Please come and talk to me about ear piercing.

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I've caved in and said DD can get her ears pierced. She's 11 and starts secondary next week, and it's the same age I had mine done, and so did her older stepsisters.

I've read here and elsewhere to avoid Claire's. Trouble is we don't know where else to go. We'll be in Manchester city centre on Monday so anywhere in Manchester anyone can recommend would be great.

Also what about aftercare? Can she go swimming next week? What should we be using to clean them?

DD had her done last August at 11 yo. Try to avoid swimming. DD trained 5 times a week in a borough squad and tbh they never really healed all year - not infected but bloody when cleaned or when she removed earrings for sports. She stopped swimming this July and her ears are now healed. We went to Claire's.

If she starts school next week I would recommend holding off. My DDs school insists on earrings out for sports, and usually with new piercings they have to leave them in for 6 weeks. I would worry that she would either have to take them out herself in P.E which would be painful and probably cause them to close up, or get in trouble on her first week.

Maybe promise them for next summer and do it at the start?

I agree with waiting until the next summer hols.
Then you have plenty of time to research and find a place other than claires.

The reason we have waited until the end of the summer is that we tend to do a lot of outdoors activities eg camping / swimming in sea / climbing through the summer, so I'd rather she was in more of a routine and not doing cliff jumping with newly pierced ears!

We've checked the policy and they are allowed one pair of studs in at school and don't have to remove them for PE so I'd rather let her get them done now. Next summer we're away for 5 weeks out of the six on a big trip so she won't be able to get them done then.

That's interesting about the swimming. She only goes once a week, but I might suggest she misses one or two, just to give them chance to heal.

If she can miss a few swimming lessons that would better. Maybe give them a couple of weeks pool free. DD was on a big training push and missing training was frowned upon. Thank goodness she decided to give up!

Go to a proper piercing salon.

I've had a quick google, there's one in Manchester here

Holier than thou -first one on that google link

Many beauty salons and beauty therapists do earpiercing. I had mine done in a jewellers when I was 11. Not sure that jewellers even do that any more.

Look at this

Though piercing salons do it with a needle and the hole can be slightly bigger than the earring/gun method. I've had cartilage piercing done with a needle and it's OK as I've had my lobes pierced before, but not sure how it would be for the first time?

DD had hers done at Hinds in the Trafford Centre 6 weeks ago. (They come out tonight). They were great and she's had no problems at all. Lots of advice and a helpful assistant