Please don’t punch out lobes!

I hate writing bad stuff about photos I receive because I feel like I’m betraying the person who submitted them (thus when I do it, it’s anonymous), but the problem you see in this photo is one that I see far too often and makes me rather sad. It’s a lobe being punched out using an 8mm dermal punch in order to install large initial jewelry (ie. 50mm2 of lobe gone).

The problem with this in my opinion is that by removing such a large quantity of soft tissue, stretching will be made more difficult because there’s less tissue to work with — so while it will get them to 7/16″ quite quickly, it will make it harder for them to make it to 2″. In addition, if the person changes their mind and takes out the jewelry (even without subsequent stretching), the hole is far less likely to close. It’s just a bad idea all around in my opinion and I wish I didn’t see it so regularly.

Dermal punches of all sizes are a wonderful tool for cartilage (arguably the best tool), but I really strongly encourage people not to use punches larger than a 4mm on a lobe or other soft tissue (and personally I wouldn’t use one that’s that large).

16 thoughts on “Please don’t punch out lobes!

  1. The following comments were imported from our old comment system:

    Posted on 01-28-2006 14:20:05 by Happy
    I used to think that people on BME just stood 100% behind mods of all types. To see that the honest opinion of a lot of people here is getting modified as best you can with the best outcome possible is awesome.

    Posted on 01-28-2006 22:00:11 by mitch
    ya, i have to agree with Shannon. i had my lobes punched at 10mm and although i did make it to 2″ (barely), it was not without it’s problems.

    Posted on 01-28-2006 22:32:13 by tom
    at least they did’nt use a spoon to back the punch ala painfull pleasures instructions. for a large gauge ear piercing a scalple is the way to go. straight slit and taper

    Posted on 01-29-2006 01:52:36 by Halo
    Oh my. That’s never a good idea. I’ve seen worse, I’ll admit, but that image is pretty far up there.

    Posted on 01-29-2006 10:51:21 by hellonightmare
    I completely agree, whenever I see images of lobes being punched it makes me sad, I adore large lobes but I don’t see the hurry in getting them so large..and why would anyone sacrifice precious lobe for it? There are some people with thinning lobes who would give anything for a little extra tissue..

  2. The following comments were imported from our old comment system:

    Posted on 01-28-2006 14:20:05 by Happy
    I used to think that people on BME just stood 100% behind mods of all types. To see that the honest opinion of a lot of people here is getting modified as best you can with the best outcome possible is awesome.

    Posted on 01-28-2006 22:00:11 by mitch
    ya, i have to agree with Shannon. i had my lobes punched at 10mm and although i did make it to 2″ (barely), it was not without it’s problems.

    Posted on 01-28-2006 22:32:13 by tom
    at least they did’nt use a spoon to back the punch ala painfull pleasures instructions. for a large gauge ear piercing a scalple is the way to go. straight slit and taper

    Posted on 01-29-2006 01:52:36 by Halo
    Oh my. That’s never a good idea. I’ve seen worse, I’ll admit, but that image is pretty far up there.

    Posted on 01-29-2006 10:51:21 by hellonightmare
    I completely agree, whenever I see images of lobes being punched it makes me sad, I adore large lobes but I don’t see the hurry in getting them so large..and why would anyone sacrifice precious lobe for it? There are some people with thinning lobes who would give anything for a little extra tissue..

  3. The following comments were imported from our old comment system:

    Posted on 01-28-2006 14:20:05 by Happy
    I used to think that people on BME just stood 100% behind mods of all types. To see that the honest opinion of a lot of people here is getting modified as best you can with the best outcome possible is awesome.

    Posted on 01-28-2006 22:00:11 by mitch
    ya, i have to agree with Shannon. i had my lobes punched at 10mm and although i did make it to 2″ (barely), it was not without it’s problems.

    Posted on 01-28-2006 22:32:13 by tom
    at least they did’nt use a spoon to back the punch ala painfull pleasures instructions. for a large gauge ear piercing a scalple is the way to go. straight slit and taper

    Posted on 01-29-2006 01:52:36 by Halo
    Oh my. That’s never a good idea. I’ve seen worse, I’ll admit, but that image is pretty far up there.

    Posted on 01-29-2006 10:51:21 by hellonightmare
    I completely agree, whenever I see images of lobes being punched it makes me sad, I adore large lobes but I don’t see the hurry in getting them so large..and why would anyone sacrifice precious lobe for it? There are some people with thinning lobes who would give anything for a little extra tissue..

  4. The following comments were imported from our old comment system:

    Posted on 01-28-2006 14:20:05 by Happy
    I used to think that people on BME just stood 100% behind mods of all types. To see that the honest opinion of a lot of people here is getting modified as best you can with the best outcome possible is awesome.

    Posted on 01-28-2006 22:00:11 by mitch
    ya, i have to agree with Shannon. i had my lobes punched at 10mm and although i did make it to 2″ (barely), it was not without it’s problems.

    Posted on 01-28-2006 22:32:13 by tom
    at least they did’nt use a spoon to back the punch ala painfull pleasures instructions. for a large gauge ear piercing a scalple is the way to go. straight slit and taper

    Posted on 01-29-2006 01:52:36 by Halo
    Oh my. That’s never a good idea. I’ve seen worse, I’ll admit, but that image is pretty far up there.

    Posted on 01-29-2006 10:51:21 by hellonightmare
    I completely agree, whenever I see images of lobes being punched it makes me sad, I adore large lobes but I don’t see the hurry in getting them so large..and why would anyone sacrifice precious lobe for it? There are some people with thinning lobes who would give anything for a little extra tissue..

  5. it looks so nasty wen some one has huge ass lobes that have little or no lobe above the jewelery. wen the pluh touches the anti’tragus that happern from fast stretching or punching something other cartlidge.

  6. it looks so nasty wen some one has huge ass lobes that have little or no lobe above the jewelery. wen the pluh touches the anti’tragus that happern from fast stretching or punching something other cartlidge.

  7. it looks so nasty wen some one has huge ass lobes that have little or no lobe above the jewelery. wen the pluh touches the anti’tragus that happern from fast stretching or punching something other cartlidge.

  8. it looks so nasty wen some one has huge ass lobes that have little or no lobe above the jewelery. wen the pluh touches the anti’tragus that happern from fast stretching or punching something other cartlidge.

  9. im very impatient and i dont want to go as big as 2″ if i stay at the size that its punched at, will i experience any extra problems?

  10. im very impatient and i dont want to go as big as 2″ if i stay at the size that its punched at, will i experience any extra problems?

  11. im very impatient and i dont want to go as big as 2″ if i stay at the size that its punched at, will i experience any extra problems?

  12. im very impatient and i dont want to go as big as 2″ if i stay at the size that its punched at, will i experience any extra problems?

  13. problem is that people seem to do it are in a hurry. it’s not about that at all.

    their loss.

  14. problem is that people seem to do it are in a hurry. it’s not about that at all.

    their loss.

  15. problem is that people seem to do it are in a hurry. it’s not about that at all.

    their loss.

  16. problem is that people seem to do it are in a hurry. it’s not about that at all.

    their loss.

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