Hey. I'm thinking of gauging my ears in about two days or so. My ear holes are the normal piercing size of 20g or 18g. My goal for about two years from now is to get to 5/8". I have three questions that I want ask, because I really don't want to get a cat butt effect or a blowout.

 1. Should I go straight from 20g/18g to a 14g? Or should I go to 16g?

 2. Can I use Claire's Antiseptic **** (left overs from my ear piercing about 3 months ago)  as lube  or should i use neosporin or silk?

 3. My friend has old acrlyic tapers that she used when she first stretched her ears. She says I can use them to stretch mine. Would this be smart to use her old ones or should I just buy my own tapers?

thanks. =D 

****EDIT: Please do not hotlink, instead host photos on your own server or photo sharing site. Thanks. -Axon

 Read the sticky thread at the top about stretching. It sounds like you just got your ears pierced 3 months ago. If so you need to wait probably another 9 months (about a full year total) before you do any stretching. Your ears need the time to really heal up before you put them through any more trauma and that's essentially what stretching is. So I'd just sit tight and read up on stretching a bit more. You're in a great place; this is an excellent community to get quality advice and information.

Here are my answers :]

1. Let your ears heal fully. 3 months ago? Oh dear. How about waiting at least a year or 2. Seems hard, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Trust me.

2. AFTER your lobes are FULLY healed, start at the smallest size possible. So if you're at a 20G right now, when you start stretching, start at an 18G. If you're at an 18G right now, start at 16G. But remember, LET YOUR LOBES FULLY HEAL FOR A YEAR OR SO

3. I have no clue on the Antiseptic part. I have no clue on the things you need to heal your lobe faster or what not, but Sea Salt Soaks always helped me. SSS.  Vvitamin E and jojoba oils are everywhere on BAF. Buy some!

4. Oh the sweetness. Sharing tapers! I mean, i would never share something that has been in someone else's ear and place it in mines. Even if it has been cleaned about 4000000 times. What if her ears bled or something during the time of her stretch? Puss? Ewwwie. Germs! I've never heard anyone dying of sharing a taper, but i just don't like sharing things like that. i guess that's your decisicion to make buddy.

1. 16g

2. No, do not use this product on any piercing you own as it's an irritant for some people. Instead use emu, vitamin E, jojoba oils.

3. Unless you are a fluid swapping partner with your friend or comfortable with the prospect of sharing any blood-borne diseases with her, go ahead and purchase your own tapers. Some people prefer the taping method instead of tapering.

For some great info on the stretching process, take a look at these links:

http://forums.bodyartforms.com/forums/t/5641.aspx

http://forums.bodyartforms.com/forums/t/7296.aspx

Keep in mind that it will take significantly longer than two years to reach your goal in a healthful manner. It will probably take you about 48 months (4 years) to do so. Wait another three months before even thinking about stretching. Good luck!

 thanks for the advice. :]

My friend only waited two weeks after she got her ears pierced to stretch them. She said they hurt pretty bad when she put them in. Which makes sense. XP Her ears lobe is pretty wrinkly, and I want to avoid that as much as possible.

So I should wait 3 month to a year before I stretch, got it.

But does the fact that I wear hoops constantly have any effect on how long I wait till I stretch my lobes? I read that wearing heavy jewelry helps your lobes get loose. I've worn hoops about 2 or 4 times a week since the middle of august. 

I'd wait at least three to six more months before any stretching.

Always remember that stretching shouldn't hurt or cause tears/bleeding/pus/discolored fluid discharge. If any of those things happen, something has gone wrong and a downsize is in order.

Heavier jewelry can cause holes to migrate and stretch unevenly. It's probably best to avoid wearing weighty items for an extended period of time.