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My 4 yr old daughter is ready to have her ears pierced. I'm wondering where we should take her. Any suggestions? I'm not looking for reasons NOT to have her ears pierce, more on a good place to take her in RI. Thanks
Ear Piercing
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They actually do damage the ear tissue but it's usually not too big of a deal.
It's like ripping instead of cutting. Needles make a hole that can grow smooth new skin on the inside. Plus they are way more sanitary.
At least this is according to my heavily pierced co worker in college who worked as a piercer.
My ears are fine from being pierced by a gun but a lot of times they can close up or get infected I guess.
My mil got hers pierced by her dr. recently.
Piercers also often work at tattoo parlors I think. I don't know if they will do it on an underage person?
It's like ripping instead of cutting. Needles make a hole that can grow smooth new skin on the inside. Plus they are way more sanitary.
At least this is according to my heavily pierced co worker in college who worked as a piercer.
My ears are fine from being pierced by a gun but a lot of times they can close up or get infected I guess.
My mil got hers pierced by her dr. recently.
Piercers also often work at tattoo parlors I think. I don't know if they will do it on an underage person?
I would absolutely go to a real piercer. Rockstar on Thayer St. in Providence is excellent, but I'd call first to see if they would pierce a 4 year old's ears with a parent present.
The MAJOR MAJOR concern with a piercing gun is that there's no way to sterilize it between customers. A good piercer has an autoclave in his/her shop to sterilize everything that is tested regularly to make sure it's working properly, and needles are used once and then disposed of. The jewelry that a piercer uses is a much higher-quality metal than mall jewelry and it's autoclaved before use, so it's much less likely that you'd have an allergic reaction to your jewelry.
Piercers have also gone through apprenticeships and have had years of training not only in piercing but in bloodborne pathogens, they should be more than happy to talk about all of their training with you. A mall employee is not even remotely in the same league.
The MAJOR MAJOR concern with a piercing gun is that there's no way to sterilize it between customers. A good piercer has an autoclave in his/her shop to sterilize everything that is tested regularly to make sure it's working properly, and needles are used once and then disposed of. The jewelry that a piercer uses is a much higher-quality metal than mall jewelry and it's autoclaved before use, so it's much less likely that you'd have an allergic reaction to your jewelry.
Piercers have also gone through apprenticeships and have had years of training not only in piercing but in bloodborne pathogens, they should be more than happy to talk about all of their training with you. A mall employee is not even remotely in the same league.
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I'm from mass - so I'm not sure about RI, but I would take her to a tattoo/piercing place and have it done there.
I work in a pediatrics office and most Dr's don't do it anymore (or really have the training), and I have seen SOOOO many girls have their ears piercing not ending up centered from one of those mall stores. Get it done with a needle at a tattoo parlor, they will do a much better job and it will be more sterile than any other place.
I work in a pediatrics office and most Dr's don't do it anymore (or really have the training), and I have seen SOOOO many girls have their ears piercing not ending up centered from one of those mall stores. Get it done with a needle at a tattoo parlor, they will do a much better job and it will be more sterile than any other place.
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My mom pierced my ears by icing them to make them numb, using alcohol on the ears and earings, and then using some gold round posts - the post part was pointed and sharp.
Years later I did the same thing to myself when I wanted double pierced ears...I wasn't allowed so I snuck it...and got in trouble of course.
Can you believe I got my nose pierced with a gun? It was in London at some random shop, not a piercing place back in, I think, 89 or 90...but I tell you it will never close...I go for months without wearing it.
At midwifery school, when doing post partum appointments we were occasionally asked to pierce the babies ears and we did do it sometimes, but I don't like the idea of doing that to a baby. I recognize it's cultural importance and I think that when we did it we knew that the parents were going to do it no matter what so at least by us doing it we knew that it would be done in a sterile manner.
I wonder if you could find a pair of those needle posts from a piercing place and DIY?
