So I started stretching my ear about 4 years ago, and I haven't ever skipped a size. I usually take it slow as well, to do it right. I was at a 0g for about 3 or 4 months so I thought I'd move on to a 00g. Just yesterday I had put in the 00g taper in, and I had read that you are supposed to use the taper to stretch then right after put the plug in, which I had tried. But it did not quite go in, so I decided to leave this plastic taper in. The other times I had stretched, my ears were only sore and swollen for about a day.. But my ear is still red and swollen and is very painful. I had looked it up and sure enough my ear is infected. So my question is do I down size? Do I try putting in the metal plug, because the plastic taper could be causing infection as well? How do I clean it? And how long does it take to heal? Thank you so much!~
You shouldn't be using plastic tapers even to stretch; plastic is a porous material and can harbor bacteria easily. You should take out the taper and leave the plug out as well. Your ear will definitely down size a bit, but it's best to leave it without jewelry while it's healing. If you think it is infected, not just irritated, you should see your doctor for antibiotics so that the infection doesn't spread, because that could potentially threaten your health. For cleaning it, I would recommend daily sea salt soaks: dissolve 1/4 tsp of sea salt (NOT table salt) into a cup of warm water and use a cotton pad or ball to soak your ear with it. This will help cleanse the ear. Healing time depends on the severity of the infection as well as how well you take care of it.