(Ear) gauging originated in Asia and was later practiced in Africa and South American tribes for centuries. Many people refer to the process using the term "gauging", although the technically correct term for the act is "stretching". but basically gauging is the stretching of a pierced hole. Now YES., ALL piercings have a gauge from what they normally pierce with (which is a 16g or 14g) and up...gauging stretches the ear (NO CUT OUT) slowly to accomodate larger desired jewelry.
How to GAUGE ?!?!?
the first thing to do if you want to gauge is to determine what size you are currently. If your ears were pierced with a piercing gun (such as at Claire's or Piercing kiosk), they were pierced at 20g or 18g.
Tapering Method.....
STRETCH it BABII...STRETCH IT !!!!
One of the best times to stretch is right after a hot shower, when your skin is most elastic and pliable <--(#CollegeWord) lol.
Rub some of your lubricant into your ears (and i put some on the taper as well), and begin to push your taper (small end first!) through one ear...NOW HERE's WHERE YOU NEEDA PAY HELLA ATTENTION:
***WHEN GAUGING be VERY VERY CAREFUL....when pushing (yes it will be discomfort and you might feel a burning sensation...but keep pushing if is causing HIGH PAIN to the point of where you area crying.)***
......Now align your jewelry with the large end of the taper as if it were an extension of the taper itself. Finish pushing the taper through your ear along with the jewelry and that it bbbiiiooottcchh !!!!!
(Now tapers is the MOST COMMON type of gauging but there are other types which iwill cover later on) :)
AFTERCARE and Cleaning !!!!!
After stretching, there should be no bleeding. A slight soreness or tingling might be kool, but any bleeding or significant pain should be dealt with immediately by removing your earrings and downsizing to your previous size #ASAPINGTON. It can be helpful to use a saline (salt) solution on your ears. Combine sea salt (non-iodized) and warm water and soak your ears in the solution for a few minutes no more than once or twice a day.
Regular oil massages can be helpful to stimulate bloodflow in the earlobes and promote healing. Leave your ears the hell alone for the first few days after a stretch, and resume oil massaging after jewelry can be removed easily and doesn't feel overly tight. Don't perform any oil massages on broken skin/ripped/bleeding skin.
is the gauge chart you have the actual size? because if that's the case, then I should be a 3/4" size.
ReplyDeleteNo the chart is not sized right.
ReplyDeleteit took me three weeks to get to a double zero&i was thirteen when i started and 14& a day when i got it:D backk off bitches!<33 because you donntt know i be packin! whacha gunna do now?
ReplyDeleteThe chart shows the correct increments. I'm at 9/16 at the moment. So guys, calm down.
ReplyDeleteyou should have a bigger size chart. i dont know what size mine are o:
ReplyDeleteIt's stretched, not gauged.
ReplyDelete1" stretched lobes.
i got gauges!! im at sive 2g right now ad hurt like a b!tch!! lol jk im movin on to 0g cant wait :P
ReplyDeletepixels change with your computer screen. you cant hold up your plug to the screen, it doesn't work like that kids.
ReplyDeletelmfao went from normall to 14gauge. HAHAHAHA It DIDNT HURT AND ITS NOT SWELLING OR PUSSING.
ReplyDeleteI went from Normal to 8g :3
Deletei went from normal to 8g an i aint gunna lie i screamed like a bitch. but i like them so ehh
Delete5/8s Bro!
ReplyDeleteI went from regular 20 to a 14 which was fine in a month or so ima bump up to a 12 or 11 probably either way i want to end up at about a six or so just depends on how addicting it becomes
ReplyDeletedont skip to much.. i did the same thought it was all cool till i busted.. i got my ears peirced at 14g 2 weeks later put in 10g week in a half put in 6g 2 weeks is the correct amout to wait usually. got to 4g waited 5days went to 2g i was fine till a week later i tried to put 0g in. it was fine for three days. no problem on the fourth day my whole inside of my ear teared open and scabed. infection galore. just b carefull ppl. Ps. cant wait to get to 2 inches. and 7 mm now
ReplyDelete5/8th (; going to 3/4th in a couple days when i get paid. hellll yeaaaahh.
ReplyDeletewhere can i find an accurate gauge size chart? :o
ReplyDeleteI just sized up from a 18g to a 14g...I wanna go to a 10g in a few weeks when I get paid :)
ReplyDeleteI'm currently at 12.7mm (1/2 inch) without a single tear on the way up. Went form 18g-10g they day of the piercing, a month later I went form 8g-6g-4g in the same day, 2g a week later, stayed at 2g for 2 weeks then went to 0g for a month or so. Now I usually wait about a month before each stretch.
ReplyDeleteI for one can attest to the teflon tape method.it was painless and hella easy!!!!!..only took me 5 days to go from a 18 gauge to a 6g (no bs!)..just a few wraps a day on your usual jewelry,gradually increasing in size,more wraps the bigger it gets.mouthwash daily (wont affect the tape in anyway)to prevent food from causing infection. wrapping it in a spiral helps insertion.tapers and whatnot are needlessly painful imo.
ReplyDeletejust got my 4g in!!!
