Caring for Stretched Ears in Cold Weather

The cold weather of autumn & winter is tough on stretched lobes!

This is true for a few reasons:

1. Stretched ear lobes are further from your body, so your body has to work harder to provide adequate blood circulation.
2. Wearing jewelry puts pressure on your lobes, constricting blood vessels and making blood circulation more difficult.
3. You lose body heat in your extremities and exposed skin first.

Dangers of Cold Weather for Stretched Ears

When you’re outside in the cold for any length of time, you need to take care to protect your extremities – and this includes your ears!

Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way by wearing metal eyelets in cold weather. My lobes were chapped and sore for a few days afterwards.

If you’re outside for any length of time without appropriate jewelry or protection, you could do serious damage to your ears. They can get chapped, dry, sore, or even get frostbitten.

What Jewelry Should You Wear in the Winter?

In cold weather, avoid metal! Eyelets/tunnels are an especially bad idea. Not only do they let cold air in, but metal is an excellent conductors of heat – meaning that it’s efficient at transferring heat from your body to the air. This is bad! You want your ears to hold onto as much heat as possible.

To protect your lobes in cold weather, you need to wear materials that are poor heat conductors. This will keep your body heat in your lobes, since your jewelry isn’t trying to conduct it away into the air around you.

In addition, it’s better to stick with solid plugs than eyelets.

Good Heat Conductors = Bad Jewelry In Winter

• Metal
• Stone
• Glass

Bad Heat Conductors = Better Jewelry In Winter

• Wood
• Horn
• Acrylic

*Be sure to use plenty of oil on your wood plugs so they don’t dry out and stick to your lobes.

7 Quick Tips for Stretched Lobe Care in Winter

1. Wear appropriate jewelry (see above)
2. Moisturize! Prevent dry, chapped skin by using plenty of lotion and/or oil (especially if you’re wearing wood, which can stick to your skin when dry).
3. Stay out of the cold whenever possible. Don’t spend a lot of times outdoors in the cold if you can avoid it.
4. Protect your ears. Wear winter headbands, earmuffs, hats with ear flaps, etc.
5. Try oil massages to promote circulation.
6.  periodically to promote circulation.
7. Do sea salt soaks to heal any damage.