ear stretching

Check out the MSDS sheet (google is great) for acrylic plastics...the melting point is far too low (about 150 degrees) to allow for sterilization in an autoclave. If you can reform your acrylic tapers with the heat generated from a toaster oven (try it, it works) then it definitely cannot safely withstand the 249.8 degrees for at least 15 minutes that is required for proper autoclave sterilization.

Stainless steel (implant grade 316LVM F-138) was originally made for implantation applications such as plates, screws and pins used to mend bones back together on a long term basis. I have 2 plates and 16 screws in my ankle right now and I do not question the biocompatibility of the material. It also does not scratch nearly as easily as acrylic, nor is it porous, which can lead to unnecesssary bacteria and irritation in a fresh or healed piercing.

You are correct about glass being highly chippable, if you are referring to "soft glass" which is very fragile and really shouldnt be put anywhere near a piercing. Pyrex glass on the other hand is great for piercings and is incredibly strong. Pyrex was initally developed for laboratory use, is basically inert, and is made to withstand extreme temperature changes without cracking. It is kiln annealed after firing so as to make the material even stronger. If you were to drop a piece of pyrex glass (especially something as chunky as a plug) on the floor it would most likely bounce, and if it did break, the split would be clean-pyrex rarely chips. If you dont wear it in the shower than you should be fairly safe from breakage.

Organic materials like wood, horn or bone should be worn in well healed piercings only-and should never be put in a piercing that may experience impact regularly-genitals, navel, nipples etc. These materials should also be removed while swimming or bathing because water can cause some weird warping or splintering.

A simple google search on any of these materials will give you soooo much more information than anyone will likely ever need, and no amount of "professional opinion" will ever be a match for common sense and scientific data.

 

I have heard that it is porous enough to harbor bacteria and therefore is not good for new piercings being that there is a fresh wound there. Same for wood and other organics. Supposedly, alcohol will also ruin(melt) acrylic. I don't know if my keyboard is made of that stuff but I got the keys all stuck one time I tried cleaning it with an alcohol based solvent. Made everything sticky so I had to get a new one.

 

When I was 16 I stretched my ears to just under an inch using knitting needles... I came from a country town in Australia where I had no idea.

The bitch was starting them out.... but then I just cafefully pushed the tapper up when I wasn't hurting like hell.I sawed of the ends of bigger knitting needles to get the tapper. I listened to my body and didnt push it to far to fast. I got to just under in inch in 3 months...

I say do it the natural way and listen to your body...body piercers just want to make money and they all have different opinions anyway.

 

oh damn it, it depends how much elactisity the certain person has in their skin. I went from 18g(pretty standard) to 1/2 inch in less than a year skipping gauges several times and never once had a blow out.

 

so would you say that steel might be the best if you arent sure if say You might end up going swimming, or playing a sport and didnt want to take them out or couldnt cause theyre fresh? i would want stone or wood but if i had to deal with them everytime i shower or go swimming it would kinda suck ass

also, in time i want to get to a hole roughly the size of a pencil or a bit more, what size is that closest to? how long would it approx. take??

 

A pencil would be about 00g... like the rings I have going through my tunnels?

 

I don't understand this whole guage thing, its like guages for piercings isn't it? With lip rings etc? We measure it by millimetres in NZ, mine are 8mm. (1 inch=25mm)

My mate got his ear pierced (with a gun) and went to 12mm in the same day. the ear bled like hell but it was ok by the end of the week. I went from pierced to 5mm in the same day and it was hard to do, but fine. But now mine are on 8 I'm finding it so much hard to get them to 10, I've pretty much given up.

 

BTW, my stretchers were 'acrylic' and my doctor put them through his autoclave for me, they survived it fine.. I'm not sure about this but because a lot of people call anything plastic 'acrylic' they might not actually be acrylic, could even be something along the lines of polycarbonate but I doubt it.