So about 6 and a half months ago I decided to begin delving into the world of body modification. Since I was little, oh say 10 or 11, I've always had a fascination with the look of modified people. Anyway, I began researching stretched piercings. At the time I only had my lobes and a nostril piercing. So I decided I'd stretch my lobes, not very big maybe a 0g or 00g.
At A Glance Author nate Contact weapon_store@hotmail.com When Six months ago Artist me Studio my room Location ohio My best friend at the time had 6g's and those looked massive so I asked him if he would help me stretch my ears from a 10 to an 8, he was stoked to help. So we set it up and I went over to jam some music and do my ears. He got out some white 8g plastic plugs and began soaking them in alcohol. He instructed my to pull on my piercings and massage my lobes to help them stretch, which really didn't help much as he just shoved the little bastards in dry and basically it hurt more than anything I had ever felt in my entire life. But it was done, the seed was planted and I loved them. My girlfriend told me they looked amazing and I thought I was on top of the world.
About a month later I returned with my girlfriend and a bottle full of 6 and 4g claws. I asked him to do my stretch again and he again was completely stoked to do it. I sat down on the couch and rubbed my lobes and he took the 6 and slid it right in, didn't hurt at all. So I told him to just go ahead and shove the 4s in...kind of the worst pain of my life, again.
So about 2 months went by and I kept gauging and gauging until I finally got to a 0. I felt like I was the biggest, baddest dude ever. Then I started hanging out with an old friend who surprised me with his massive 7/8". So I talked to him about gauging and he handed me some black 00 claws which I proceeded to have shredded through my already throbbing lobes. It hurt, but I expected it to, it bled and I hadn't expected that. After about a solid week of extensive cleaning they began to heal, but my right lobe was swollen and full of pus. Another week went by and they were healed,sort of, so I decided to skip everything and go right to half inch.
So my guitarist gave me some double flared 1/2" plugs and I lubed them up and they popped right in. I had 1/2. Bigger than all my friends at school. I felt accomplished and had this feeling of security almost because I had underwent all this pain and was still fine. I can't really explain it, but when you feel it, you'll know of what I speak.
At this point I began reading about taping piercings of a larger gauge. So that's exactly what began to do. I bought some medical tape and began taping my plugs. I went quickly to 5/8 with no real problem. I cut some empty cigar tubes I had and tapered my ears to 3/4. I started taping them and quickly found myself at 7/8.
That huge size I had been so eager to get my ears to.
It had taken about 5 months to get where I was at. Not really any time at all. My lobes were pretty much healthy, a little thin but nothing to get worried about.
At this point I started getting into oil massages and wanted to get that really healthy thick lobe look. So every night I would take Vitamin E gel capsules and massage my lobes in their healing goodness. Something I still do as much as possible.
I started taping my ears again. And the process, as usual, went exceptionally quickly. I found myself ready for the holy grail of gauges. These big acyrlic white plugs I had. At 15/16 they looked massive. I was so excited to try and get those beauties in that I forgot all my knowledge and just tried to pop them in, dry. Not really awesome, at all. They went in, but it hurt, my lobes were throbbing for the next 2 days and when I would take them out the inside of my lobes looked purple and scratched. I started massaging them again every night and they began to look better and better.
After a week or so I began taping them, awaiting my final destination of the unheard of, 1". Something no one had around my sleepy small town.
I was staying at my girlfriend's house when I decided it was time. I was ready, so I went to the mall and got my first pair of 1" gauges. Two massive stainless steel flesh tunnels with an 1/8 flair.
They weren't getting in my ears easily, I could tell. So I somehow found an inch taper, never seen one that large before and I was pretty much giddy as a schoolgirl.
I got home and laid out my tools. Lubricating the taper up with Vitamin E oil, I slowly slid the beast into my lobe. Went right in, little pain at all. I let it sit and tug at my ear for awhile while I readied to put the gauge in. I took the taper out and the flare went in without a hitch. Same thing with the other ear. I was overjoyed. I had massive holes in my ears, and I couldn't be happier.
It had taken me almost exactly 6 months and 3 weeks to get my tiny 10's to a whopping inch. Since then I've gauged up to an 1 1/4" and found my lobes thin, very thin. So I'm back at an inch to thicken them up a bit and heal up a pretty bad infection. I may not have been the smartest at gauging, but I've learned a lot along the way. A lot about myself and my limits and a little about the actual process and history of gauging. My next venture is 1 1/2. and to begin gauging my septum up to a sexy 5/8".