Wednesday, April 1, 2009

How to do it Yourself!


I, like many other kids nowadays, pierced my ears. After a couple months, regular ole pierced ears got boring and I decided to take it up a notch: I began the gauging process. 6 months later I could stick my fingers (and many other objects) through the, now 5/8", holes. They say "All good things must come to an end," and it did.

I began looking toward high school graduation and what lay beyond, when I came to the realization: No one was going to hire me with huge holes in my ears!
So I took my gauges out and hoped my body would work its magic..Unfortunately, my body didn't feel like working; and a year later, I was still left with holes about 00 size.

After talking to multiple doctors and plastic surgeons about repairing the damage I had done, the average price per ear was....$500!
$500 (per ear!) to cut the scar tissue away and sew it up..that's it!

There was no way I was going to spend that kinda money (even if I had it) for something so simple. That's when I got the idea to just do it myself. I looked around online but all I could find were creams that took 2-3months and weren't even guaranteed to work.

Sorry about the long introduction..but now, what you've all been waiting for..the How To:


Items Needed:
1) a Dremel w/a coarse grinding attachment that will just fit in your ear. Not too loosely.



2) Disinfectant (Witch Hazel, Rubbing Alcohol, Peroxide, Etc.)



3) *Optional* Ice or other numbing agent. I used two pieces per ear; one in front, one in back.


(Someone suggested Clove Oil, because it is used to numb toothaches, but it did NOT work at all)

4) Some way of holding the wound closed for a period of time (Sutures or a skin glue will both work).
I used DermaBond (bought off eBay from Antrick Enterprises - I recommend buying from them aswell).


The Procedure:

If you're using ice, start now. It will take a couple of minutes to numb your ear.
It's best to have a mirror in front of you (I used the bathroom mirror).
Now, sterilize the grinding attachment with rubbing alcohol.
Do one ear at a time so you don't have to rush yourself.
I set the Dremel speed to about 3 (which is pretty fast, fast enough that all you feel is a slight burn once in your ear). You can go as fast as you want, as long as it takes off skin.
It's a little hard to tell how far you need to go, but your ear should be bleeding pretty freely. I stopped once the blood on my ear looked fizzy, kinda like a yummy, blood shake :D
Next, pour your disinfectant into the hole (make sure it touches everything).
Then wipe your outer ear on a towel (it needs to be dry for the glue to take) and find your needle or skin glue.

If you're using a needle and thread, there's not much I can tell you besides start sewing and then put antibiotic ointment on it. If you're using glue, hold your ear together (it helps if you have a partner, I got my mom to do it) and start spreading! DermaBond takes about two and a half minutes to come to full strength, just watch where your fingers are or they'll get glued to your ear.
I recommend putting glue on the front and back of your ear, for maximum holding.

The end product:









Now that your ear is looking more like an ear should, clean up any blood splatter and try not to get an infection.

Congratulations! You've just done what a plastic surgeon would do for $500; and it only cost a couple dollars..and maybe a little pain, but wasn't it fun?!




(Disclaimer: I am not a plastic surgeon, nor do I have any medical experience. This is merely a recount of my trials and tribulations with a dremel and dermabond. I am not suggesting anyone do this without first consulting with a medical professional. I am not liable for any choices that anyone makes, nor for the outcome of said choices.)

22 comments:

  1. How long does it take for them to heal?

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  2. Thanks for documenting this. So you were at 5/8"?

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  3. Replies
    1. I just did this too, how long does it take to heal??

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  4. A dremel??? Oh god. Idk, if I can do that..

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  5. You are an idiot! I hope you realize that young people who attempt to do this to themselves risk bacterial infection that could result in death! I am reporting you for posting dangerous practices without a degree or training behind you!

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    1. Valerie, you're a dumb bitch that shouldn't even be on this website. Nuff' said. Cunt.

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    2. That's the best reply you can come up with? Lol none of your equipment is actually sterile. While I wanted to do this it seems like you aren't even mature enough to handle a negative comment. I wouldn't want advice from someone who can't even handle a negative input. You're too young to be giving advice like this, I hope it worked for you, I did something similar and it didn't work so surgery seems to be the best option for me. Thanks for the elaborate "How To" though.

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    3. If you read above before proceeding to read the entire article, he posted a disclaimer saying that this is for reference only. Now, that being said, this is something that should be done ONLY AT YOUR OWN RISK, naturally, hence my previous statement. Anyone with common sense can grasp that much. That being said, everyone’s body is different and heals faster/slower than others, has a stronger/weaker immune system than others and it may not work for everyone, but it did for him. The only person that really seems to have a problem is you, so. I’ll try it too and let you know if I die or not. Oh well! :)
      Mic drop.

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  6. What size where you before you did this?

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  7. Just did this, seemed easy enough just hope it works seemed to begin closing up within an hour. I did things a little different I sterilized everything including the area I was doing it in I am coming from 7/8 and they stopped closing a long time ago. I'm trying to go active duty so I needed to have them closed. I followed these steps pretty religiously but added antibacterial skin glue and after that I had to use super glue to hold it (works like liquid stitch and holds much better) then I made sure to cover the entire area with antibacterial ointment. Granted its over the top of the super glue but it will keep any bacteria from getting in. The dremmel worked good but had trouble finding the perfect size attachment so I used one that was bigger using only the edge I rolled my inner guage so it was exposed over my thumb and began the process in a clock wise motion so I would be sure to hit every area.

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  8. Can someone who has done this please comment with how long it took to heal and how effective it was? Any pictures?

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  9. So do I put the glue in the ear or just on the outside and hold it together?

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  10. So do I put the glue in the ear or just on the outside and hold it together?

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  11. How exactly did you use the dremel?

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  12. Did this a few days ago. Was planning on coming back with photos bc I saw a few people ask, but it won't let me attach any. If anyone wants to see, feel free to DM me on instagtam (@MvtherOfBees) and I'll send them to you. I'll come back with an update once it's fully healed 🌸

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