People have been decorating and making changes to the appearance of their bodies since history began. This has taken many forms throughout the ages, such as tattoos, piercings, stretches, scars, marks, muscle sculpting, hairstyle, and many more, and for almost as many different reasons.

The three main purposes of these forms of body modification have been historically tribal (showing allegiance to a tribe or group of people), in war (frightening the enemy and distinguishing friend from foe), and for fashion and perceived beauty. Ear lift has been popular for centuries, but this popularity has increased in Western culture in recent years.

For some, there is deep spirituality to the long process of ear stretching, while for others it is fun and more complicated than a simple ear piercing, and the fact that fewer people do it adds to its appeal. Others have their own reasons, but regardless of them, pricked ears have always been a part of human history and will continue to be.

Reasons to stretch your ears

As with other forms of body modification or enhancement, people have historically stretched their ears for various reasons. For some cultures, this represented coming of age, while for others it was done to enhance beauty or sexuality. Throughout the centuries it has been used both for religious reasons and to protect the subject from witchcraft or evil. Ear lift is still done around the world for a variety of reasons, including those mentioned above.

If you travel to Africa, you will find that pricked ears are common among many indigenous peoples, including the Maasia in East Africa, the Mursi in Ethiopia, and it also occurs in some Asian countries such as Thailand. In South America, pricked ears are common among the Huaorami of the Amazon basin, but it is generally not necessary to go beyond your own hometown to see some excellent examples of ear stretching. Stretched piercings and flesh tunnels are now a common form of ear adornment for young Westerners.

Icemen and Pharaohs

One of the most famous examples in history is Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old mummified body found in the Alps between Austria and Italy. In addition to various tattoos, Ötzi had one ear stretched to about 7mm – 11mm in diameter. The giant statues on Easter Island show stretched earlobes, the likely reason why they are known as ‘Long Ears’. The story goes that the statues were carved in honor of the original inhabitants of the island, representing them with the earlobes that were part of their culture. When a different tribe came to the island, they were known as ‘Short Ears’ and were forced into slavery by the Long Ears. Eventually there were more Short Ears than Long Ears, and the latter were overthrown and the statues fell.

In Egypt, the child King Tutankhamun is depicted with his ears stretched out, and his famous golden death mask features holes that can take 10mm diameter rods. The processes used to stretch these famous sets of ears are unknown, because there are many techniques that can be used. Early stretches were likely carried out with wooden or bamboo studs, and while some people like to revert to these early methods, they are not recommended today for health reasons.

Ear stretching is not reversible

If you are interested in stretched ears, there are certain factors to consider. The first is that it is generally permanent. Once stretched, your ears stay that way. Holes don’t heal like a normal ear piercing, so make sure you’re content with having your ears stretched out for the rest of your life. At first there is time to stop and allow your ears to recover to normal, but once the diameter reaches 10-12mm, it is too late and the hole will not close. Another is that it takes time and patience. You don’t visit a piercer and come out after an hour or two with your ears stretched out!

If you have decided that you want it done, you are advised to have the procedure performed professionally. Yes, you can do it alone, but a professional will provide you with the best results and it will also be safer. It will be faster if your ears are already pierced, because otherwise you will need to do it first and then wait up to 8 weeks for it to heal. You can then start with stretching or measuring, as it is often known.

This is because the diameter of the needles used is called “gauge”. The gauge of a needle decreases as the diameter increases, so an 18 gauge needle is small; in fact, that’s the gauge of an average initial piercing. Once you reach a 2 gauge, the diameter is that of a pencil and so on. An 11mm hole is 000 gauge (actually 11.11mm or 7/16 inch).

Ear lift shouldn’t be rushed

As already explained, ear lift is a slow process and you should never try to rush. If you try to rush, it will likely take longer because unless the ear has time to get used to each lower gauge, it will not heal properly. Then you may have to start over. Calibrated ears should not bleed and there is a different procedure to follow. Basically, it increases the diameter of the piercing in small steps, allowing healing between each step. A common way to accomplish this is to use an insert cone, where one end of the cone is the same diameter as the existing hole and the other side is larger in diameter.

This can be in the form of a button that you will wear until you are ready for the next size. The next stud will have one end in the current diameter and the other in the lower gauge (larger diameter). That is pushed and secured, and you wear it until the next insertion, and so on. If you keep your ears and jewelry clean and sterilized between sessions with antibacterial soap or saline, then you should heal well between sessions; wait about two weeks between sessions.

Follow the advice of the professionals

It is very important to follow the advice of professionals and not try to cut corners. Many people have ruined their ears by not being patient, so don’t let it be you. Follow the cleaning instructions to the letter, both during and after the entire stretching process. There are many different types of costume jewelry available for stretched ears, including meat tunnels, bars, and rings.

There are also a wide variety of materials, from wood or plastic to gold and platinum. Many prefer glass, while others find Teflon better, especially if they have allergies. Niobium, surgical stainless steel, and titanium are also popular materials for stretched ear jewelry.

Note that not all of them can be used indefinitely, particularly porous materials like wood, shell, and some plastics that can harbor bacteria, yeast, and fungi. Such jewelry should be removed regularly and thoroughly cleaned and sterilized. The ear lift sets you apart from the usual crowd and can be a very distinctive form of ornamentation. It’s something few people regret doing.