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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DD 15 piercing own ears

57 replies

Roaringlogfire · 10/01/2022 17:51

My DD's friend has a piercing gun bought from the internet with sterile earrings (or so it claims in the packet) my DD has asked if her friend can pierce her ears. I've said no and said I would prefer to take her to a salon. She is not happy as friend can do it today and she'll have to wait until the weekend to have it done professionally.

AIBU to say no to home piercing?

OP posts:
Mamamia7962 · 10/01/2022 17:58

I'm sure she can wait a few days until the weekend. At least you know that way there's less risk of infection.

Remember doing my own when I was a teenager with a sewing needle and an ice cube to numb my ear!

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 10/01/2022 18:00

She's 15. She'll do it anyway.

Ease up a bit.

HollaHolla · 10/01/2022 18:01

I pierced my own ear when I was about 19, in a bar, when I was a bit drunk, with a hot needle and ice cube. It was a very bad idea. Squint, and never really healed properly.
I'd think getting it done by her mate might be a similar experience....

sadpapercourtesan · 10/01/2022 18:01

Is she obedient enough to wait just because you've told her to? I wouldn't have at her age.

Clearly it's better if she waits and goes to a salon, but if she doesn't I wouldn't make a huge song and dance about it. Just have the right things on hand for self-care after it's done.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 10/01/2022 18:04

I mean, how are you going to stop her?

MrsToothyBitch · 10/01/2022 18:06

There's a really good chance she'll do it anyway tbh, but suggest she looks up what goes into being a professional piercer in a parlour and the hygiene standards met etc. Then ask her whether an unqualified teenager seems like a safe bet.

BurntO · 10/01/2022 18:08

Anyway you can take her sooner? Teenagers have terrible impulse control and I wouldn’t be surprised if she did it anyway and I’d rather them get it done safely than hold out and hope they have patience to wait

mediumbrownmug · 10/01/2022 18:09

I don’t think you’re being unreasonable OP. You’re letting her pierce her ears, just by a professional instead of a nervous young teen with no experience and a possibly dodgy gun off the internet.

Speaking as someone who has had an ear piercing infected and had to remove the earring and let the hole close (which takes awhile and you can’t relieve it until it heals), I think your suggestion of waiting is practical. There’s no way of knowing the quality of the gun the friend has bought or if it is a return that was used on someone else, whether she knows to sterilize it and how to do so, etc. If it’s pierced ears DD really wants, and not just to try out her friend’s new piercing gun, then the wait shouldn’t be too much of an issue. It’s only a few days, not exactly the second coming of Christ.

mediumbrownmug · 10/01/2022 18:09

Repierce not relieve, sorry! Blush

Dobbyismyabsolutefav · 10/01/2022 18:12

YANBU but age 14 my friend, who was a diabetic, pierced our ears at school during lunchtime. We thought it was a good idea at the time!

LadyinRead · 10/01/2022 18:14

You're a mum so no of course you are not being unreasonable trying to protect your daughter.

As a teenager it is your daughter's duty to "rebel" so don't be too upset when she comes home with pierced ears.

A gun sounds very safe to me. I did my own helix piercing around that age with one of Mum's sewing needles and a potato. Was very feverish at school the next day and she had to come and fetch me home.

Makinglists · 10/01/2022 18:14

The girls at my school used to pierce ears at lunch time - with a needle - it was grim and the ears would go septic. One obvious problem to point out is an amateur might not get them straight or level - does she want wonky earrings.

Popopopo · 10/01/2022 18:19

Yanbu, 15 year olds piercing their own ears with random guns bought of the internet is not a good idea.... better than a needle and a potato, but still silly!

They will most likely be wonky and could well get infected / be a pain in the arse to heal

bravermanclan · 10/01/2022 18:21

I remember piercing my own nose. Ouch. I would say to her that you'd prefer to take her to a salon at the weekend but if she is determined to have her friend do it then oh well, let her, she'll learn if her ear gets infected. It's a piercing not a tattoo so I wouldn't be as bothered.

2bazookas · 10/01/2022 18:24

You don't know who else the friend has pierced; don't risk the transfer of bloodborn disease or infected wounds.

ikeptgoing · 10/01/2022 18:27

Mien did theirs like this from internet gun set during lockdown and despite my angst they did their 12 year old sisters too!
It depends how responsible yours are. My eldest did it and he was 18 at the time, it all went well and all were delighted. He sterilised bits he needed to and was very careful - but then I have responsible DCs.

Tlollj · 10/01/2022 18:29

Well you’re not wrong to say no of course. But my mate did mine in the toilets at school when I was about 12.

MayEye · 10/01/2022 18:30

You are lucky she asked. My 15 year old arrived into me recently with a piercing needle she had bought online and blood dropping from her ear where she had pierced the outer layer of skin but couldn’t follow throughGrin
I couldn’t help her because I was nearly fainting at the thoughts! She has now bought a mini gun to give it another go - I have told her to get her friends to do it as I can’t face it
She could go to a professional but seems to fancy herself as a piercer so I let her on Grin

TimeForTeaAndG · 10/01/2022 18:30

At 15 you could take her to a piercing studio where they will use a single-use needle and everything is sterilised. Guns can't be sterilised, merely disinfected and can transmit many blood-borne pathogens.

BridgeFarmKefir · 10/01/2022 18:32

Chances are she'll do it whatever you say. Might be worth pointing out that any good piercer will always use a needle over a gun. Guns can be inaccurate, harder to clean and can hurt more. The fact that they use guns in Claire's Accessories tells you all you need to know 🙄

bobbythevet · 10/01/2022 18:35

We used to pierce our ears with hot earrings in the school bogs Confused

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 10/01/2022 18:37

I did my own and my mates by just pushing an earring though the lobe. Think I was about 14 ish. Possibly younger. I still have them in now!

WorriedGiraffe · 10/01/2022 18:37

YANBU and id warn her that letting her friend do it means there’s a fair chance they will look wonky and could get infected. Guns are not the best method to pierce ears anyway. Make a deal that if she waits till weekend you will buy her a nice pair of earrings to go with it too?

bobbythevet · 10/01/2022 18:38

Hit send too soon!

I was going to say the result was obviously infections, holes not staying open and sometimes merging.

I'd be a massive hypocrite but I wouldn't let my daughter do it!

theblackparade · 10/01/2022 18:40

A gun is not safe. Please encourage her to go to a reputable piercer who will use sterile equipment and suitable jewellery!

www.scarymommy.com/say-no-piercing-guns/