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There has been growing interest in ear curations in recent years, the practice of carefully planning and placing piercings for a maximalist display of stunning rings, chains, crystals, and gems. This is easily one of the most exciting things to happen to the piercing industry, bringing it into public popularity in a way never seen before. But there are still many people, particularly body-modification enthusiasts, that admire size over quantity (though sometimes both!) Stretching earlobes has been a practise within countless cultures over thousands of years, and the reasons and methods behind their practise are as vast as the time it spans.
It would be ignorant of me to tell you that stretched ears of the modern age are purely an aesthetic choice, indeed there are tribes in existence across the world that still practise stretched ear, face, and body piercing as part of their culture to this day. Not just this, but there are many people within the body-modification community that view stretching as rite of passage. Exercising patience is key, but there comes with it an element of celebrating one’s body autonomy that comes with modifying your own body.
Stretching is something that can be performed without the aid of a professional, if done correctly, slowly, safely, and by listening to your body. I have stretched many of my body piercings, including my navel, nipple, conch, my lip, and my ears all the way to 2 inches, the latter of which took ten years to accomplish, and I can confirm that it really is a test of patience.
Despite my encouragement to undertake stretching as a way to regain a deep connection with your body and to exercise patience, I would always recommend consulting a professional to perform the stretches for you, at least initially until you gain some knowledge and confidence with doing them yourself. An experienced piercer will be able to feel when it’s the right time, or the wrong time to stretch, as well as teaching you to recognise those signs on your own body. Always speak to a professional if you are planning to alter your own body in any way, if only to get the right advice for your specific anatomy or situation.
Skin is incredibly stretchy; you only need to think of pregnancy to know that the human body is incredibly resilient in all manner of ways. But skin can only stretch so far before the alteration is permanent. Typically, lobes will reach 10mm (just under half an inch) before they are irreversibly stretched, though for some people this number can be increased, and for others, just a 6mm stretch can refuse to revert. This is particularly true of cartilage piercings, though I will touch on this subject further down.
I’ve split this subject into two blogs for ease of reading, as there is so much to say about stretching, so let’s begin this blog by talking about placement. If you’d like to learn more about safe stretching, you can visit part two here.
Lobes
Lobes are typically what comes to mind when we think of stretched piercings, and a novice to the practice will fairly assume that this is the only viable placement for stretching. We all know someone who has stretched their ears at some point in their life. It’s likely you know someone who had their ears stretched in their youth and now they struggle to wear regular earrings.
I think we can all agree that lobes are simply made for piercing and, as such, are a natural jumping off point to begin stretching. Lobes are wonderfully soft and elastic, not to mention there are no muscles or cartilage in the way. It’s easy to see, easy to reach, and easy to monitor, besides, jewellery options these days are fantastic. Many of the elder-goths of my era have had to come up with fun and innovative solutions in order to wear gorgeous large gauge jewellery in their stretched ears. Others choose to wear hangers in their lobes, shedding the idea that you can only wear round and often uncomfortable large gauge plugs or tunnels in your ears.
Despite the elasticity of lobes, stretching can only reach so far before there is a point of no return. I have mentioned this further up, but after a certain point, typically 10mm, the skin cannot revert, and surgery may be required to correct the earlobe.
Septum
Septum piercing is a practise as old as lobe piercing and has been seen in ancient cultures for thousands of years, spanning across the globe. This intimidating placement has seen a revival in recent years, with many people choosing dainty rings for their septum, though there are still some now that choose a much bolder approach. The popularity of this placement can be attributed to the lack of visible entry and exit holes, making it a great solution for those wanting a facial piercing, but wanting to avoid a scar in case removal of the piercing is necessary for whichever reason. Septum piercing may seem like an incredibly painful place to begin stretching, and that depends entirely on the size of the stretch you wish to achieve. Up to 5mm of stretch is relatively comfortable as this area is incredibly thin and easy to stretch, with almost no risk of rejection. Large gauge septum stretching is not for the faint hearted, however, and should be considered carefully.
