Stretching

So I have started stretching my ears just a few weeks ago and I eventually just got up to 5mm on Monday. It was only today when I started researching more into stretching the lobe that using tapers (the long acrylic "nails") isn't the safest way to do it as the acrylic is porous and makes the ear much more susceptible to infection and can cause blow-outs and other nasty stuff. Also the advice given by the piercer was absolutely wrong, "you can stretch up to 2mm every fortnight and for a newly pierced ear wait 6-8 weeks" that is just flat out stupid.


I was stretching it at 1mm per fortnight (knowing that was safer) but I decided to jump ahead with 4mm to 5mm faster than a fortnight. That one was a bit of a tight squeeze and it hurt a bit. As I was doing my research today I realised I need to use plugs instead and wrap it with either PTFE tape (Teflon/plumbers tape) or bondage tape (yes you buy that at adult stores). I would need to massage the lobes too with oil to make sure circulation is fine and to clean the plugs. Tapers just deform and destroy the lobes, at the start its ok but after getting to 4mm-5mm (6g, 4g) it becomes much more dangerous. And for a new piercing you should wait for 4-6 months until you start to stretch it.


I decided tonight that I was to check out how the piercing looks now before my shower. I pulled out the taper and unfortunately, even though it doesn't hurt, the hole looks like a cats arsehole, red, irritated and now actually swollen slightly. Great huh? Stretched it too fast and using acrylic tapers, a sure recipe for disaster. Well it's not too bad I can definitely salvage it. Just dropped a size back to 4mm and I will definitely be buying plugs tomorrow as well as emu oil/jojoba oil and PTFE tape.


If only I had done my research before I decided to stretch my lobes would I had avoided complications. Instead I listened to someone who I thought had experience on stretching ears (seeing as she had shitloads of piercings and also stretched lobes). 
But yeh I'm planning to stretch up to 8mm (0g) and just leave it at that (I still want to be employable). I've got in mind the tattoos I want to get done, but I'm just waiting until I obviously do more research, find a good parlour/tattoo artist, and get this damn body into shape again.