Question about ear piercing for the kids

[npmommie]

For those that got their dd's ears pierced where did you do it?
did they use disposable guns for the piercing studs? or were they the reusable kind?
I ask because today we were at the local salon where the kids get their hair cut, and I noticed they had a display of "piercing studs" so I asked if they pierce ears and they do. then I asked about the piercing gun and they said its not disposable its reusable.
I then asked the girl how they clean it and she said " oh she just wipes it off"
but she didn't know with what.
she insisted the gun doesn't touch the ear though.
so tell me about where you got your dd's ears pierced.

my own ears were pierced by my cousin with a sewing needle and an ice cube to numb it in my mom's kitchen way back in the day!

 

[teskak]

I just had DD6's ears pierced (she wanted it for her birthday) and they used the piercing studs.

No part of the gun touched her ear from what I saw, only the point of the stud went through the ear.

The ear was wiped with alcohol first, and the piercing studs were covered until they were ready to be used.

Not sure how there might be any sort of hygiene risk from the gun if it did not touch the skin, and that part of the earring that did touch the skin left with child + anti bac sprays to be used several times per day for the first couple of weeks

 

[maelstrom]

For those that got their dd's ears pierced where did you do it?
did they use disposable guns for the piercing studs? or were they the reusable kind?
I ask because today we were at the local salon where the kids get their hair cut, and I noticed they had a display of "piercing studs" so I asked if they pierce ears and they do. then I asked about the piercing gun and they said its not disposable its reusable.
I then asked the girl how they clean it and she said " oh she just wipes it off"
but she didn't know with what.
she insisted the gun doesn't touch the ear though.
so tell me about where you got your dd's ears pierced.

my own ears were pierced by my cousin with a sewing needle and an ice cube to numb it in my mom's kitchen way back in the day!

The part of the gun that holds the piercing stud and touches your ear is removable/changeable. From what I've seen recently, the piercing studs come pre-packaged in a brand new, sealed loading area that attaches to the main piercing gun.

I'm also going to advise you that it's 100x better to be pierced by a professional at a tattoo/piercing shop than a (likely) teenager with (perhaps) very little training at Claire's or the Piercing Pagoda. Piercing guns make the entire process way more painful and traumatic than it needs to be. At a tattoo shop, they'll use a needle; it will be quicker and there will be no awful "popping" noise. I have my eyebrow pierced and that was WAY less painful and traumatic than getting my ear lobes and cartilage pierced with a piercing gun, if that gives you any idea.

 

[merryweather20]

Probably the part that got her confused was saying "the gun". The assembly on the end was disposed but the gun itself doesn't touch anything. The gun was a substantial peice of equipment that they useed everyday.

I'm going to disagree with the above poster, about Claire's vs. a tattoo shop. I went to a hair salon for my ears and it was a nice girly experience. They were very exact with the gun, and lining it up, and it was very quick.

When I went to a tattoo parlour to get my belly button done they couldn't have been any nicer, but there were still detailed signs up about piercing and caring for ahem, some more delicate areas. I wouldn't have much wanted to be there at 11 getting my ears pierced. As above the piercer used a needle, but to me it just seemed less exact, that was OK for a belly button, but I wouldn't have wanted to have my ears done in that manner.

I'd ask around maybe, your daughters hair dresser or the receptionist at her pediatricians office knows of a good place in your area.

 

[debf]

I was one of those teenagers in a small shop that used to pierce ears. I had to practice on a paper towel that had dots on it. As far as being clean, everything including the gun was cleaned with alchohol before and after each use. I was very good at piercing ears. However I hated doing babies and I would not pierce the cartlidge. One suggestion is to have both ears done at once. We would have two people that way the child wouldn't freak out after the first ear was done. Although when I had my DD done at 4 there was only one girl working and my DD was very good about it.

 

[clgwli]

I would take a kid to someone who actually does real piercings. No reusable gun can be sanitized enough to make it good. Even the disposables RIP the ear open. Where a real piercer will use a needle that will actually cut a hole out for the earring. I've done both and the needles are much less painful and heal so much faster.

I know many use the guns, and as I said I have too, but after going to a professional piercer I won't ever let those horrid things touch my skin again.

I was introduced to a group by an aquaintance and this is how I found someone to do my last few

http://www.safepiercing.org/locate-a-member/

And yes, I mean this for earrings as well as any other kind.

 

[npmommie]

The part of the gun that holds the piercing stud and touches your ear is removable/changeable. From what I've seen recently, the piercing studs come pre-packaged in a brand new, sealed loading area that attaches to the main piercing gun.

I'm also going to advise you that it's 100x better to be pierced by a professional at a tattoo/piercing shop than a (likely) teenager with (perhaps) very little training at Claire's or the Piercing Pagoda. Piercing guns make the entire process way more painful and traumatic than it needs to be. At a tattoo shop, they'll use a needle; it will be quicker and there will be no awful "popping" noise. I have my eyebrow pierced and that was WAY less painful and traumatic than getting my ear lobes and cartilage pierced with a piercing gun, if that gives you any idea.

yes the studs were in a package, sterile. After I posted I looked up "piercing guns" and I did see that the newer kind have a disposable sterile cartridge, so they must use that kind there at the salon. but I will ask, because I did read that the older guns have a high risk of disease transmission, which is what I thought.
she didn't say anything about the disposable cartridge, but I don't think the girl I talked to does the actual piercings, I think its the woman who owns the salon. Its just a small local place where the kids get their hair cut

I would take a kid to someone who actually does real piercings. No reusable gun can be sanitized enough to make it good. Even the disposables RIP the ear open. Where a real piercer will use a needle that will actually cut a hole out for the earring. I've done both and the needles are much less painful and heal so much faster.

