Child ear piercing gone wrong - help me with what to say

I got my ears pierced at Claire's when I was 11. It took me that long to work up the courage. Of course the bloody gun jammed. The girl had to call her manager over to help her wrestle my poor bleeding earlobe free. The fuckers didn't even give us a discount for my trauma! They aren't proper piercers. They're really just retail assistants who have been shown how to use a cheap shitty gun.

It would be best to let both the holes heal over then take her to a piercing studio where they will take their time to find the right position and use sterile needles instead of a "gun" that just inflicts blunt force trauma to her flesh.

Tattooist here, trained to pierce but hated doing it so stick to tattooing but know about piercing and work with an excellent piercer:

Haven’t read full thread so apologies for any repeats of advice:

Don’t try to reintroduce non-sterile jewellery into the hole. Fresh (and healed) piercings can close very fast and it’s not a good idea as it’ll just increase risk of infection. Let it heal over, I think I audibly gasped when I read they were going to try and repierce after A WEEK. The fact a staff member at Claire’s would do that is disgusting. It’ll need a fair bit of time to heal, my studio would say 3 months bare minimum as that tends to be how long it takes for a piercing to be completely healed and settled.

When you get it repierced, search on the UKAPP website for a piercer near you- these are some of the best piercers in the country, and stock only high quality jewellery. It makes me so sad on your behalf that you were sold ‘high quality’ earrings for your daughter when no jewellery Claire’s sells is high quality. You ideally want implant grade titanium as it negates any risk of reactions to the metal (we see reactions to lower quality surgical steel/mystery metas quite often in piercings done at other local shops). Not all good piercers are part of the UKAPP but it’s a good starting point. Avoid anywhere that offers piercing with a gun like the plague, I’m sure someone’s already said it but it’s not a good way to get a piercing unfortunately. More trauma to the skin than necessary and is basically forcing a blunt piece of metal through rather than a nice blade or needle that cuts a teeny weeny hole.

Feel free to use any of this info in a complaint email. If I were you I’d say I’ve spoken to a professional piercer who told you all of the info you’ve gotten in this thread and feel you were missold the jewellery as high quality when it isn’t, request a refund for the overpriced aftercare solution (Neilmed do a good solution but any sterile saline in a sterile shot glass soaked on the piercing will do the trick and is very cheap to buy at the pharmacy), and the fact that it fell out.

You don’t want it repiercing as the risk of piercing through healing flesh is so high and it’s crazy they even suggested it. Piercing guns aren’t precise enough to get it through the same hole again anyway, a professional piercer will be able to do that once it’s well healed and this avoids a scar. Make sure they know you want a refund and not it redoing, and once it’s healed nicely I’m sure you’ll be able to find a great piercer who will repierce and sort it for you and your daughter.

It boils my piss that Claire’s is even allowed to still do this. One of my work clients worked at Superdrug and was made to ‘learn to pierce’, aka piercing guns on noses and ears. She knew it was wrong but didn’t want to lose her job. She had an hour’s training on some fake skin before she was let loose on the public…

Apologies for the essay, Claire’s piercings gone bad are so so common and it really gets my back up! The best piercer I know could have done a set of earlobes with high quality internally threaded titanium with lovely stones or attachments for the same price you paid and that makes me so angry for you.

Yep, agree with those who say to take the other piercing out - deep breath, lots of chocolate, try to keep the wound clean and it should heal up quite quickly. Go back to the shop asap to try for a refund of the earrings as faulty at least because of the loose back (I suppose they could argue they did the piercing part as promised and only an expert could tell if they did it correctly). If they won’t give you one, then get the names of the assistants/manager involved and try writing to Head Office. If that doesn’t work, it’s negative but factual reviews on social media/trust pilot time for other parents and you’ll have to chalk it up as a lesson learned about Claire’s.

I do think it was mostly bad luck, but is there any chance she could have fiddled with it? I’d personally let them totally heal and wait now to try again at least until the start of the summer holidays, maybe even another year or so.

I understand a lot of kids get them pierced far younger now but it used to be a right of passage at the start of the school holidays before starting senior school for a lot of girls (so they’d healed by the time school started) and tbh I still think that’s about the right age. I still remember my cousins screams age 9ish as she hadn’t kept hers clean and one of the earrings got stuck in her ear and there was a lot of blood/pus, bless her. Definitely made me more diligent when I got mine done a couple of years later at 11.

You know your daughter best of course for when she’s ready, but maybe ask around about reputable adult piercing studios near you? Certainly way back then, they were willing to pierce kids ears too when they were accompanied by a parent and signed consent form.

It really is. OP's daughter clearly wasn't ready else it wouldn't have required courage.

Op I agree with others, take the other one out, let them heal & do it again when she's older via a tattoo/piercing place - the technique is so much better with secure jewellery that allows for swelling etc.

Please don't do this. It starts to heal up incredibly quickly if it's fresh so you won't be able to get ot through without really hurting her.

Surely you are putting us on now?

This

I couldn't fault anyone for going in for ear piercing. FGS, who would think research was necessary? Especially if you know people who've gone there without issue. If the place was dangerous it would be shut down.
Research? 😂😂😂

Would never go to Claire's myself or when my daughter's are old enough. Heard enough horror stories from friends. But no mine won't be getting them done at 8

You really do sound as though you are projecting now.
The language you are choosing is quite extreme. This is not a situation of failure to parent a child for god's sake.
A shop employee likely failed to ensure the earring was secure. That's all.

