Is Claire's no good for ear piercing. I've heard both meh stories and horror stories. Also your general advice.

[lavenderdoilly]

Dd is 9. I was 14 about 30 years ago when I had mine done. I've heard neutral and negative stories about Claire's so your comments on going there for her to have it done would be most welcome. Your gener tips and advice also welcome.
I can't remember how long mine took to heal although I do remember "turning" them and using surgical spirit. I spoke to one of her pals who said she used saltwater. Ouch generally. Dd is a bit squeamish. Also, how about sport while they are healing ? Take em out (more ow) or tape em up. Is this doable for swimming?

"They also now sell an 'accelerated healing' 3-week treatment, claiming the piercings will be healed and the earrings can be changed in 3 weeks. This is complete nonsense, you cannot speed up the body's healing process, and especially not with their crappy cleaning solution."

From what I can tell, the new stuff is hypochlorite (presume sodium hypochlorite) ie essentially the same stuff as Milton Fluid.

You're better off with saline. If you don't want to make up your own, the the stuff sold for cleaning contact lenses is OK.

You should never ever get any kind of piercing (ear or anywhere else) done with a gun like they use in Claire's

www.safepiercing.org/learn/piercing/faq/#guns

It's a personal choice, but I always go to a trained professional rather than someone who's had afternoon training with those awful nail guns. I thought it was common sense going to a professional over somewhere like Claire's, but obviously not by how much trade they get.

Please don't go to Claire's. Piercing guns are dangerous and should be outlawed. As someone mentioned upthread, they cause blunt-force trauma to the ear. Plus, piercing guns can't be sterilised. Fluid micro-spray (microscopic particles of tissue, blood, and other fluids) will be present on the piercing gun. Blood borne pathogens can be easily passed from person to person this way. At best, the gun can only be wiped down with disinfectant, which really does nothing but kill surface bacteria.
No one should get pierced with anything that cannot be put in an autoclave. The safest way to insure that no disease can be transmitted from person to person is (Autoclave) sterilisation. Piercings should be done with sterile single use needles, which are disposed of immediately after each use.

(Not a pro, but I have 10 piercings)

Claire's it ain't, then. Posters have confirmed my concerns.

I would ring a local tattooist who could point you in the right direction of a good piercer. Needles are much cleaner and leave a neater hole.

Also yes, cleaning solution is one of the worst things you can put on a fresh piercing. Salt water soaks twice daily and not touching except to clean it are how you heal them. :)

I see people in Claire's and all I think is 'Hepatitis C'. There are some viruses that are incredibly robust (e.g. hep C), and happily survive for many days outside the body, and remain highly virulent. They can live in crevices that cannot be reached by 'sterilizing fluid'. Agree with MyCatWas, instruments need to be autoclaved.

It's a no from me for Claire's.

My DD age 11 had her ears pierced 2 months ago. I paid £30 at a proper piercing studio who have developed a patented technique that hurts much less (accupierce). I remember it hurt like hell when I had mine done at her age (the Claire way), so I was happy to pay the high price. It was a very clean place and they were very meticolous. It was simultaneous piercing, so required to piercers, but well worth the money. It has healed beautifully, they gave us a bottle of cleaning liquid (plus an aftercare leaflet) but said that salt water is fine.

Mine is 10 and I'm thinking maybe 11 1/2 when she finishes primary (I don't have pierced ears)

How do you find a reputable piercers, do councils keep list of them. I assume piercer/tattoo shop is same thing but I haven't got a clue where to even start looking.

All her friends just seem to have gone to Claire's.

I would not go to Claires - could be because of all the stuff I've read on MN though!

Having said that, I had mine pierced on a market stall (probably with a gun) 30 years ago and they were fine . Chances are Claires would be fine too.

When DD wants hers done, I will take her to a licensed piercing studio (you can check on local council website).

That sounds good misscph and £30 seems a reasonable price. How did you find them?

A lot of tattooists also have someone that is qualified to do piercings. I would look up their reviews online. If ask to see their certifications and health ratings etc they should be happy to show you.

I've had a lot of piercings from being 10 up until a couple of years ago. Some at Claire's some in a tattoo studio. I kept them all religiously clean and had no infections as a result. Some I cleaned with salt water, others with aftercare solution and I think the first with surgical spirit. The final one I had was with a tattoo studio, it hurt the most by far and has taken the longest to heal. As far as I can tell the piercer didn't do anything different / wrong. I think it's all pot luck.

As the guns can't be sterilised I'm shocked they are allowed to be used.

Also, for what it's worth, my friend had a piercing at Claire's a couple of years ago. It wasn't placed correctly, so it pierced through a small vein. The back of her ear was black with brusing. Luckily it healed okay.

I got my cartilage pierced at Claire's as a naive student and the girl had to pierce it twice because she got the position wrong

She had the decency to apologise and I didn't have to pay anything for it but I would never ever go back. Luckily it healed okay.

I took DD to Claire's when she was about nine to have her ears pierced.

Booked an appointment so both ears could be done at the same time. One of the guns got 'stuck' on her ear though and there was a horrible few seconds with a terrified DD whilst they sorted it out.

We were meticulous with the cleaning and turning etc but that ear never really healed properly.

DD ended up with a nasty infection from it and had to have the earrings removed.

Have told DD that she can wait until she feels like she wants them pierced again and we'll go to a proper piercer.

Never have anything pierced with a gun. It causes massive trauma to the tissue and the force can cause terrible damage to ear cartilage.

I've had many piercings and would always recommend visiting a professional piercer.

I'd go to a piercing studio, far much better and sterile! They don't use guns either, they'll use a needle which means it'll heal nicer and better. I think the minimum age for a studio is 5, but I'd check with them to make sure.

You don't need to use the after-care solution, that's just a rip off. A simple saline solution aka cooled boiled water and table salt works just as well. (That's what piercing studios recommend anyway)

The problem is that it's not legal to pierce under 16s with a needle so you will have to find some kind of compromise solution. There may be some professional piercers who use a gun (with reluctance) on younger kids but I was met with a firm NO for my 13yo (my piercing place was happy to check her afterwards, though!).

I personally would not use Claires. I had mine done at Debenhams not sure if they still pierce or not. My daughter and I were exemplar at caring for her ears after she had hers done, she had the worst infection and the studs were to tight, yes I know infection happens, but they were wonky and the piercer was very abrupt and nervous, waste of £38 and a £5 bottle of white spirit !!.
I am hoping they can be re pierced as they closed after much grief, and as they make you sign a disclaimer ... really wish I had gone somewhere else.

I had mine pierced at Claires.

In my right ear I now have an extra hole bit that doesn't go right through. So it starts at the front in the same opening as the proper hole, but if I don't get the right angle I am just pushing on skin at the back. I don't know if that even makes sense. But the girl hesitated and moved the gun when she was almost all the way through.

They also got horribly infected.

It is legal if they've got parental permission (which they will do as they'll be there - the parent has to sign a consent form as well), why do you think 13 year olds can get their nose/tongue/belly pierced?

"The problem is that it's not legal to pierce under 16s with a needle so you will have to find some kind of compromise solution."

Not quite. There's no national law against this, but piercers require a special licence form their local council, and some do impose conditions such as 'no under 16s other than earlobe by gun'

So if you definitely want needle, and your local council has those sorts of conditions, you'll have to travel to another area. Or at least get it done in a proper piercing parlour, not a jewellers, as both the hygiene and the aftercare advice is likely to be better.