ReplyDeleteim now at a 0 gauge and i plan goin up when i get more money, it took me 6 days to get from a 18 to 0, started a 18 then later that night a 6 then 2 days later a 4 then a 2 the next day and now a 0, imma go up to 2 inches by the summer(:
ReplyDeleteBiggest piece of advice i can give to anybody about stretching, if you got your ears pierced in the first place at claires or some kind of boutique with a gun, take out your regular jewelry, let it sit for like 2 or 3 months to close it up a bit, then get them repierced by a professional at a piercing shop. the guns that boutiques use give you massive scarring, and oftentimes uneven, and volcano shaped holes. when your ear holes are filled with scar tissue, it makes them much more unwilling to stretch. if your only purpose of getting them pierced is to stretch, ask the piercer to start you at a 8g or 6g. actually heals faster with less chance of infection, you will get higher quality jewelry, your ears will stretch more easily, and your will be supporting some of the coolest people in the world :) you also will have a lot less sizes to stretch up, which means more $ in the pocket cause you're not buying jewelry for all those inbetween sizes
ReplyDeleteyou should not pierce with a 8 or 6 gauge needle, that is way too big. it will 'punch' a hole in your ear, and you wont have that skin, therefore if you wanted your gauges to close they would never close past an 8 or a 6 size. at most, id say using a 10g needle but thats still pushing it. there's no need to rush gauging, the process should take time
DeleteTo everyone that said it hurt, it's not supposed to. It's supposed to feel like a weight is hanging from your lobes and that's it. If it hurts then you did something wrong. I just went from 00g to 1/2" and it didn't hurt at all. But that's because I had 00g for over a month and massaged and cleaned the holes every day. Which is what every tattoo/piercing shop owner/employee will tell you to do. Along with cleaning any new jewelry before you put it in. Also when stretching your lobes, make sure to have appropriate tapers and plugs. *NOTICE* Tapers are NOT jewelry. They are just simply tapers to stretch your lobe so you can put the plugs/flesh tunnels in. But honestly, if you can't afford the tapers and aren't brave enough to use plugs/flesh tunnels to stretch then look on youtube for ideas so you can make your own tapers. I used some Sharpie markers to stretch to 1/2". But if you do so, make sure to clean whatever you use thoroughly. But you have to take it nice and slow if you want to reach your target size without any problems.
ReplyDeleteEverything about this site is WRONG. I advise anyone who reads this message to visit http://awfulmodifications.tumblr.com since this site will indeed, give you ears that are posted on their blog.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, what the fuck was the author smoking whilst they were writing this? (never-mind what they were smoking when they were actually stretching their lobes...)
ReplyDeleteThis is a genuinely awful set of instructions and if you /do/ follow them, I can guarantee that you will fall into many of the complications that those who are uneducated in the stretching procedure commonly do.
I really recommend watching TheKingFlatland's (http://www.youtube.com/user/thekingflatland/videos) videos on YouTube or having a read through AwfulModification's Stretching FAQ (http://awfulmodifications.tumblr.com/stretchingfaq).
It's really worth taking the time to educate yourself in something that can be permanent (which stretching should be considered as).
It's not called gauging.
ReplyDeleteAwfulmodifications.tumblr.com
Seriously.
So much mis-information, its stretching not gauging. Plugs not gauges, and it should never hurt or burn regardless of what or hpw you do it. Not trying to come off as a dick but this type of ignorance is dangerous, remember they are your lobes fucking respect them and you will have no problems, also waut a month before you strwtch everytime
ReplyDeletei placed my plug on the screen and it fits the 22.2mm.. juz wanna know if it is the actual size? thnkz
ReplyDeletei stretched mine with steel tapers going from 14g original pierce to 0g in 6 weeks. alot of pain, alot of puss and alot of gore especially with the 0's . but they are healing fine and dont't hurt. ( 14g-8g-4g-0g)I'm waiting a solid month before i go any more. give it time and do it right, or it will be like mine and an unpleasant experience. i would definately recommend steel though, they're heavy as heck and look bad ass
ReplyDeleteI used to jump when I was in smaller sizes. I went from a 14 to a 10 no problem...then I went from a 10 to an 8...8 to a 4.. (that was horrible)...4 to a 2 then didn't skip ever since. I am now at 5/8ths in one ear and 11/16ths in the other (just did it yesterday). I only tore my ear once (that was with my friend doint it one night drunk. Wait don't rush it...trust me it's bad if you do.
ReplyDelete9/16 :) i started with a 6 gauge. Hurt like a bitch :p
ReplyDelete5 years ago I stretched my ears to a 0. Took them out for whatever, decided recently I was going to stretch them again. They healed back to normal (or so it appeared) and I shocked myself when I was able to fit a 4g in. I plan on going much bigger then last time, don't know how big I guess i'll just stop when I feel it's the size I want. I'm Effin Pumped!
ReplyDeleteomg what happends if is not going down and it is staying its size
ReplyDeleteYa'll some PUSSIES using tapers! I used an X-ACTO blade and went from the smallest (2-3MM) to 12MM in about 10 minutes by carefully slicing up and inwards. Blood everywhere.
ReplyDeleteHere's a picture to prove it: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=281550335299900&set=pb.100003348068194.-2207520000.1354235624&type=3&theater
Also tattooed myself - chest, arms, hands, fingers, etc - with both hands.
PS: A black girl who does tattoos?! Cool :) Facebook > uart777
i love my gauges they are so addicting ;) i've had my ears gauged sence i was 8 i love the pain i get from them when i strech them bigger :P
ReplyDelete