I know many use the guns, and as I said I have too, but after going to a professional piercer I won't ever let those horrid things touch my skin again.

I was introduced to a group by an aquaintance and this is how I found someone to do my last few

http://www.safepiercing.org/locate-a-member/

And yes, I mean this for earrings as well as any other kind.

how do they do it at a piercing shop? do they put the needle in anything, or just stick it thru the ear by hand?
are the needles one time use, or do they autoclave them and reuse, I wonder?
I will have to call a place and ask about it.

thanks for all the input

 

[clgwli]

how do they do it at a piercing shop? do they put the needle in anything, or just stick it thru the ear by hand?
are the needles one time use, or do they autoclave them and reuse, I wonder?
I will have to call a place and ask about it.

thanks for all the input

They will use their hands to put the needle through. The place I go will have you go in sign all the waivers. They will take a sterile needle out of a package that is complete sterile and even have you sign a form saying you saw that the needle was completely sterile prior to use. It was in brand new packaging and it was a one time use needle at the place I went. He explained I would get my own needle for every piercing and then they toss them. They will take any jewelry you want to put in and put it through an autoclave to make sure it is sterile as well. I think even if a place used an autoclave on the needle and reused, I would be much happier knowing it was properly sterilized as opposed to how they do it with a gun. None of those can be properly sterilized IMO since most have plastic parts.

Then the people wash up and use rubber gloves to do all the work. Then they will use sterile wipes to clean down the area they are about to pierce.

The needles are usually hollow so it actually cuts out the appropriate size hole for the jewelry that will go in. So they will attach the jewelry through the hollow needle and pull it through.

It's very quickly done and honestly was completely painless for what I've done. They also seemed to heal much quicker.

Hope that helped and good luck deciding where to go

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

I went to a jewellery store in the mall. Not piercing pagoda, but a very nice store. I got 3 lobe piercings there, and haven't had too much of a problem. (First set of lobes, and a 2nd right lobe piercing)

 

[elbowglitter]

I want to echo the tattoo parlor suggestion. I've got a number of ear piercings (and a navel piercing), and the ear piercing that healed the best was done by a piercer at a tattoo parlor.

Think of it this way: With the gun, the studs aren't that sharp, and so the post sort of tears through your skin. Piercing needles are very sharp, so it slides right through, making for much easier healing.

Call around to your local tattoo parlors. Some are used to kids coming in for piercings. They're clean and much more sterile than just having the piercing done at the mall.

(Not to look down on mall piercings - my earlier piercings were done that way, but if you have the option, I'd go for a real piercer, and will do that with my kids.)

 

[tasha99]

I would take a kid to someone who actually does real piercings. No reusable gun can be sanitized enough to make it good. Even the disposables RIP the ear open. Where a real piercer will use a needle that will actually cut a hole out for the earring. I've done both and the needles are much less painful and heal so much faster.

I know many use the guns, and as I said I have too, but after going to a professional piercer I won't ever let those horrid things touch my skin again.

I was introduced to a group by an aquaintance and this is how I found someone to do my last few

http://www.safepiercing.org/locate-a-member/

And yes, I mean this for earrings as well as any other kind.

Was going to say this, but I'm tired, lazy, and you did it for me.

DD got her first piercing at the mall and it was a disaster--her ear lobes ate up the earrings and they had to be surgically removed. She has other piercings that were done correctly at a reputable piercing place, and they did not cause problems.

 

[minkydog]

Nobody had theirs done in the doctor's office? That's where mine were done. My mom gave me pierced earrings when I turned 12 and took me to a local doc. My DD17 had no intention of piercing her ears. She is phobic about needles. Then she turned 12 and suddenly she noticed that all her friends had earrings, so she overcame her fear. I offered the option of having it done at the Mall or by the pediatrician. She chose the ped. The ped sprayed some ultra-cold stuff on her ear lobes and then just punched the earring through. They came on some kind of clip that you just pinched together. A year later she went back and got another hole done in each ear which she wears tiny diamonds in (a gift from SIL. I'm not buying diamonds for a kid!)

 

[locolala]

I would also highly recommend getting the piercings done by a professional piercer. I don't have a site pulled up atm (and we're about to go out) but there's a mich higher risk of keloid scarring with "gun" style piercings. The needle they use is very sharp and much less painful than a gun piercing. I've had both done and I barely felt the needle, whereas the gun piercing hurt for awhile afterwards.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm also going to advise you that it's 100x better to be pierced by a professional at a tattoo/piercing shop than a (likely) teenager with (perhaps) very little training at Claire's or the Piercing Pagoda. Piercing guns make the entire process way more painful and traumatic than it needs to be. At a tattoo shop, they'll use a needle; it will be quicker and there will be no awful "popping" noise. I have my eyebrow pierced and that was WAY less painful and traumatic than getting my ear lobes and cartilage pierced with a piercing gun, if that gives you any idea.

Yeah, this.

The place we go to, like any reputable tattoo/piercing shop, opens the needle in front of you and breaks it in front of you when they're done so you can see there is 100% absolutely no possible way they could ever be reused. And piercings done with a needle heal faster and easier than those done with the earring post - I've had my ears done both ways and have experienced the difference first hand. The cleaner cut really does make a difference in the amount of discomfort and the healing time.

 

[maddiel]

My DD17 had her ears pierced for her 13th birthday. I took her to a day spa that does piercings and tattoos. It was quick and painless and healed well, although more costly than the places that use piercing guns.

The only think that she found scary was looking at the clamp they were going to use to numb her ear. I don't think she even felt the needle - she was surprised that he was done so quickly.

M.