This guide is intended for those that need some info on expanding piercings to larger gauges.  First, some help on the basic flesh piercings like lobes.

Assuming that you have not expanded at all, please use the following steps.  Please note that this guide is intended to target the average piercing.  Some people do not expand as easily as others.

We and our client's have tried many different methods of expanding and have found the steam / shower method to be the easiest and more sanitary one.

PLEASE start by cleaning all of your tapers with dishsoap first.  Tapers are the best product to use as its a gradual expansion verses using plugs which is a sudden expansion and can cause rips and cracking of the lobes.  Whether you use acrylic, steel or titanium for tapers has very little to do with the outcome unless you have allergies to any of these materials.

Ok, let's start with expanding to the first gauge which would be 14 gauge.  All of the gauges can be applied to these steps.

Get ready to take a shower or bath...nice hot one !  Lobes have this fantastic ability to retain water from steam which makes them considerably more elastic.

Once you've been in the shower / bath for approx 5 mins or longer ( some take longer and some don't but test it out after 5 mins ), take your 14 gauge taper ( remove the O ring's ) and slowly insert it into your hole.  This should not be painful.  If it is, you are doing it to fast.  You might feel a slight burning or pinching sensation but that is ALL you should feel.  We find that if you twirl the taper between your finger's it allow's it to slide in easier.  If at any time you feel that the taper is a struggle to push further,  stop!  If you continue to push it in, meeting with resistance, then you may very well end up with bleeding ears, cracked lobes or one heck of a toothache feeling in about an hour.  All you need to do is insert the O ring's on each side of the taper where you have stopped and leave it be for the next time you take your shower / bath.

Ok, assuming that you got the taper all the way in, place your O rings around the taper to hold it in place.  One in the front of your hole and one in the back.  Dry your lobes with a towel lightly ( pat dry ).  Your next step would be to insert a piece of jewelry once the expansion feel's complete.  This could take anywhere from a day to a week.  You can tell if it's ready by twirling the taper between you fingers.  If it twirls easily then you are ready for you jewelry, if it doesn't then please wait and try again later.  Also go by how your lobe feels.  If it's tender or feels agravated at all, it's not ready.

Inserting the jewelry should be painless and done with ease.  Once again, if it's not then you were not ready and the best thing to do is re-insert the taper, slowly.  PLEASE clean your jewelry with dishsoap.  Have your jewelry ready to be inserted so that you don't have too much time between removing the taper and putting in your jewelry. Your hole will shrink fairly quickly in the smaller gauges.  Remove the taper and have the plug ready to follow through immediately at the end of the taper.  Do not use flared jewelry for expanding as the flare will be larger than the taper gauge and extremely hard to put in which will most likely hurt and rip your piercing.  Straight plugs with O rings work best.  Once your plug is in, secure it in place with one O ring in the front of your lobe and one in the back.  Wait until the plug feels completely comfortable in your ear and moves around with ease before moving on to the next gauge.

For all increases in gauge size, repeat all of the above steps.  Expanding should be done one gauge at a time. 

A Few More Helpful Hints

If you are planning on expanding up several gauges, use relatively inexpensive jewelry like acrylic plugs. ( unless you have an allergy to plastics )  You won't be wearing these jewels any longer than the expansion process so it's a waste of money.

Another good product for expanding are steel pinchers.  They are tapered and look great on.  No need for seperate tapers or plugs.

Please, please do not use straight steel tapers for the smaller gauges.  Not if you intend to wear them over night.  These are shaped like needles and can potentially cause harm if one pokes your neck.  If you want to use steel then please use the curved tapers.  Most acrylic tapers have a bit of a rounded point so if you intend on straight tapers that's the best way to go.

Keep your expansions and jewelry clean by soaping them up and rinsing thoroughly with water when you are in the shower or just over the sink. 

Do not use peroxide / alchohol / or any other drying agent on your holes while you are going through an expanding.  These cause cracking and even shrinkage of the expansion.

The above expansion process also works well for those of you that pierced your belly at 16 gauge but want to be able to use 14 gauge jewelry.  You, of course, would only use a curved taper and the jewelry to follow would be done right after the taper is in.  Expanding from 16 gauge to 14 gauge is not a big jump so you should be able to insert your jewelry immediately after the taper has made it's way through.  Please do not use dangle rings.  If it gets caught then you may be in for a longer healing time.  There are some really pretty double gem belly rings so if you need the glitter now, that's the best way to go until it feels like the expansion has been healed.

Cartilage expansion is done much the same way as the belly expansion only unfortunately it usually does hurt in the after affects, feeling very much like it did after you got pierced. ( that aching feeling that lasted a while after your piercing )  These expansions, we highly recommend, be done SLOWLY, inserting the taper and immediately following it with steel or PTFE jewelry.

PTFE jewelry is great for those hard to heal piercings or piercings that are trying to reject.  The body rarely rejects this product.  If you think that you may have sensivities to other materials, this is the best way to go.  Your local piercer should be willing to pierce you with this product.

Prince Albert's can be done using the same method as the belly and cartilage piercings.  ONE gauge at a time !

Slower expansions can also be done by using heavy pieces of jewelry, but we have found this works best once you are past 6 gauge.  The weight of the jewelry will slowly expand your lobe's to the next gauge without going through the taper / shower method.

Please let us know if this has helped you buy clicking yes or no on the button's bellow.

Shameless Staff