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Original poster

Child wants ears pierced

70 replies

Minniemoo6 · 17/06/2022 18:30

So my 6 year old has been asking to have her ears pierced as most girls in her class have now had them pierced. It seems to be a knock on effect in her class. I've explained to her that they pinch, sore afterwards etc. I have a few ear piercings myself and the studio I go to have raised their age limit due to parents not being able to sit with their child and comfort them because of covid, they still have all covid measures in place. Majority of other places I've looked at are mostly guns and some just state a certain equipment (cabt remember the name) but doesn't state if that's a gun or needle. I've not told her she can have them yet as I'm still doing research. Anyone had piercings with guns and been ok? How did your child act? Did you use numbing cream on them? Thankyou.

OP posts:

Soubriquet · 17/06/2022 18:33

I was pierced with a gun when I was 4 and it was fine.

Plenty of parents will do their children ears at Claire’s which is with a gun and they mostly turn out ok.

Dd (9) wants hers done and I’ve said she can have it done over the summer holidays so they have time to heal ready for school. I will be taking her to a piercing parlour though

minidancer · 17/06/2022 18:35

Go to a place that just does piercings......not Claire's

Original poster

Minniemoo6 · 17/06/2022 19:40

Yes I also want to get them done in the holidays If she has them done. I've been told to avoid claires by numerous people so will avoid them. I just wasn't really sure if there was much of a difference between the gun and needle as mine have always been done with needles and heard people say guns shouldn't be used.

OP posts:

Isabelle70 · 17/06/2022 19:47

I had the gun as a kid many years ago and would never use it again as mine were uneven and wonky .
It's a blunt force trauma with a gun, I would always go for the needle route.
When I had mine redone on both ears to resolve the unevenness I had a needle, didn't hurt as I had to breathe out when he pierced me.

IsFuzzyBeagMise · 17/06/2022 19:54

I would recommend a needle over gun. I had my DD's done at a reputable jeweller's and it was done using a gun. It was a terrible job. She took them out, let them heal and got them done at a piercing studio. Excellent job.

Metabigot · 17/06/2022 19:58

My daughter (8) had hers done at Claires and it was fine.

In front of us was a 6 month old baby having her ears pierced I do think that's wrong. Legal age limit is 4 months apparently.

Metabigot · 17/06/2022 20:00

Oh and in terms of reaction she cried out of shock more than anything for 20 seconds then was fine. They do both ears at the same time (2 people obvs).

She was skipping out of there 5 minutes later with new earrings for when they heal with the studs.

Pastaa · 17/06/2022 20:01

Mine and my DC's were done at Claire's with a gun and it was fine.

Pastaa · 17/06/2022 20:02

IsFuzzyBeagMise · 17/06/2022 19:54

How was it a terrible job?

Original poster

Minniemoo6 · 17/06/2022 20:15

Thankyou for your replies. I'm going have to look around as there are more hairdressers offering piercings than anywhere else. If she has them pierced with a needle will they be the typical stud or a bar. Any piercing I've had in my ears have been bars but not sure if the same applies to children?

OP posts:

uhtredsonofuhtred1 · 17/06/2022 20:18

My 6 year old got hers done last summer and by Christmas the backs had disappeared into her ear lobe. One day they were there and the next they weren't! We had to go to A&E because the doctors were all closed and her ears felt hot and red so I was worried about infection/sepsis. She's desperate to get them done again but I just daren't risk it!

mrstrickland · 17/06/2022 20:26

Definitely take her to a reputable piercer. My 10 year old recently had her pierced by a professional piercer and its definitely preferable to Claire's. Surprised that covid measures are still in place with your regular piercer, maybe ask around locally for recommendations?

Memaww · 17/06/2022 20:32

Please do not use CLAIRES or guns.

Piercing guns have plastic parts which means they cannot go in an autoclave (a machine that cleans metal equipment with ultrasonic waves) so everytime they are used minute blood splatters get onto the gun are are not cleaned!

Piercing Needles are hollow meaning they take a small tunnel of flesh out to make room for jewellery, the hole is made with an extremely sharp point.

A piercing gun uses nothing but the rounded end of the earring itself to push into the skin with blunt force trauma, there is no room made for the jewellery, skin and flesh is simply pushed to the side.

Lastly, people in CLAIRES are sales assistants that do nothing more than a short course. They are not piercers!

Original poster

Minniemoo6 · 17/06/2022 20:33

@uhtredsonofuhtred1 that's awful your poor dd.

I may ask around the mums and dad's at the school to see where they all went.

OP posts:

Ponderingwindow · 17/06/2022 20:39

My ears were pierced with a gun back in the day, but I would never do it again knowing what I know now. I’m actually thinking about getting another piercing and it will be with a reputable piercer, not a piercing gun.

I would make her wait until she is old enough to work with the professional piercers in your area. They have age limits for a reason. It’s not like the field is so lucrative they want to turn away business and churning little kids through would be an easy way to make some money.

Squashedraddish · 17/06/2022 20:44

My 6yo dd just got hers done. I wouldn’t use a gun as when my little sister got hers done the gun jammed in her ear. I went to a reputable place that used a needle and was amazingly sterile. They did both ears at the same time and I put Emla numbing cream on her ears before hand. She’s had no issues since- they’ve been in about 3 weeks now

OddBoots · 17/06/2022 20:46

Is your place going to stick with the new rules? Have you given them a call as they may be planning to change it? Or they might know a place nearby who could do it.

I'm sure most of the time there i no long term damage by the guns but as I was in the group that did have have damage so I would always go for places that use a needle.

IsFuzzyBeagMise · 17/06/2022 20:46

How was it a terrible job?

They were very mismatched. One ear was very wrong. She didn't measure it, only estimated it and then asked me what I thought. She marked it with a pen and then pretty much missed the mark with the gun. The earring was nearly touching her lobe it was so low.

This wasn't Claire's by the way. I think the staff member was very inexperienced. It was so much better in the piercing studio. Much more professional. Healing went well too.

Nocutenamesleft · 17/06/2022 20:48

My daughter is 8 and 6 weeks ago she had hers pierced with a needle

i wouldn’t let her have them done with a gun and she had to wait till she was old enough

Nocutenamesleft · 17/06/2022 20:52

She said it was fine. She didn’t cry.

They pierced them with a bar and it was amazing. They make sure the bar takes up room for swelling so no backs to get lost into flesh.

Thebeastofsleep · 17/06/2022 21:16

Until March, all my piercings had been done with a needle. In March I had my ears (3rd hole) pierced with a gun. Healed the best of all my piercings!

Springduckling · 17/06/2022 22:34

My dds had them done at Claires aged 9. Never had any problems. Personally I think 6 is a bit young as they can't look after their ears themselves.

newyorkbreakfast · 17/06/2022 22:41

Can kids swim after they've had ears pierced?

Duettino · 17/06/2022 22:47

I don't think any place that uses needles would pierce under 7. I did try for DD and they all said no. That's why people go to Claire's... no where else will do it.

womaninatightspot · 17/06/2022 22:49

My 7 yo twins had them done at Claire's for their birthday; it was fine. No issues with looking after them. I had my ears peirced with a gun 30 years ago didn't have any issues. I think people can be abit dramatic over ear piercing.

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