Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Flip

Original poster

Re-piercing ears?

17 replies

LiquoriceWheel · 08/01/2017 11:13

I've had my ears pierced since I was about 10 years old but I haven't been wearing earrings for more than 5 years now at least (I'm an adult now btw). How do I open the holes up again? Should I get some bog standard studs from the chemist, sterilise them and just force them back through? I tried that once ages ago and my earlobe swelled up and icky stuff came out. Can anyone tell me what I can do? I'm tough so any advice is welcome

OP posts:

DancingHouse · 08/01/2017 12:34

You could try that but if the earring doesn't go back in easily I'd get them repierced again by a professional. I've had several piercings repierced and they both been able to pierce through the same placement.

XiCi · 08/01/2017 13:00

I was in the same position as you and went to get them repierced and they refused saying that you should never repierce through the same hole as the risk of infection would be too high

bathshower · 08/01/2017 13:07

I was also in the same position as you and got mine redone at a professional body piercing place. It was a few years now but I think it was pretty simple and painless and now I make sure I just put some earrings in occasionally to stop the same thing happening again (not a big fan of earrings but it's nice to have the option).

gonetoflower · 08/01/2017 13:07

Ouch. I'd go and get them re-pierced, too. No way would I be trying to shove earrings through!

I've had re-piercing done before and it was fine.

XiCi · 08/01/2017 13:10

Maybe I should try somewhere else for repiercing then. To those that have been repierced through the same hole was it with a needle or a gun?

bathshower · 08/01/2017 13:16

XiCi needle

AndNoneForGretchenWieners · 08/01/2017 13:17

I had mine repierced as I had been using a sharp earring to reopen the holes for years and it hurt like hell! The repiercing was straightforward and I would recommend it.

GatherlyGal · 08/01/2017 13:34

I need to do this. Where does one go to get it done?

The only place I can think of locally looks a bit scary. Will they let me in if I'm old with no tats?

AndNoneForGretchenWieners · 08/01/2017 15:40

I went to Blue Banana.

justaweeone · 08/01/2017 16:07

Just don't do what my first year uni student Dd did when she fancied a second piercing - used a piece of frozen broccoli to numb her ears as they had no ice and as didn't have the traditional cork to put behind the ear, used an apple
I believe they may have had a few drinks before carrying out this procedure!

bathshower · 08/01/2017 16:41

GatherlyGal I went to a local tattoo and piercing place that i guess you might describe as looking a bit unusual from the outside. I wasn't old (early 30s) but have no other piercings or tattoos and no intentions of getting any. The staff were lovely and, from what I read online when researching how to get my ears repierced, you are likely to get a better piercing in these kind of places as the staff are trained piercers (is that a word) rather than it just being an add on to some other service.

GatherlyGal · 08/01/2017 16:58

Thanks bathshower. I think I'll take the tattoo place over Claire's Accessories.

ellalouise123 · 08/01/2017 16:59

This happened to me, I just went and got them repierced because every time I tried to stab something back through the old hole, I ended up with red angry earlobes and it wasn't worth it.

ReluctantlyRedundant101 · 08/01/2017 20:41

If you can still see the holes you should be able to go through with a needle sterilized with boiling water. Then if you get some plain gold sleepers and put them in and keep turning them. May be a bit weepy for a few days but they'll soon heal

Original poster

LiquoriceWheel · 09/01/2017 07:24

Thanks for all the great ideas everyone . I never thought of a tattoo/body piercing place- brilliant! Will try that

OP posts:

LooksBetterWithAFilter · 09/01/2017 07:35

Have they definitely closed back up? I got my ears pierced 25 year ago rarely wear earrings and have gone years without in the past and they have never closed. Sometimes it takes a bit of a wiggle to get them in the first time but the hole is definitely still there. Dd only got hers done 6 years ago and hadn't worn earrings for about 2 years until a wedding last year and they were the same.

MrAliBongo · 09/01/2017 08:02

Agree with looks better. I've recently started wearing earrings in my 25-yo lobe piercings, which have been out of use for probably 10 years. One of four had closed up a bit at the back, but my siblings and I used to pierce each other's ears, so I had no qualms about dealing with that myself. Couple of days stinging, and all of the holes were slightly irritated for a few days, just because they'd been unused for so long, but now they're fine.

But if you need help, the profession body-piercer is what you want... NOT Claire's Accessories!

Flip