For most people the septum is pierced in what we call ‘the sweet spot’. Contrary to popular belief, a septum piercing is not performed through the hard cartilage of the septum. There is a thin nasal membrane in the tip of their nose that a well-placed septum piercing sits in, narrowly avoiding the ridge of cartilage that protrudes forward in the centre of your nose. From initial piercing at 1.6mm and depending on the size of your sweet spot, you have an estimated 5mm of room to play with a stretch. Indeed, I reached 5mm of stretch with no problems. It pinched with each stretch, but nothing significant.
Around the 6mm mark, and with pressure from the tip of the nose, the jewellery will have nowhere to go but backwards, and will begin to press back on the septal nasal cartilage in the centre. For some, this can become excruciating in a matter of minutes. Those who wish to continue into larger gauge septum stretching will inevitably reach a point in their journey that they need to decide whether this pain is worth it, and there are many, many people who have pushed through this with a resilience that I truly admire. I am not, and will never be that person.
I have seen spectacular examples of stretched septum piercings, with some reaching an astonishing 25mm, which is a truly incredible feat when you understand that in order to reach that size, a good portion of the septal nasal cartilage has been worn away, often painfully, over a long period of time. With this in mind, it will ultimately be up to you whether you want to pursue a large gauge septum enough to tolerate the pain.
Lip
Although rare to see in today’s society, within the body-modification community it is relatively common to see stretched labrets. Some choose dainty, form fitting plugs, while others are drawn toward the extreme with large gauge plates that completely alter the way a person looks, talks, and even eats. As opposed to lobes and septum, this stretch can go between or through muscle, depending on the placement of the piercing. Your chosen placement can make stretching an incredibly slow process that may require you to stretch up and size down multiple times as you go. My lip stretch took almost four years of consistent effort to reach 12mm, having to size up 0.5mm at a time and back down again before committing to the stretch again, and this seems to be a common story when speaking with others who have stretched their lip.
Similarly, the philtrum is a popular stretch, and I have seen the occasional stretched paired madonnas, lowbrets, and even cheeks! It should be noted that any facial stretch where the entry point is visible is a true commitment, and not to be taken lightly. I spent ten years considering the impact of my decision before finally committing, and with those ten years of consideration, I proved to myself that I was dedicated to the idea. These are not modifications to rush, as they are incredibly hard to reverse, and will require surgery.
Body Piercing
This is an interesting subject, and one that only seasoned body-modification enthusiasts will attempt to try, as these are also often irreversible without surgery. Though intimidating at first glance, stretching genital piercings and nipple piercings does have a physical benefit. There is an unwelcomed side-affect to having any piercing, and that is the ‘cheese-wire effect’, where smaller gauge jewellery can begin to slice through flesh to leave a slit as opposed to a piercing hole. In extreme cases, jewellery can slice right out of the body. This tends to happen to earlobes wearing heavy jewellery with a very small gauge piercing post; the weight of the jewellery will pull the post down the earlobe and slowly cutting through the tissue just like cheese-wire through cheese, hence the name.
This is a particularly common occurrence with genital and nipple piercings, even at a normal gauge of 1.6mm, usually because of the nature, of these areas. The skin here is often softer, and at risk of much higher movement. To combat this, many people will opt to stretch these piercings to a much larger gauge, meaning that the jewellery can ‘anchor’ more robustly in the skin without slicing through it. Correctly stretching a piercing can mitigate this issue by displacing weight over a greater surface so that heavier jewellery can be worn safely.
Stretching Cartilage
There has always been a level of hesitation to talk about stretching cartilage in the ears. Many people like the idea of stretching a conch or a flat, and it can certainly be done. I know many people, myself included, that have stretched a cartilage piercing, and asking any one of us how much this hurt, we would say incredibly so. In my own opinion based on experience and my own discussions with professionals through the years, stretching cartilage just isn’t advised, especially when considering larger sizes. Many piercers will harken back to the old mantra, “If it hurts, you’re doing it wrong,” and in this case, the answer is almost always yes, and thus, you can conclude that stretching cartilage means you are, in fact, doing it wrong.
The dangers involved in stretching cartilage are significantly increased when compared with lobe stretching, as cartilage contains no blood vessels. Healing just a regular cartilage piercing can take up to 18 months, sometimes even longer for others, and this timeframe is extended when stretching. Cartilage is incredibly rigid which means it takes a long time for that hard material to be displaced by jewellery. My strongest advice would be to avoid stretching ear cartilage and seek large gauge piercing as a safer alternative.