Years later I did the same thing to myself when I wanted double pierced ears...I wasn't allowed so I snuck it...and got in trouble of course.
Can you believe I got my nose pierced with a gun? It was in London at some random shop, not a piercing place back in, I think, 89 or 90...but I tell you it will never close...I go for months without wearing it.
At midwifery school, when doing post partum appointments we were occasionally asked to pierce the babies ears and we did do it sometimes, but I don't like the idea of doing that to a baby. I recognize it's cultural importance and I think that when we did it we knew that the parents were going to do it no matter what so at least by us doing it we knew that it would be done in a sterile manner.
I wonder if you could find a pair of those needle posts from a piercing place and DIY?
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I was 16 when I got my cartliage peirced at a tatto shop and it was a much more sterile informitive appointment then when I mall peirced my ears the 3 times I had it done .
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Just a warning about getting studs from a piercing place and using them, the studs are VERY sharp, the gun actually blunts off the ends of them (in my experience anyways). So it might be fine to do it, but if you actually want to use the studs to wear as earrings, you are going to have to be VERY careful so that they don't tear your ear when you change them. I'd also be worried about it poking into the neck when sleeping, etc and being painful.
I had my ears done as a teenage at the mall. In college I stopped wearing earrings for a while and my ears started to close up- and I kept getting slight irritation if I started to use earrings. The only ones I could wear w/o irritation were my thicker studs.
I wanted to be able to wear more than just one pair of earrings so I went to the store and bought another earring stud, since those are the only ones that have thicker posts-- but then I realized that the new studs were sharp and irritated my ears, especially if I took them out.
So after having the same pair of earrings for like 10 years I went back to a mall store and bought another thicker stud after explaining my problem to the woman I got her to set them through the gun for me to blunt off the edge. It seems to work well, but since I got the cz(fake diamond), and they go w/ everything I don't change them much, but they are NOT sharp.
Ok, so long winded, but thought it might help.
Jessica
I had my ears done as a teenage at the mall. In college I stopped wearing earrings for a while and my ears started to close up- and I kept getting slight irritation if I started to use earrings. The only ones I could wear w/o irritation were my thicker studs.
I wanted to be able to wear more than just one pair of earrings so I went to the store and bought another earring stud, since those are the only ones that have thicker posts-- but then I realized that the new studs were sharp and irritated my ears, especially if I took them out.
So after having the same pair of earrings for like 10 years I went back to a mall store and bought another thicker stud after explaining my problem to the woman I got her to set them through the gun for me to blunt off the edge. It seems to work well, but since I got the cz(fake diamond), and they go w/ everything I don't change them much, but they are NOT sharp.
Ok, so long winded, but thought it might help.
Jessica
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1,422 Posts
Yeah, I can see what you mean Jessica.
The one's my mom has have a pretty short studs so they never poked me in the neck. I kept them in for a while after they were pierced and twisted them with alcohol every day. I never had a problem when taking them out, that I can remember. But, those are probably the ones my mom got her ears pierced with so they are ol' timey... I have not idea what you could buy out there today. I will have to ask her about them.
The one's my mom has have a pretty short studs so they never poked me in the neck. I kept them in for a while after they were pierced and twisted them with alcohol every day. I never had a problem when taking them out, that I can remember. But, those are probably the ones my mom got her ears pierced with so they are ol' timey... I have not idea what you could buy out there today. I will have to ask her about them.
If you do want to DIY, I still wouldn't recommend using earrings from the mall. You're making a puncture wound, for it to have the best chances of healing well you need to use high-quality and sterile jewelry. (And boiling in water or using alcohol to clean are NOT methods of sterilization - they will not kill spores).
OP, if you're interested in going that route feel free to PM me and I can point you to some good web resources for information as well as jewelry and needles.
OP, if you're interested in going that route feel free to PM me and I can point you to some good web resources for information as well as jewelry and needles.
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