Ear piercing for 12 year old - needle or gun?

[Leafy2018]

My daughter is having her ears pierced for her birthday this month. I'm really keen for them to be done well. I've read about needles being better than ear piercing guns. Can anyone share their experiences with me please? She isn't keen on idea of needle but I'm not totally sure how much pain she would feel with this versus a piercing gun? Is it much more painful?

I have only just got some earrings at age 35 that haven't made the little lumps in my ears get all inflamed. I think you don't get the lumps with the needle as it cores out a sliver of skin as opposed to pushing the skin aside with a blunt earring.

Also - we are in Hampshire about 30 minutes south of Guildford. Any recommendations very welcome! Thank you.

A reputable piercer is unlikely to pierce a 12 year old - and for good reason.

My 12 year old wants her ears pierced too. Everything I’ve read suggests that a needle is far superior to a gun. I’ve found a piercing clinic near me (Newcastle ) which does ear piercing on over 10s with a patent present. Having said that, everyone I know who’s been pierced by a gun has been completely fine too!

I’ve had my ears pierced with both needles and guns. I remember the jolt of the gun but don’t remember the needle, even though I know that was how it was done, so I’m guessing it was less traumatic.

My needle piercings were at the top of my ear and one was infected, one wasn’t. I gather that was unlucky as typically needle pierced holes don’t get infected as easily - lots of long hair and horse riding meant it was probably a sweaty environment for my ear!

Do you have a reputable tattoo parlour nearby? I’d consider travelling into Guildford or Portsmouth to have it done. Do avoid Claire’s though.

Ignore the stupid comments OP. I was 8 and 21 when I had mine done by a gun and I've never had any issues at all.

I'd go needle. I think less painful and heals quicker.
I know of many piercers who with parental consent would pierce a 12yr olds ears (sorry, I live in a different area so no recommendations).

Always a needle! DD had them done at a local tattoo place and they have been perfect.

Guns cannot be cleaned properly / sterilised and cause a blunt force injury. Needles - as you said - don’t. Also don’t twist them when healing - leave well alone aside from a saline or salt water rinse.

I also had my nose done there in the same way and again, no problems .

I got my daughter's done with a needle after reading around. It was quick, painless and the positioning is good. No infection either.she was bit nervous but was adamant she wanted them done. She's 13.

Needles are less painful. I remember the pain of my ears being pierced with a gun while 'numbed', but my now outgrown eyebrow piercings and my lip piercing were done with a needle and were less painful than stubbing a toe. Plus needles are more precise, the ear piercings are distinctly uneven.

I couldn’t find anywhere that would pierce my dd with a needle when she was 12 apart from one (in Newcastle!) but they only did earrings with fixed backs so she wouldn’t have been able to take them out for PE and the million sports she did for six months.

In the end she had them pierced at a tattoo and piercing place with a gun. We didn’t have any problems with them.

Gun always for lobes, elsewhere into the top of ear always a needle

Guns cannot be cleaned properly / sterilised and cause a blunt force injury. Needles - as you said - don’t. Also don’t twist them when healing - leave well alone aside from a saline or salt water rinse.

Guns do not need to be sterile, the parts that touch the ear are.

As soon as the piercer rakes the needle out of the pack it stops being sterile because no piercer I have ever seen has used sterile gloves.

No it is not a blunt force trauma, if it was, then by definition,there would be no hole.

Whilst pieces and tattooist are often really skilled there is no 'approved' training, someone piercing with a gun has been trained to do that.

The guns are designed to pierce ears. The newer ones don't have the 'jolt' older ones did, the piercer needs to squeeze the gun, and there are now disposable guns.

Take your choice OP someone trained top pierce ear lobes with a gun designed for the purpose or someone with a needle who may or may not be trained.

One of the newer systems.

invernesscorp.com/our-piercing-system/

Needle is better I think.

My daughter had hers done aged ten at a tattoo parlour. She had to sign her own consent countersigned by me, they also asked her if she really wanted it done and told her she could change her mind. I've no doubt they would have told me to get lost if they'd thought she was being coerced into it. They warned her would hurt a little, and she said it did hurt more than she'd expected.

I would say it's taken nearly four months for the ears to fully heal. 6 weeks is nowhere near long enough.

My 10 year old daughter has just had them pierced at tattoo/piercing shop with needle, 2 weeks ago and they have been absolutely fine so far. She had titanium earrings and they should be healed within 6 weeks in time to go back to school, should she need to take them out. She said it stung a bit but was fine within 5 minutes of them being pierced and they have not hurt at all since. We live in London and I signed a consent form.

Sorry (6 weeks) I mean healed enough to change the earring or take out for PE, although I think at her school she will just have to put a plaster on for PE. The piercer said if I wanted her earrings changed after 6 weeks I could take her back to the shop and they would do it.

This is the first that came up on Youtube - note the purple gloves are not sterile so when he picks up the needle is not sterile, when he picks up the earing it is no longer sterile.

This video was not how my daughters were done. They use a metal clamp on the ear, the needle was pushed through and then a small clamp put the earring on the end of the needle which was pulled out leaving the earring in the ear - so nothing was touched by the gloves.

Thanks so much for the responses and advice. I've only just seen these replies as it said it wouldn't post so assumed it hadn't worked - hence why I made a second post!

Interesting. I'm not sure what the first comment was about though!

I had gun piercing, ended up in hospital. Its not safe really you can't sterilise a piercing gun, the blunt earrings they shove through your ears aren't sterilised, so higher risk of infection. The blunt trauma from the earring piercing the skin rather than a needle can cause too much swelling or a longer healing time.

The experience as an adult has made me fear piercings, I'd never get one done again. DD wants hers done at 5 but we'll be waiting until a reputable needle piercer will do hers at whatever age.

A reputable piercer is unlikely to pierce a 12 year old - and for good reason.

They’re unlikely to agree to a facial piercing, but they’ll happily do a simple earlobe. They’ll be delighted to have been chosen over a piercing gun at Claire’s.

Why would you allow that to be done to your child? Leave it until she is adult and can decide for herself whether she wants her body mutilated. It cannot be undone!

I've had many piercings in my younger days and a needle is less painful in my opinion (not pain free though!) also the gun piercings I had in Claire's aged 12 are wonky, the needle ones aren't. My school friend worked in Claire's and said the training they got on ear piercing was watching a video (disclaimer - this was 15 years ago, they might be better now).

@Esspee The child is 12 which is perfectly old enough to consent to an earlobe piercing, don’t you think?

@Haworthia At that age children are subject to peer pressure and parental expectations. It is too young to decide on actions which can't be undone in the future.

Needle needle needle needle needle!

The guns pierce with blunt force trauma by punching the stud in. The stud tip isn't that sharp. Look at the tip of a piercing stud, and compare it to a super sharp piercing needle.

Needles are cleaner as they are single use. The guns don't get put into an autoclave.

Needle piercing generally heals quicker as it's a cleaner hole. Gun holes will be more painful afterwards because of the blunt force.

Needle piercers will have been through a long apprenticeship and lots of training. Their studio will have been inspected by the council and a certificate given ref cleanliness.

Gun piercers are lucky to be given a day of training. It's not enough IMO. Look at the entrance to places like Claires where they use guns, and consider how clean the area is with the footfall. The guns are lying out in non sterile areas.

Never ever have a gun piercing, anywhere!