Stretching, in the context of body piercing, is the deliberate expansion of a healed fistula for the purpose of wearing body piercing jewelry. Ear piercings are the most commonly stretched piercings,[1] with nasal septum piercings, tongue piercings and lip piercings/lip plates following close behind. While all piercings can be stretched to some degree, cartilage piercings are usually more difficult to stretch and more likely to form hypertrophic scars if stretched quickly. Dermal punching is generally the preferred method for accommodating larger jewelry in cartilage piercings.[2]
Stretching is usually done in small increments to minimize the potential for damaging the healed fistula or creating scar tissue. In North America, most stretching methods go up by a single even-sized gauge at a time. In Europe and most of the rest of the world, jewelry is metric, but the increments between standard sizes are similar.
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There are few health issues directly related to stretching piercings. Most stretching methods do not create a wound. If an individual's skin elasticity and vascularity allow, most piercings can be stretched far beyond their initial size. Anywhere from 2g (6.5 millimeters (0.3 in))[3] to 13 millimeters (0.5 in)[1] is normally given as the "point of no return" for earlobe piercings, as over this size there is a significant risk that the hole will never shrink back to the size of the original piercing. Many variables affect whether or not a stretched piercing will return to its original size, such as the length of time taken to stretch and the amount of time the piercing is fully healed at a particular size.
There is a large variety of jewelry available for stretched piercings. Many jewelry materials can be used in the manufacturing of jewelry for stretched piercings; materials that would ordinarily be too delicate or brittle to be inserted in smaller-gauge piercings are freely used. Stone, fossilized materials, wood, bone, horn, amber, bamboo, silicone, and glass are not uncommon in stretched piercings. Some of these materials "breathe" better than metals or plastics, preventing the buildup of sebum in the enlarged ear lobe. Jewelry, however, is still often made of acrylic or metal. There are dangers associated with wearing porous materials such as acrylic, stone, wood, bamboo, horn, bone, or other materials with small or microscopic holes, in a freshly stretched piercing. These materials not only have microscopic holes that will trap bacteria and can cause infection, but also can not be autoclaved or properly sanitized, and are therefore unfit for a fresh stretch or piercing. The best materials for a fresh stretch that is not vulnerable to bacteria are surgical steel, titanium, and glass. This is because these materials are non porous and can withstand the heat and pressure of an autoclave, so they can be properly sanitized before insertion.
The typical jewelry worn in a large stretched piercing is a plug. It is solid and usually cylindrical, and may be flared out at one or both ends (saddle-shaped), or kept in place by o-rings fastened around the ends. A variation on this is the flesh tunnel, which is shaped in the same way, but hollow in the middle. Claw-, talon-, and spiral-shaped pieces are also commonplace. Ear-weights in varying degrees of size are also worn, commonly made from silver or bronze, though other metals such as copper or brass are occasionally used. However, some people are easily irritated by some metals; therefore, care should be taken when metal jewelry is worn. Ear cuffs (such as the gold ones utilized in South India provinces) or wrapped bead work (common amongst the Maasai of East Africa) are other options, though are not usually seen in modern Western contexts.
There are several common methods used to enlarge piercings, of various origins and appropriate for different circumstances.
Ear stretching has been practiced by people all over the world from ancient times. Bone, horn, wood, and stone were generally carved for ear stretching, but other organic materials that had the right shape naturally, from shells to teeth and claws, were also used.
Mummified bodies with stretched earlobes have been discovered, including the oldest mummified body discovered to date: Ötzi the Iceman (3300BC).[2] This mummy had a stretch of somewhere between 7–11 millimeters (0.28–0.43 in) in diameter.
Gautama Buddha, an aristocratic and wealthy prince, had long stretched ears. He wore heavy gold earrings or precious stones as a status symbol, and the weight stretched his ear lobes dramatically. When he finally renounced his wealth and discarded his jewelry, his ear lobes were permanently stretched.[10] As a way of remembering Buddha's act of personal self-sacrifice in walking away from his wealth, all succeeding images of Gautama Buddha show his stretched ear lobes sans jewelery.
| 14g | 1.628mm | .064in | - |
| 12g | 2.053mm | .081in | - |
| 10g | 2.588mm | .102in | - |
| 8g | 3.264mm | .128in | - |
| 6g | 4.115mm | .162in | - |
| 4g | 5.189mm | .204in | - |
| 2g | 6.544mm | .258in | - |
| 0g | 8.251mm | .325in | - |
| 00g | 9.266mm | .365in | - |
| 11.11mm | .438in | 7/16" | |
| 12.710mm | .5in | 1/2" | |
| - | 14.288mm | .563in | 9/16" |
| - | 15.875mm | .625in | 5/8" |
| - | 17.463mm | .688in | 11/16" |
| - | 19.06mm | .75in | 3/4" |
| - | 22.225mm | .875in | 7/8" |
| - | 23.813mm | .938in | 15/16" |
| - | 25.4mm | 1in | 1" |
| - | 26.988mm | 1.063in | 1 1/16" |
| - | 28.575mm | 1.125in | 1 1/8" |
| - | 31.75mm | 1.25in | 1 1/4" |
| - | 34.925mm | 1.375in | 1 3/8" |
| - | 38.1mm | 1.5in | 1 1/2" |
| - | 41.275mm | 1.625in | 1 5/8" |
| - | 44.45mm | 1.75in | 1 3/4" |
| - | 47.625mm | 1.875in | 1 7/8" |
| - | 50.8mm | 2in | 2" |
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