Monday 11 July 2011

Downsizing.. And what not..

I always get emails regarding downsizing, and ways and means of avoiding, why you should do it, how long you should do it for, etc.

Basically, the simple answer is, there isn't a sure fire method. Believe it or not, everyones body is different. For me, I had to downsize for a long time, due to my body being a slow healer, some people may only have to do it for a few days, a week, or whatever. But I shall try to explain in this blog, when, where, and how it should be done, maybe then, it'll help, and I can be lazy and forward this page on to people.

So you've got a cut, you've stretched, your ear has swollen, your ears are looking thin. Well, now is the time to consider downsizing. That's right, all that hard work you've taken to get to a size you like, you have to go backwards. Unfathomable. I know. But, if people realised that stretching isn't a race, it isn't something you rush to beat your friends at, it isn't when you buy a 2" plug, and you're at 1 1/2" and decide to force it in because you're impatient, it's about time, these holes you're putting in your body, they're permanent. Anyway. Lecture over.

If you've got a cut, your ear looks swollen, then take out the jewellery and drop it, by a size, maybe two depending on how bad it is. Make sure you do salt water soaks (if your ears are big enough to hang in a shot glass with salt water), or using cotton buds (q-tips to americans) clean the wounded area twice a day, pref in the morning, and then at night. Keep doing this, and eventually it'll go away. Do not use anything else, like neosporin, germoline, savlon, or other antiseptic creams, as believe it or not, in a stretched ear, these keep the bacteria rife in the ear, rather than killing them.

Once, you've done your salt water soaks, I personally would avoid using oils for the time being if you've got a cut, as I find that they can be irritating to the ear. Generally, downsizing by a few sizes will cure 99% of all problems, and if you've got cuts, it can take a while for the cut to disappear, and you have to be certain it's gone, even if your ear is gapping, putting in the bigger jewellery again can cause the rip to re-open.

So you've got thin ears, and you want to thicken them up. Pretty much follow the same advice as above, but without the salt soaks. Use plenty of oils, vitamin e, emu, jojoba, bio oil, cover them from night, morning and day, and downsize by at least 2/3/4 sizes if you can. Your ears will feel loose, and they'll feel warm, but by not down sizing huge amounts, you should find, in theory your ear closes up around the jewellery. Then, I'd leave it for about 2 - 4 weeks, then I'd gradually start stretching up slowly, for me personally, I downsized maybe every 3/4 months just to keep that consistancy in my ears. But that was me.

Hope this helps!

Peace