Stretching a piercing to accommodate larger jewelry is normally done with surgical steel or acrylic tapers. A taper looks a bit like a thick, cone-shaped needle with a blunt end. The small end is the size of the current piercing, and the thick end is the size to which the wearer wants to stretch. Taper stretching allows you to go from one size to the next fairly quickly, but it can also be uncomfortable or even painful. Wrapping plugs with Teflon tape, also known as PTFE tape, allows for a gradual, pain-free stretch.

Remove your current plugs from your earlobes and wash both your plugs and your lobes with antibacterial soap and warm water. Allow them to dry completely.

Align the end of a roll of Teflon (PTFE) tape between the front and back of your plug.

Warp the tape around the plug slowly, making sure to keep the tape straight and flat. Cover the entire surface that goes into your ear.

Snip the tape with a pair of scissors and stick it to itself. Allow the ends of the wrap to overlap approximately one centimeter.

Insert the plug back into your ear.

Wait several days and wrap one more revolution of tape around your plug. Continue wrapping one more time every few days until it's time to move up to the next-size plug.