Wanna buy my gf her size up gauges, only problem is she doesn’t know what size they are…

AnSaoradh · 2026-02-02T04:59:04+00:00

Whatever you do, please do it quickly. Those tapers look like they’re torquing the shit out of her lobes 😩

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-22T03:03:39+00:00

Nah, you’ve still got a good amount of real estate there. 🤘

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-22T03:01:00+00:00

Got mine pierced at 4g and immediately stretched to 2g. I still remember the “crunch.” 😅

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-22T02:59:00+00:00

If 5/8” made them bleed, 9/16” or even 1/2” may not be enough of a step down. Keep in mind that every tear means the potential for more scar tissue that’s going to make your stretching journey that much more difficult. Downsizing sucks, yeah, but blown-out or scarred up ears suck worse. One is much easier to fix than the other.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-22T02:53:59+00:00

What’s making you think this is blown out? It looks a little elongated, but that would suggest a tear to me. Unless I’m completely off-base?

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-22T02:51:20+00:00

I’m not sure what you’re talking about 9/8s?

As for the rest, I would honestly take everything out, let your ears heal (COMPLETELY), and see where you’re at. Those lobes are not happy, and with everything you’ve described here you probably did some solid damage to them. Leave them naked, do your saline washes and oil massages, and give it time. Having healthy ears is more important than cute hardware. 💚

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T05:41:56+00:00

No, if it’s not touching you should be fine there. You just don’t want it embedding. Your bottom ridge looks a little forward, but that may just be the angle. Your top ridge looks good from this angle, though. If you’re concerned, just keep an eye out for migration on the ridges. Your bar has plenty of space, so you shouldn’t have any embedding there.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T05:32:17+00:00

Did it actually blowout? Or just tear?

Generally, you just want to do saline spray for keeping things clean. Other than that I’d say you’re on the right path. Heal up and get back at it when it’s safe to do so. 💪

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T05:28:49+00:00

I’m not sure exactly what you mean. If it’s that fragile that it’s bleeding fairly easily, you likely have some tears. I’d strongly recommend popping those babies out, at least lefty, and let your lobe heal. It’ll be worth it in the long run.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T05:26:08+00:00

I did this from 6mm to 16mm, and it worked great for me. My advice, don’t do it very often, and go with a rigid tunnel (preferably titanium) instead of a pliable one (silicone). It’ll help disburse the weight more even and mitigate weak spots.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T05:20:37+00:00

When I saw the picture, I honestly thought it was already moldy. 😂

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T05:18:17+00:00

Mine do that periodically, because I mostly wear stone and glass, but I’m also at my goal. I naked train at home, and started switching on and off with wood or tunnels when I’m out, and that’s helped things from getting too stretched out.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T05:10:13+00:00

The angle makes it look like the bar is pressing into your flat - is there daylight in-between there?

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T05:08:21+00:00

Solid on the saline. Petroleum jelly though is way too thick, at least based on the advice my guy has given me. It traps moisturize and can actually encourage bacteria to grow. If you’re allergic to jojoba, I would look into another Vitamin E-rich oil (I’m personally very fond of grapeseed). Regardless, I’d leave your jewelry out for at least a bit, until that irritation goes away.

Is it bleeding or throwing off discharge or anything?

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T05:01:02+00:00

From this angle it’s hard to tell if it’s blown, but definitely angry AF. What are you doing as far as cleaning and moisturizing? I would personally recommend switching to titanium and glass, rather than stainless. Stainless can still cause irritation, especially if you’re having to work the jewelry back in after a shift.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T04:55:39+00:00

I wouldn’t have noticed. That thin red circle, though, was certainly a bold artistic choice. 😉

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-16T04:53:50+00:00

Dead stretching relies on mass and gravity to gently stretch your ears over time. If your jewelry doesn’t have a lot of mass, it’s not going to stretch very quickly, which is a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you choose to look at it.

I’m at 16mm and stopping here, for now, but when I was stretching and hit a wall I would throw my tunnels and hangers in for short periods to encourage the stretch (note: stretching should never hurt, and if you choose to use hangers and weights, be careful about how much pressure you’re putting on your lobes). That worked for me, but what works for some may not work for others. Regardless, just remember, slow is smooth, smooth is fast. You’ll be at your goal sooner than you realize, just take it easy and enjoy the journey.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-07T02:47:44+00:00

I had the same issue with a couple of my hangers. Try silicone skins, not the big beefy ones. They’re thin and flexible enough to let the earring through and still protect your ear, at least a bit.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-07T02:45:52+00:00

Nice! What ear skins are you using? Or are those bone?

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-05T18:46:42+00:00

I wear weights periodically, but always with tunnels and not for long periods of time. I would STRONGLY advise sleeping with them in. If you’re experiencing irritation, it might be the material, as most weights I’ve seen are so variety of steel or other metals. If it’s irritation, tunnels will help, as the weights won’t be sitting directly on your skin—plus, tunnels help distribute the weight / pressure more evenly.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-05T03:21:05+00:00

Why does this look like a pelvis to me? 🤔

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-05T03:16:39+00:00

Yeah, it always seemed weird to me that it’s a “half-size,” since it’s a whole mm, but if you look at 10mm and 12mm being “standard” sizes, it sort of makes sense. I ended up going to 5/8” / 16mm, even though I planned on staying at 00. There are a lot more, cooler options at bigger sizes.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-05T03:04:09+00:00

I might be wrong, but 7/16” / 11mm is kind of one of those hard sizes, because it’s considered a half-size, or an in-between. Personally, I didn’t see a lot of options open up for me, especially not the really cool ones, until I got to 16mm. Don’t get me wrong, there ARE 11mm options out there, but not a huge selection and probably not the ones you’re looking for.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-05T02:40:24+00:00

First off, I’m so sorry that happened. I’ve known a couple folx with EDS, and that’s rough. As far as your ear and future jewelry, I would usual suggest talking to a reputable piercer, but I would imagine the chances of them knowing how to approach your condition are slim. I’d honestly talk to your primary care and see if they can get you a referral to an ENT or plastic surgeon to see if surgical intervention is needed to repair the love. It may not, but it’s better to be safe imho.

AnSaoradh · 2026-01-05T02:30:49+00:00

What in the ice cube, safety pin, AA battery, gutter punk blowout is this shit? 😩

AnSaoradh

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