Ear piercing?!

[fancyfrank1]

My little girl has just asked for her ears pierced as a present from Father Christmas I explained that she can have that but it will be after Christmas now and she's happy with that! Does anyone know how much roughly Claire's charge? Christmas has hit the finances hard 🤣 x

@Toomanyradishes no need to be confused, it's simple really, I said I don't know why Claire's is so hated on Mumsnet, her reply was basically they are shit, my experience and opinion is that they were great.

Merry Christmas

Go to a jewellers. We used F Hinds. Cost was cost of earrings only. I had mine done for first time few years after DD and it was painless - like a tiny plastic press thing - no ‘gun’. No hesitation recommending. Min age they do is 6 or 7.

Took my DD to a piercer last week and it was £30 for jewelled studs. Please take her to a professional piercer and not Claires!

@Dixiechickonhols

Go to a jewellers. We used F Hinds. Cost was cost of earrings only. I had mine done for first time few years after DD and it was painless - like a tiny plastic press thing - no ‘gun’. No hesitation recommending. Min age they do is 6 or 7.

That plastic thing is a modern equivalent of a gun isn't it? DS wants his ear pierced and everywhere he has found uses that. I'm not convinced so am holding him off. (I've always had issues with my ears since having them pierced as a child despite my mum claiming they have always been fine)

Ciao, if you can find a tattooist or a proper dedicated piercing place (somewhere like Punktured in Brighton, will be loads of others am sure), they use needles. The aftercare is awesome.

Please don’t touch Clare’s
They use a gun which is loads more painful and dirtier
Look for someone who uses a needle-it’s sterile and barely hurts
I had mine re-done in aug and it was about £25

@rufflyshirt

Ciao, if you can find a tattooist or a proper dedicated piercing place (somewhere like Punktured in Brighton, will be loads of others am sure), they use needles. The aftercare is awesome.

Thanks. We have tons of tattoo places in town so I've been looking at those, just have to make an appointment it seems. Maybe after Christmas.

Ciao I’m not sure. It was a small plastic press thing. DD had hers done age 11 and I was 45. I honestly didn’t feel a thing - was my first ear piercing. Both of us healed absolutely fine. Cost was £25 ish cost of earrings and inc aftercare solution.
Daughter now wants hex? doing age16 so will use a piercing place with needle but for lobe no hesitation recommending F Hinds jewellers.

That plastic thing is a modern equivalent of a gun isn't it?

Is it Studex ? I was looking on the website for Metalmorphosis , they had age limits for piercing , under a certain age they used Studex ( which looks single use )

The trouble with any device that uses the earring itself to make the hole is that it just isn’t sharp enough to do the job cleanly. It’s like a butter knife versus a scalpel.

The modern plastic version is still a gun. It's blunt force trauma. A needle is designed for cutting the skin so minimal trauma.

Like I said on my previous post of course some people have no issues but surely causing a wound on your child you would choose the safest/cleanest option?

The UKAPP is a voluntary health and safety organisation for piercers, piercers must reach strict criteria and renew their membership yearly. The website has a member locator and you can be assured all members are meeting the highest health and safety criteria.

For those worried about tattoo shops as well please consider there are multiple piercing only studios now. My studio for instance has tattooing on a separate floor for this very reason so no piercing clients ever even see the tattooing.

Yes studex is the name a lot of places seem to use. I know lots of people have their ears pierced using it with no problems, but having had nothing but issues with mine for 30+ years I'm not risking it.
I'd kind of 99% written it off already and as DS is 17 I'm happy to take him to a tattoo place.

I must admit I had mine done with a gun at a place like Clare's (not sure of name was 38 years ago) and have been fine ever since. There are pluses and minuses of both methods and know of people who had issues from tattoo parlour piercings- guns were considered more sterile back then because the only thing that goes through your ear is the earring rather than a needle that may not have been cleaned. Before someone says things have changed, a local place to me got closed down for poor hygiene recently

In a good piercing shop, the single-use needle should be removed from the sealed sterile packaging in front of you.

