Earlobe stretching - Information, video and photo gallery about this ancient practice that has become a modern trend

Ear stretching has been around since ancient times, many tribes still practice ear stretching and many old works of art and sculptures depict stretched earlobes. 'Easter Island' has some large sculpteres in rock depicting stretched earlobes and the polynesian tribals who built the sculptures were famous for the practice.

a breif history of piercings

A centuries old tradition, expanded piercings -particular those of the earlobes and lower lip - are an important body modification for many of the worlds tribal people.
Having emerged independently in such diverse locations as North America, the Amazon, Asia, Africa, Polynesia and New Zealand, the practice has recently provoked growing interest in the West.
The practice has developed many variations of style and technique across the world. A jewellery, string or stick is inserted into the earlobe and gradually added to , in some places with the combination of weight that the earlobes stretch sometimes many times the original length.

In some traditions it is the long earlobes and not the jewellery that are considered attractive. Many times the ear piercing and stretching forms part of rites to step into adulthood, in other it is a form of statues.
in some parts of Africa women start to stretch their lips six months before marriage. The size of the lip plate indicates the number of cattle the husband will have to pay for her dowry.

Easter Island, is situated in the southeast Pacific over 1,000 miles from the other islands of Eastern Polynesia and some 1,400 miles west of South America, it is one of the most remote inhabited places in the world.   Most of the sculptures found there depict stretched ears and in the 19th century the practice may have been discouraged by missionaries.

 In many cultures the stretched ear lobes are frequently depicted with ear plugs or flesh tunnels made from obsidian, shark vertebrae or other matherials.

"Orejones" means "big ears" in Spanish, and was used to describe Inca royalty; Hanau Eepe was once said to mean "long ears" and referred to the ruling class on Easter Island (vs. the Hanau Momoko or "short ears").

Ear Tunnel
Guatemala, (A.D. 900-1500)

Although found in the highlands of Guatemala, these pieces of thinly worked obsidian may have been traded from a Post-Classic Mexican center specializing in producing such extraordinary ornaments.

As with anything that punctures the skin, there are some risks. With earlobe stretching the risks are infection and poor healing, also, if the ears are stretched to rapidly or to a size that is to big a "blowout" can happen.

This picture shows another rare condition that can occur after a piercing, keloids. Keloids are disfiguring scars that proliferate beyond the boundaries of the original site of the injury, in this case it was a simple ear piercing. Keloids can continue to grow indefinitely and no satisfactory treatment has been identified. I believe doctors seem divided on the genetic causes of these scars and most people are not at risk.

Here is a guide I found  that talks about the methods of earlobe stretching:


Earlobe stretching is the practice of increasing the diameter of an earlobe piercing after the initial healing period for the purpose of wearing larger gauge jewelry.

Most people can stretch to at least 2G (6mm) and still have the tissue return to normal when they remove the jewelry, but there are no guarantees. Thus, earlobe stretching is not suitable for everyone especially for those who do not want their earlobes to be oversized. Once the elastic limit of the skin has been passed, or a large amount of additional tissue has been built up, the hole will not close again completely. On the other hand, plastic surgeons can rebuild a stretched earlobe.
Here are some problems you may face:

Most people can stretch about one inch(25mm) per year. Overstretching can result in tearing or migration which will usually lead to scar tissue. The biggest problem with this is that it makes further stretching more difficult. Also, damage to nerves leading to a loss of feeling in the tissue. However, feeling typically returns in six to twelve months. Damage can also be done to blood vessels, resulting in a loss of circulation, in which case the tissue may die or become significantly weakened. Another problem is the development of a lip behind the piercing. These blowout lips commonly appear around the earlobe. The simple way to get rid of them, if you catch them in time, is to downsize them immediately, and allow them to reabsorb. The more advance way to get rid of them is to physically remove them. One method that has been met with good success is tightly tying off the lip using a tunnel as a backing, allowing the tissue to die, and then removing it.
A variety of jewelry is available for stretched earlobes such as: plugs, tunnels(eyelets), large captive bead rings, and hanging styles.

In case you want to get rid of the stretched hole you should remove the jewelry for a long term period. This will shrink the hole until a certain size which is impossible to tell for every individual. Please note, however, that its generally accepted that a piercing stretched to 4G(5mm) or over is not likely to shrink to the point it will not be noticeable. Earlobes which have been scalpelled or punched will typically not shrink beyond the size they were when the procedure was performed.
Several methods are available for stretching your earlobes. Not all are equally prefered.

By wearing heavy jewelry in the piercing, the tissue of the earlobe gradually stretches to accommodate the weight. This has the advantage of being slow and gradual. However, weights put all of their pressure on the tissue directly supporting them. This causes stretching to be uneven and can lead to thinning. Stretching with weights is generally not recommended.

By periodically wrapping a few turns of electrical or teflon tape around your plug or your tunnel(eyelet), the diameter of the jewelry can be increased gradually and evenly.

In order to quickly attain larger diameter piercings and avoid stretching, one can undergo a procedure known as scalpelling. Scalpelling is currently practiced by a small number of body piercers, and involves cutting a slit in the tissue with a surgical scalpell then inserting the jewelry with the aid of a taper. Scalpelling does not remove any tissue.

A dermal punch is used to remove a circular portion of the earlobe, and jewelry is inserted in the hole. It is not recommended to dermal punch earlobes if later stretching is desired. This is because the dermal punch removes tissue, limiting future stretching.

A taper is a device for inserting larger gauge jewelry into a piercing. Generally of stainless steel, a taper is a rod which increases in diameter from one side to the other. The small end goes first with the aid of a lubricant which can be used to stretch the piercing up to the final larger size. The new jewelry is followed through after the taper just like with a piercing needle in a fresh piercing. Some tapers have threaded ends and can be physically attached to barbells or plugs to make the insertion of the jewelry easier. This method is prefered than the others since it is the safest and easiest.

 Stretch your earlobes only if you feel ok with having oversized earlobes for life.
Stretch gradually using a taper and a lubricant such as savlon.
Allow your earlobes to relax by giving them time between stretching and by taking out your jewelry for a couple of hours every now and then.
As a general rule do not stretch more than a mm per month.
Listen to your body.

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