how the stretched ears look for fashion reasons.
There are also cultures who stretch their ears which has nothing to do with fashion or to fit bigger earrings.
It is actually really safe to stretch your ears. There are no reasons why you cannot - unless a doctor has specified otherwise, of course.
Even so, you do need to stretch your ears correctly to make sure you do not cause any serious damage.
Does It Hurt To Stretch Your Ears?
It should not hurt to stretch your ears if you do it properly.
While you might feel a slight sting, the pain should never be so dramatic that they hurt for days on end. If they do, it means you are going up a gauge size too big.
You will want to use a spike or a taper to gently tease the hole bigger.
Only going a gauge size up is the best way to ensure that you reduce the risk of any damage.
Also using something like Vaseline will help to push the taper into the ear.
You should then keep that size gauge in your ear for at least six weeks to make sure it heals well.
Once that time is up you can then go another gauge up if you are still wanting the hole to be bigger.
Even though the process is slow, you will be thankful for it when you have no pain or infections to deal with.
Can You Damage Your Ear By Stretching It?
It is possible to damage your ear lobes through the process of stretching.
There is a reason why the process can take a long time, and why it should not be something that you rush.
The ear lobe does not just stretch and stretch, so you need to be careful about the size you are trying to stretch up to.
If the gauge is too big compared to the hole you have, or you stretch the area very quickly, then you may suffer from something called a blowout.
This is when the area of the stretched lobe becomes very red, raw and irritated. You may even suffer with lumps on the area, and it might feel quite itchy and sore.
What Is A Stretched Ear Blowout?
A blowout happens when the ear becomes inflamed after being overly stretched.
This usually happens if the gauge size is too big compared to the size of the hole, yet it was forced in.
It may also happen if the stretching happens too quickly.
The inner circle of the stretched ear may be red and inflamed, and feel very itchy. This might even go on to become infected.
A blowout happens as a result of the ear not being able to heal properly. New cells of skin cannot be created in order to accommodate the change.
Instead there may be microtears present. Because it cannot heal, it becomes sore and very irritated.
While a minor blowout might heal okay, if it becomes infected then it may cause permanent damage to the area.
As soon as you recognize that a blowout has happened, remove the jewelry and take serious care of your ear lobe.
Can You Remove Stretched Ears?
If you plan to stretch your ears, then you may want to think about the long-term effects first.
If you are only stretching them up to 2 gauge in size, then you can feel rest assured that they are likely to go back to their original size.
However, anything above might cause a permanent big hole.
So the higher you go up in gauge size, the higher the risk of the hole not returning to its original small size.
If you do want the hole to become small again and have already removed the stretched jewelry, then you will need to have them surgically worked on. There is no other way to make the hole smaller.
Plus, the bigger the gauge is the more terrible they look with no jewelry in them!
Final Thoughts
Stretching your ears is not pain free as a whole - it might sting - but it shouldn’t actually be a painful process.
If it is, it means that you are stretching too big and too fast.
You need to take your time when it comes to stretching your ears.
The process may take a few months until you reach your desired size. This will avoid infections and the dreaded blowout.
