Ear piercings can stretch over time, especially with the repeated and frequent wear of heavy earrings that pull and elongate the skin tissues in the region. A once tiny hole can become a very large hole - either via intentional body art modification or unwanted stretching of the earlobe over time.
Earlobe stretching is sometimes done intentionally (a practice called ear gauging), but it can also happen accidentally over time. Frequently wearing heavy, dangling earrings often causes earring holes to gradually enlarge, usually over the course of two to three decades.
“A normal [earlobe] piercing can heal completely within the first week or month,” she says. Even after the piercing has healed, though, putting too much force on that skin can cause it to stretch or even split completely.
Stretching your ears can take months or years, depending on how large you want them to be. During this time, your ear will be sensitive. However, they should never be painful or stressed. A good rule of thumb is to go up one gauge size every four to six weeks.
Most professionals would say that size 0g (8mm) to 00g (10mm) is the absolute point of no return. But, to be on the safe side most would recommend staying under 2g because at this point most people can shrink their ears back.
The most common cause is simply increased friction between the ear hole and the earring. This is most easily remedied by putting petroleum jelly on the earring post and then inserting it into the ear. The petroleum jelly will lubricate the earring to reduce friction.
"A piercing becoming permanent, where jewelry can be removed for hours or days, is never guaranteed." And that means there's always a chance that your piercing can close when you remove jewelry for an extended period of time.
If the hole appears to be fully closed, there's no way to re-open it yourself—forcing jewelry through will result in a bloody, open wound and possibly an infection.
A piercing that is increasing in size might be a sign of irritation or infection, so like I said above, my best advice would be to consult a professional piercer for an in-person consult. They are most qualified to give the best advice when it comes to making sure your nose ring is happy and healthy!
Everybody heals and adjusts to changes differently. One person's earlobe may shrink back to normal after having a stretched piercing and another may need surgical repair. Generally, holes that are less than a half inch in diameter may shrink back naturally if the jewelry is left out. There is no guarantee, however.
The general rule is to avoid wearing earrings while sleeping, with the exception of when you get a new piercing. You will need to keep these small studs in place for 6 weeks or so, or until the piercing heals.
Just like every other part of our body, our ears can become aged and aesthetically displeasing. Years of sun exposure, wearing large or heavy earrings, or sleeping with earrings on in bed can leave you with loose, sagging earlobes. The condition can affect your hairstyle choices and the jewelry you wear.
Also, you may want to consider not wearing any jewellery for a few days and months.Do this until your earring hole shrinks to the size you want. Don't wear heavy earrings on a daily basis as they may cause stress to the ears.
Do heavy earrings stretch earlobes? And in fact, yes, they do. Wearing a pair of heavy earrings once in a while will not do much to stretch your earring holes, but when you wear them every day over a number of years you will begin to see your tiny piercing holes turn into longer piercing slits.
Most likely no. If you're going to not wear earrings at all for years, then the holes can just minimalize that it will be impossible to put a ring in, but they won't completely close.
This is a natural process that occurs normally. Newly-made earring holes will start to close 24 hours after removing your earrings. If you wear earrings for several years, don't worry. The holes will stay open for a few weeks.
It can be helpful to wipe the front and back of the earlobe with rubbing alcohol and then stretch the earlobe to make the hole appear as large as possible. The earrings will probably go back in if inserted at the correct angle. It may be necessary to push the earring post through a thin membrane of tissue.
If you've had an ear or nose cartilage piercing, small lumps can sometimes form around the piercing. The lumps, called granulomas, are trapped fluid. You can treat them by soaking a pad in warm water then holding the pad against them once a day.
The back of traditional butterfly earring slides onto the post, often making the earrings too tight. This is bad for all ear types but especially sensitive ears. Earrings that pinch against the skin of your earlobe trap air and the area becomes moist and prone to infection.
The size of ear gauge you can get greatly depends on your earlobe tissue and whether you have enough to accommodate such large holes. However, studies show that employers frown upon ear gauges and may even require them to be removed if they offer you a job.
This will smell differently depending on each person - some will have a waxy scent, and others will have the distinctive behind-the-ear smell constantly. Some earring holes will smell putrid.