Studex rings a bell. The studs were pointed. Like I say just my experience as a 45 year old having a first ear piercing and I didn’t feel it and wouldn’t hesitate to take an older child to jewellers (DD was 11) It was honestly totally painless and no healing issues.

The sterilized stud earring cost £1 ish on eBay - the rest is profit!

How old was she and what did she understand about blunt force trauma

Blunt force trauma wouid be if someone bashed her over the head with the gun! A piercing, even if done with a less sharp object, isn't blunt fierce trauma by definition

OP: be aware that some councils have restrictions on the licences they issue restricting piercings of u16s to earlobe only by gun. Several London boroughs have this as a condition of operating, and it may exist elsewhere to. So you may need to travel to get a needle piercing

@SquirmOfEels

How old was she and what did she understand about blunt force trauma

Blunt force trauma wouid be if someone bashed her over the head with the gun! A piercing, even if done with a less sharp object, isn't blunt fierce trauma by definition

OP: be aware that some councils have restrictions on the licences they issue restricting piercings of u16s to earlobe only by gun. Several London boroughs have this as a condition of operating, and it may exist elsewhere to. So you may need to travel to get a needle piercing

I refer you to The BodyPiercer’s post from 12:20 today.

My hairdresser did dd's ears 6 months ago - £20 had no problems at all.

@SquirmOfEels

How old was she and what did she understand about blunt force trauma

Blunt force trauma wouid be if someone bashed her over the head with the gun! A piercing, even if done with a less sharp object, isn't blunt fierce trauma by definition

OP: be aware that some councils have restrictions on the licences they issue restricting piercings of u16s to earlobe only by gun. Several London boroughs have this as a condition of operating, and it may exist elsewhere to. So you may need to travel to get a needle piercing

If you want to be specific I suppose it's penetrative trauma. However poke yourself in the finger with a needle and then with an earring, I think you'll find you'll have to use a lot more force and do damage with an earring.

Needles are single use, sterile & literally designed for cutting the skin, piercing guns are re purposed cattle taggers that can't be sterilised and use inappropriate jewellery. There is no argument at all that they're better in any way.

Like I said in a previous post, you can go for a drive without your seat belt and may be fine, but you put it on anyway for safety's sake! If you're wounding a child when they can't legally consent for themselves choose the safest option. If a grown adult wants a gun, it's still a silly decision but it's their choice to make.

@Forgothowmuchlhatehomeschoolin

My hairdresser did dd's ears 6 months ago - £20 had no problems at all.

I could cut your hair but it doesn't mean I'd be any good at it.

No gun! As pp said, use a proper place where they use needles. Piercing guns can never be clean and they leave lumps.

My tattoo place does ear piercings with needles for 7+.

@CombatBarbie

Tell I lie, youngest was 6....no problems whatsoever.

Many many piercers won't do under 16s as they feel a child under this age is too young to be giving consent. There are some piecers who will do 12+. I've never known a professional piercer to do a 6 year old but you clearly have.

@gogohm

I must admit I had mine done with a gun at a place like Clare's (not sure of name was 38 years ago) and have been fine ever since. There are pluses and minuses of both methods and know of people who had issues from tattoo parlour piercings- guns were considered more sterile back then because the only thing that goes through your ear is the earring rather than a needle that may not have been cleaned. Before someone says things have changed, a local place to me got closed down for poor hygiene recently

The needle should not have to be cleaned. A reputable place will use a fresh needle taken out of a sterile bubble pack in front of you. Will there be charletaines? Of course but that doesn't mean that piercers are bad. Problem with Claires is that the staff are just random retail staff, not professional piercers and they use a device that is not possible to sterilise the way a fresh needle is sterilised.

It varies depending on piercer preference, insurance and council restrictions. I personally pierce lobes with a needle from 8 (my insurance/council allows from any age). I personally would rather pierce an 8 year old than they get taken to Claires.