DD is having her ears pierced on Saturday. Who wants to bet she comes out of the hairdressers with one side done and not the other?

[Reality]

Judging from her comments over the last few weeks...

DD: 'it doesn't HURT hurt though does it?'

Me: 'Yes darling, it really hurts, you don't have to have them done'

DD: 'Oh but I really want them done'

and so on and so on.

I have finally given in after years of her badgering reasoned arguments. She's nine.

It's going to be awful, isn't it? I shoudl never have said yes.

With the needle there is the bare minimum of pain afterwards as there is no bruising. A bit like an injection feels afterwards.

For me though it is the fact that the gun is not totally sterilised.

When my dd had her first set done we went to claires and all was fine til we tried to get them out. Stuck solid and claires refused to help because tbey werent allowed to touch her! My dh eventuality had to take pliers to them to get them out
She is now 13 and just had a second set done in a proper licensed tattoo piercing place with needles. So much easier and half the price

The other big difference between using a gun and using needles is the noise, when my friend had hers done she jumped a mile because it sounded really loud (due to being so close). I had mine done (at the grand old age of 16, despite family pressure) at a piercing studio, if/when my dd decides to have hers done I'll recommend she does likewise.

I didn't mind it too much and Dd had hers done at a similar age to your Dd. They did them both at once and it was a bit of an ouch but not too bad. Neither of us are especially brave!

My daughter had hers done at 9 after years of badgering (by her not us!) DH insisted she had it done properly with a needle. I fully went in expecting her to only have one done but fair play to her she was so determined she had both done, both by the same piecer and one after the other. DH had one done first to show her what would happen and he said it hurt a lot less than a gun and was less shocking. Neither of them had any problems with the piercings afterwards.
I would always go for needles rather than gun purely as said previously they are able to be fully sterilised whereas the gun is not.

My dd passed out when she had hers done.

But as far as I know, even though the entire gun might not be sterilised, all the parts that come into contact with the ear are sterilised.

Also, to avoid the new studs becoming stuck in the ears, aren't you meant to rotate them every so often. I seem to remember having to do this after I had mine done many years ago.
I'm not so sure that it was the method of piecing that gets earrings stuck so much as the after care

I had my second holes done when I was 13 - and had totally forgotten any pain so was totally blasé until they did the first one....jaysus, it bloody hurt! But because they were so impressed by how hard I'd been, I hard to tough it out for the second one

That wasn't a patch on my friend piercing my cartilage with the free pin badge on the bottom of a coke can mind, blood running down my neck kinda put me off doing that again

But there is microscopic splatter on the gun so whilst the actual earrings maybe sterile there is still potential for contamination. As the risk is contracting life changing and potentially fatal diseases it is too great a risk for me to take with a 9 year old.

I didn't think it hurt. I remember asking if it was done yet. Though my tongue also didn't hurt that much either. My nose though balls that was bad.

It always makes me laugh when people assume that tattoo/piercing studios are grimy places... do you know how clean they have to be to get their licences haha! Anyway, I think I've said on threads before, guns are gross and unhygenic, there's no way I'd let one of my kids ears within 20ft of one. I agree with lonecatwithkitten

Not grimy. But grim.

I have very many too many tattoos, and several piercings (all gone now bar the ears), I had them done all over the country and not one of those places was somewhere I'd take the kids.

I've told her I'll happily do itmyself with a needle, a flame, and an ice cube. Worked for me with my ears....

I'd have no problem taking my kids into my tattooist, well apart from the fact that tattoo time is my time . My tattooist's is lovely, all crisp and white and bright and really friendly.

DD (11y) had hers done at a jewelry shop on Saturday. She claims it didn't really hurt at all, just made her jump at first. She happily had both done and is now taking great care on her ears and loves them.

Re the piercing with gun/needle. I researched local places a fair bit. Infact only one of the four local tattoo/peircing places were going to use a needle - the rest all said a gun for ear lobe. So, I made an appointment with the needle place. Turned up - piercing woman was late and then there were no studs available as apparently an order hadn't arrived in time - so I went to a proper piercing place only for them to have no earrings!!!

So actually the day after we were at a decent, reputable jewellers collecting DH's watch for his birthday and it came up in conversation and that DD was disappointed - and he said they did ears and the woman who did them came over and chatted to us - and in the end I gave in, I let DD have them done there and then, and with a gun. And it was fine - it was all very clinical, gloves on, and in a separate room upstairs. Woman was very good with DD and as a result DD now has some lovely earrings in which she is completely chuffed with! Her ears look fine, no redness at all and we are cleaning them carefully, and actually following the instructions we found online for looking after new piercings.

So yes - I gave in, she had them done with a gun.

But she is happy and so far they seem fine.

And if my dd wants her ears pierced when she's older (ie 14+) then I'll take her to my piercer, who uses single use needles, proper, sterile equipment and has a licence from the council to pierce people, instead of 5 mins reading a 'safety' booklet and practicing on a friend.

I've only ever been in ones with porn on the walls and loudmouth chavs discussing their latest babydaddy tat that's usually me tbf.

I've just realised I come across as quite harsh but it's only because I've worked in the industry and seen how they can go so badly wrong, that and the risk of infections and diseases, I just get really passionate about it haha!

Please, please make sure they're done with a needle and not a gun, for all the reasons that FrenchRuby, Lonecatwithkitten and the others have said. And steer clear of Claires, fgs.

Proper piercer, with single-use needles.

I had mine done at a hairdresser's with a gun, 30 years ago, & it was fine, but I'm a bit better informed now!

at blood-spattered gun & crushed ear lobe tissue.

Although yes, you may have to hunt for one. Tattoo studios aren't allowed to let U18s into the room where tattooing takes place, so they need a separate piercing room, & many don't find it cost-effective to compete with bloody Claires.

I had mine done at the Drs Surgery, with a gun during the 70's.

Another person with a lovely local tattoo parlour! (well 2 lovely ones, actually...). DD (17) had her lobes done with a gun at 11 then again a few years later, but has had cartilage piercings in proper places with needles (as well as her belly button - she is a lovely girl, honest, she is) more recently an has been fine with them all. I'm sure your DD will be too.

Mine was 16 years ago Worra, not sure they still do them?

Everyone I know has had their's done with a gun & no horror stories!!

It's the old 'never done me no harm' thing with these situations. I'd rather not risk it, when there is a safer alternative. But each to their own and all that.