Rage Over Gauges | Teen Ink

Rage Over Gauges

February 17, 2011
By xxPaulinka GOLD, Chicago, Illinois
xxPaulinka GOLD, Chicago, Illinois
10 articles 2 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
"You're like a bassist. You do a lot and no one seems to notice, until you stop."

Lately, I have noticed how many teenagers are starting to follow the trend of gauging their ears. I am one of them, currently at a size 0.
By inserting tapers, long needle-like plastic, into an already pierced ear stretches out the hole, making it larger. The sizes of gauges start from size 14, and go on up by two’s. After 0, there is 00. Once someone passes that size, they are able to size up in inches. Normally, a person should wait at least a week to two weeks between sizing up. Some people believe that it is fine to size up faster and skipping sizes, but they do not know of the danger of a blowout. A blowout occurs when a person sizes up too fast, causing the not-completely-healed tissues to gather in a giant bubble in the back of the ear lobe. A blowout cannot be removed with antibiotics or some simple at home remedy. A blowout has to be surgically removed. Blowouts are not that common, but do occur at times. Also, sizing up to quickly or skipping sizes can result in the hole ripping instead stretching. When this occurs, the piercing may bleed for a few days until it is fully healed. This is why it is better to go slowly and never skip a size. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Many people believe that someone gauging their ears is horrid and distasteful, but I personally do not care for their comments. To me, gauges are just a bigger pair of earrings. I do not understand the giant issue with gauges. Other people wear huge hoop earrings that look like they are about the rip the person’s ear off, and that is considered normal. Gauges are just earrings that make the piercing larger. They are a fashion statement, as some might say, a way of expressing yourself. If you are considering gauging your ears, just remember, slow and steady wins the race. The longer you wait in between sizes, the less it will hurt and the better they will turn out.

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