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De-Mystifying The Stretching Process
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· Stretching is the slow process of placing larger size
or gauge jewelry into a piercing and allowing the tissue's own elastic nature
to accomodate progressively larger sizes. This process is primarily achieved
through time and patience.
· An aid called a Taper
Pin or stretcher is often employeed to help the stretching
process. A taper pin is a conical shaped object that can vary from 2
inches to 6 inches in length, and are primarily crafted out of steel
or acrylic. The taper pin starts at a slightly smaller size than your
current size and gradually increases to the size you are stretching to.
Most tapers have a concave end to adjoin to the jewelry such as captive
bead rings, single flared eyelets, or plugs, some have threads to mate
with threaded jewelry such as barbells. We offer several different Taper
Kits with different jewelry options.
· We recommend to stretch one size at a time. We do
not recommend skipping sizes. Often when sizes are skipped or the process
is rushed the tissue can be damaged and cause "blowouts", tears or fissures
that can lead to the developement of scar tissue, premature thinning of the
skin around the piercing, or possibly cause rejection of the piercing. Your
body is the best indicator of when it is time to stretch. Stretching when
done properly it is most often completely painless and causes little swelling
to the piercing and surrounding areas.
· Different piercings stretch at different rates. See
below chart for approximate periods of time we recommend between stretches
as well as a progression chart of sizes. This should be used as a guideline,
but we also recommend using your body's response to the stretch as the real
indicator. If you notice pain, persistent swelling, bleeding or prolonged
redness to the area please immediatly downsize the jewelry to prevent damage
to the tissue.
· In most cases as a piercing is stretched larger, the
wait time between stretching is prolonged. Again, your body is the best indicator
of when it is time to stretch a piercing. This is only a guideline.
Earlobe - 1-2 months or more
Cartilege - 6 months or more
Septum - 6-8 weeks or more
Labret/Lip - 2 months or more
Tongue - 2 months or more
Nipple - 4 months or more
Prince Albert - 2 months or more
Guiche - 2-3 months or more
Hood - 1-2 months or more
If you need anymore information regarding average stretch times
or if you have any questions regarding stretching a specific piercing, e-mail
us at kolopiercing@comcast.net
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