Please give it a rest. You are entering hysteria territory in a way that causes one to wonder if you are okay.

Yeah, take the other one out and let her decide if she wants to get her ears pierced when she's a young adult. Is piercing children's ears still a thing?

Never, ever go to Claire's for ear piercings. Go to a proper piercing studio.

@MinnieBalloon at least you aren't overreacting, fuck sake

Just to advise as I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet, please be on the look out for swelling. The ear where the earring fell out will likely swell and feel quite bruised due to trying to put it back in.
The one with the earring still in - i assume they have used butterfly backs, these are notorious for the ear swelling over the back of them as the bars are not suitable for fresh piercings as they aren't long enough to fully accommodate potential swelling.

If you are leaving that one in please keep a close eye on it. I'm not sure what cleaning supplies they have sold you but I would get rid of them and just do sea salt soaks 3 times a day, do not twist or turn the earring - Claires have a nasty habit of telling you to twist the earrings to stop them 'sticking' to your skin. All you will do is tear open the wound and prolong healing.

If you are taking the earring out and it is a butterfly back you have to gently squeeze the back together - there are two slightly sticky out parts, one on either side of where the bar sits. Squeeze before trying to pull it off the bar and it should come off easier.

A week isn't long enough to heal before trying again. I would give it 6 weeks minimum.

And please do find a reputable piercer, anyone who uses a piercing gun or automatic delivery system as they are sometimes called, avoid. Piercings should only be done with needles. This makes way for the earring whereas the piercing guns force a blunt object through and causes excessive trauma to the piercing site. They also cannot be autoclaved so aren't actually able to be properly sterilised after each use.
A proper piercer uses a one time needle which should always be opened in front of you and disposed of in front of you.

Please also only use titanium or niobium for the earring material. Other materials can contain nickle which people often find they are allergic to and this will irritate the piercing site.

I had my ears pierced at Claire’s around a similar age - they never healed and my Mum took them out and eventually took me in to an actual tattoo and piercing shop to have them done. No issues afterward (I’m 29 now and still done! ☺️)

If it was me I’d take the other one out, clean for next few days with the solution you got at the shop, let them heal and get her some clip on or magnet earrings. Take her in to a different shop in a few months (can you tell her you will go in summer hols or something so she knows roughly when and can look forward to it)

Don’t agree with trying to force the earring in. I wouldn’t want someone to do that to me as an adult, so why would anyone do that to an eight year old who is already upset?! 😵‍💫

Unsure if you will get a refund as shop could easily say she has fiddled with them or the back was caught on clothing etc and not take responsibility. I’d call back tomorrow and ask them to refund you (even if it’s just a voucher of equal value that you can use on her come birthday or Christmas time)

xx

Frightening to think this is what happens - but I can well believe it.

I still have my original gold studs. Pierced at 13 yrs old. I'm 49 yrs now and I can't fit them in lol! The posts are thick indeed. Perhaps I should take to a gold shop?

Get a refund and give your daughter some time and see if she wants them done again.

I got mine die at 12, then stopped wearing them at 14 and they healed over at the back.

Got them done again at 25 had some issues and then got them done again last year.

All done with a gun though £68 seema an awful lot of money.

I think children shouldn't have their ears pierced until they are 16. Even after then, it's a bit bollocks. like why?

@formula3 she will be fine, these things happened. Just let this one heal (or both heal if you can get the other earring out - however these ‘first earring’ studs have tiger do you have to be more forceful in the ‘tug’ how the front and back (and explain there will be a ‘tug’) although I would personally leave one in as getting fingers too close could make the other one infected.

you would have been having trouble getting it back in as these earrings are thicker to create the ‘cut’ to then allow the ‘hole’ to heal around it,

anyway you mentioned how to find a reputable piercer and you are right those attchached to tattoo studios often don’t do under 14s or sometimes 18, however there are certain dedicated piercing studios (well there are in my area and where my children got theirs done, this studio was recommended to me by a tattoo studio), these people are highly skilled with accreditation and have usually been piercing for years both ears and body.

so do some research on your area and see what’s what.

p.s I defo do not think 8 is too young :)

Forgive me if locations have already been mentioned, but https://silverliningstore.setmore.com/ have various locations in the north and are excellent. I paid about £40 to have dd's ears pierced, with titanium earrings that are internally threaded not butterfly backed. Pierced with a needle by a proper pierced not just someone with a gun. No paying for aftercare products either, they sent me all the aftercare info in an email, and have been using boiled water and sea salt as instructed. No redness, no swelling, no pain.

My personal feeling is 8 yrs old is too young. From experience, my DD had hers done at 11 or 12 yrs old. I seem to remember her secondary school being OK with the initial 6 weeks (I think her hair was hiding them) but come summer, her hair was tied up and she was MADE to remove the studs for PE. The PE teacher took them and never returned them. I made a major complaint to the school about the teacher stealing them. They weren't expensive luckily. The teacher denied it but I'm 100% sure that DD didn't lose them.

Eventually DD just let the holes close up as just too much hassle. The holes would close up when she had the earrings out a bit each time.

They were redone at a proper piercing salon when she went to college. No issues.

Her ears were done at Claires the 1st time. But mumsnet will say Claires use a gun and it's not very sterile and punches the hole through the ear or the earrings are punched through the ear.