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January 1, 20166 CommentsGeneral, Tattoo AdviceBy Dr Greg Hall

Gauged EarGauged Ear

Ear lobe stretching or gauging is the process where progressively larger “jewelry items” are placed within the ear lobe, and the body “adjusts” by stretching to accommodate the larger jewelry.  If done gradually, the lobe will be able to hold quite large pieces of jewelry. Believe it or not, many people believe that stretched earlobes will merely shrink back after the jewelry is removed. THIS IS FALSE.  A gauged (or stretched) ear beyond the smallest sizes will NOT shrink back.

Please consider this FACT BEFORE you start to gauge or stretch any part of your body!

You will need to be totally committed to this look for the rest of your life!  Because after you start, you cannot go back.

Like obvious tattoos, this type of modification (obvious gauging of the ears, nose, lips, brows, etc.)  is banned by many companies, the military, and may be a source of great frustration a few years down the road!

If you have any consideration of joining the military, gauging of any obvious part of your body (with or without the jewelry), will remove this career path from your options. Other large companies, have policies regarding permanent body art, please look into this BEFORE you begin something that may impact your ability to get a job down the road.

So think about your potential future!  Gauged EarIf you are independently wealthy, and expect that to continue that way the rest of your life, then go head, but if you will have to work for a living, gauging is a non-reversible decision that some employers will discriminate against. . . And it is NOT against the law. There are laws against discrimination based on sex, race, handicap, and age, but not tattoos or piercings. They can deny you a job based on this. Please check companies policies on gauging on-line and see the potential discrimination you may face.

Other people find that when they are not in the jewelry while jogging, swimming, working, waking up first thing in the morning etc., the un-jeweled ear looks “unsightly”.

It looks unique with the jewelry in, but less than desirable without the jewelry. Maintaining that look is like wearing make up all the time (and some people do), but it can be a burden. Just like a pierced ear without an earring, it doesn’t look complete. But with a pierced ear, it also isn’t as obvious. A loop of flesh hanging, twisted and wrinkled, is hard to hide. Think long and hard about this before proceeding.

Surgeons are advertising their services to repair ears for people who already regret getting their ears gauged.  Follow the link on the picture below and watch their video.

gauged-ears

Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel Earlobe Reconstructrion. Click on the picture to go to his site and watch a video on this process.

And if you are going to gauge your ear, please let a professional advise you on the process and make sure you are very very very convinced you want to do this.

About the author

Dr Greg Hall

Gregory Hall, MD is a physician, author, speaker, inventor, professor, and public health professional. He strives to improve the quality of medical care through fair disclosure, quality care, and an honest approach to patients and their families.

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6 Comments
  1. Reply
    March 18, 2013 at 5:32 pm
    Walter

    conservative faggot

  2. Reply
    March 19, 2013 at 2:03 am
    admin

    Thanks for your input.

  3. Reply
    June 16, 2013 at 5:58 pm
    Allisonwantstonsoftattoos

    Well I mean u can get surgery I’ve seen someone with this done and it dint look all too bad

    • Reply
      August 18, 2013 at 8:33 pm
      admin

      “don’t look all too bad” is not exactly a glowing endorsement for how the ears look after surgery. I am not a conservative, I am a realist. Most people will regret doing this at some point. It is too disfiguring, and not practical in the sense that if you jog (or exercise) or anything else you currently do without jewelry, your ears will look deformed. If you don’t care, then you wont mind, but woman care, and will.

  4. Reply
    August 22, 2013 at 1:57 am
    CatsOnMarz

    The correct term here is “stretch”. “Guage” is a measurement. You cannot get a “guaged ear”, unless you want someone measuring your ear. You can stretch your ears though. And in the last picture of your little article, what you have pictured is an infection. If your stretched lobes look like that, you’ve messed up and should take your jewelry out and downsize. You also might want to start doing sea salt soaks, but if it gets really infected a doctor visit is an absolute must. With that said, a healthy stretched lobe should be smooth and not look, as you put it, “raggedy”.

    • Reply
      August 22, 2013 at 12:06 pm
      Gregory Hall

      Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I agree with your “Webster’s” definition of gauge as outlined. However, people refer to the process (and search online) in the way described in the article. By using terms that people use, albeit technically inaccurate, we are able to reach more individuals actually thinking of stretching their ear lobes. Finally, you are correct that the last picture is of an infected stretched ear; the “raggedy” that we referred to was how a widely ‘gauged’ ear looks without the jewelry.

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