What’s a Blowout?

So, you’re stretching your earlobes, and everything seems to be going ok. Then one day you notice an ominous looking ring of red tissue on the back of your lobe. BAM! It’s a blowout!

First of all, let’s discuss what a blowout actually is. Basically, they are an unfortunate consequence of stretching too quickly or incorrectly. The fistula is actually turned inside out and is pushed out the back of the ear. If you remove your jewelry, you may notice that the tissue disappears back into the earlobe. If you are skipping sizes, not giving your lobes time to heal between stretches, are using tapers, or are not using proper lubrication when stretching, you are at risk of having a blowout.

Now that we’ve established what a blowout is, let’s talk about what you can do if you have one. First of all, take your jewelry out. Your ear needs to heal, and that tissue needs to make its way back inside the earlobe. Yes, this means your piercing will shrink down a bit and you may have to re-stretch through a few sizes you’ve already done. Stretching your piercings is an exercise in patience though and if you are doing it too quickly this may be an important lesson. The next thing is to make sure your lobes stay properly lubricated. You want a piercing-safe oil such as almond, sweet apricot, or emu and you want to massage your lobes well twice a day. If you skip this step, you can wind up with scarring that may cause your piercing to have an oddly puckered appearance. (This is often referred to on the net as “cat butt”.) You’ll want to wait a few weeks before attempting to insert jewelry again.

Now that you’re healed up and ready to get back to stretching, you’ll want to make sure that you’re doing it properly. Are you using tapers? This is a big no-no for stretching. Tapers force your lobe to stretch, something you want it to do naturally. Ideally, you’ll want to use the “dead stretching” method. See our blog on that method here: https://www.bodycandy.com/blogs/news/what-is-dead-stretching You’ll also want to keep moisturizing your lobes to keep them nice and pliable. Ideally, you’ll want to massage them for five to ten minutes a day, twice a day. And, of course, you’ll want to go slowly, increasing the diameter one size at a time – so long as you aren’t stretching more than one millimeter. This may mean that you have to seek out jewelry in odd sizes.

Blowouts can range from minor to severe. A really severe blowout may not be something that you can fix. In the absolute worst cases, it may require a surgeon to remove the extra tissue. This is why it’s so important to take proper care of your piercings. Remember that this is your body, and you are responsible for its care and upkeep. Keep in mind that this is one blowout that the auto club can’t help you with.