I was speaking to a guy yesterday who was asking about my piercings, in particular my tunnels. He was a fairly hipster looking guy, beard, tat sleeves etc.
I answered a few questions about how you should take it really steady when stretching – explaining that I took a few months to go up from one size to another; but he didn’t seem to listen and was insistent that with enough moisturiser and a decent salt bath he could go right up from 1mm (standard piercing size) to about 4mm (my medium tunnel size).
I did ask him what was his reason for stretching? It’s fashionable was his answer.
Stretchers have been pretty much the norm in my alt/metal lifestyle choice for a long time now – popularised by such bands as Avenged Sevenfold though – but they aren’t a hipster fashion decision done at a whim. Sorry, but you’re doing permanent damage to your ears. Anything larger than a couple of mm will leave a permanent scar and will never heal.
Plus, you’re subjecting yourself to a lifetime of cleaning them… And boy do they get funky if you don’t keep them spotless! 🤢
I can smell it in my mind when you described the funk.