Is it better to get your ear pierced with a needle or a gun?

[zomgwtf]

Well, I've been wanting to get my ear pierced for sometime now. I had it pierced when i was younger but it got ripped out playing football . When I get it done before it was done by a piercing gun and I just had to keep it clean and not irritate it... they pierced it with a stud.

Now that I'm thinking about getting it done again I've been looking it up where I should go and a lot of people say not to get it done by a piercing gun... the thing is though that it's a lot more expensive to get it done by a piercing needle, and it doesn't look to me to be ALL that much more different.

Any experience with you guys?


Oh and if it makes any difference I am a male

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Be a man and do it yourself with a needle you find behind some dumpsters.

It doesn't matter. It's a such a brainless 5 second job. Stop thinking and just do it :)

 

[Evo]

Be a man and do it yourself with a needle you find behind some dumpsters.

It doesn't matter. It's a such a brainless 5 second job. Stop thinking and just do it :)

NOOOOO.

My daughter had her ears done with a gun at a mall shop and it was fine. When she had her belly button pierced, we went to a specialty piercing shop that had really stringent policies on cleanliness and were very experienced. Although the people looked scary, they were very careful.

If you are afraid you might have special needs due to a ripped piercing, a doctor should be able to do it. My family doctor pierced my ears.

 

[GeorginaS]

I have no idea what a "piercing needle" is, unless you mean do-it-yourself at home. To which I say, bad idea.

I had mine done in a mall with a piercing gun. It's over in a flash, no big deal, and they have to maintain clean, hygienic conditions in order to have insurance, and they can't operate without insurance. So. They do a good job and the most pain of it is sting from the alcohol. It's not expensive either. More expensive than do-it-yourself, mind, but it can't be any more than $20, is it?

Anyway, I'd recommend that as the way to go. And if anything does go wrong, you've got recourse.

 

[WhoWee]

Our 3 girls had theirs done this past week - only 2 are happy.

 

[MotoH]

Be a man and do it yourself with a needle you find behind some dumpsters.

It doesn't matter. It's a such a brainless 5 second job. Stop thinking and just do it :)

Do they do your nails at the same time you are getting your ears pierced? I suppose they talk about the latest gossip too!

The word "man" "pierce" and "ear" do not belong in the same sentence unless it is in the sentence "i pierced a mans brain with a spike through the ear"

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I have no idea what a "piercing needle" is, unless you mean do-it-yourself at home. To which I say, bad idea.

Specialty piercing shops usually use a regular needle instead of a gun. The piercer I saw used a clamp, very much like a small set of tongs with a hole in it, to take hold of the fleshy bit of your choice and the put the needle through. The only real advantage I could imagine here is that you might get more exacting placement of the piercing in the event that you intend to get multiple in and around the same location.


So, zomgwtf, if you intend to get multiple piercings, low gauge jewelry, or stretchers then go to a piercing shop. Otherwise I see no reason why the gun won't work just as well.

 

[rootX]

The word "man" "pierce" and "ear" do not belong in the same sentence unless it is in the sentence "i pierced a mans brain with a spike through the ear"

I just like plain ears whether man/woman.

 

[zomgwtf]

I'm not afraid of actually getting my ears pierced, and I was thinking about doing it myself Greg I was actually going to get my buddy to do it tonight but we were in a pool hall so the opportunity to do it never came up.

What I've been hearing though is about how the piercing gun people don't have really any training and the piercings are crooked. As well you are more prone to infection becaues the gun works by forcing the stud through your ear where as the needle is hollow and cuts through your skin. I am just wondering what would be the better method, I'm just going to go with the piercing gun though as everyones suggesting, I don't see why I should go to a tattoo shop and fork over $50 to put a hole in my ear when Claires does it for free basically (you have to buy some 20$ kit).

 

[zomgwtf]

The word "man" "pierce" and "ear" do not belong in the same sentence unless it is in the sentence "i pierced a mans brain with a spike through the ear"

Lol well, I think they look pretty good on guys (no homo), hopefully I can pull it off but if not it's not exactly hard to take it out.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I'm not afraid of actually getting my ears pierced, and I was thinking about doing it myself Greg I was actually going to get my buddy to do it tonight but we were in a pool hall so the opportunity to do it never came up.

I was joking, go to the mall and get it done in 5min :)

 

[zomgwtf]

I was joking, go to the mall and get it done in 5min :)

Shouldn't you be partying with the rest of the staff??!?

 

[MotoH]

Shouldn't you be partying with the rest of the staff??!?

He is far too worried about your ear piercing dilemma to be partying! As was I, which is why I am at home right now.

 

[zomgwtf]

He is far too worried about your ear piercing dilemma to be partying! As was I, which is why I am at home right now.

Hahahaha well thank goodness it's been resolved. I must admit, while at the pool hall tonight I wasn't myself, this piercing emergency has my mind in other places. We can all go back to our regular lives now though. Until tomorrow when I actually get it done.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Shouldn't you be partying with the rest of the staff??!?

Just finished dinner with the gorgeous MIH, changing into party gear! :!)

 

[zomgwtf]

Just finished dinner with the gorgeous MIH, changing into party gear!

I must say I'm quite jealous :!)

 

[DaveC426913]

Be a man and do it yourself with a needle you find behind some dumpsters.

It doesn't matter. It's a such a brainless 5 second job. Stop thinking and just do it :)

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[MotoH]

Whenever I give bad advice, I think of it as thinning out the gene simmons pool.

 

[Borek]

the needle is hollow and cuts through your skin.

Needle is hollow, but it doesn't matter. Nothing is left inside, after all this is not a different needle than the one used for shots. They just go through skin and don't get clogged.

 

[zomgwtf]

Because the needle is hollow the edges are razor sharp meaning it cuts through your tissue instead of forcing it's self through. That's how the argument goes anyway.

 

[GeorginaS]

Specialty piercing shops usually use a regular needle instead of a gun. The piercer I saw used a clamp, very much like a small set of tongs with a hole in it, to take hold of the fleshy bit of your choice and the put the needle through. The only real advantage I could imagine here is that you might get more exacting placement of the piercing in the event that you intend to get multiple in and around the same location.

Hrm. Spiffy then. I've learned something new. Although I'm not certain I buy the logic for the greater expense for plain old ear piercing. The guns can place the piercing on an exact spot because a) they mark the spot and b) most women pre the advent of all of this high-tech, super I-don't-know-what piercing stuff, got their ears pierced at the mall by someone using a gun and the majority of us don't have poorly or unevenly placed holes in our ears. Just saying. I even have two in my left lobe, both created with a piercing gun and there's no issue about placement in close proximity.

I'm not arguing with you, SA, because I know you were simply giving me information. I'm trying to puzzle it through, because there are a lot of niche industries that tell you you need "professionals" to do stuff for you -- at greater cost -- when it's point-blank not true. For all of the various other body piercing placements, yes, I'd go to specialty spot.

 

[zomgwtf]

. For all of the various other body piercing placements, yes, I'd go to specialty spot.

These were my thoughts exactly. I'm going to the mall today to get it done though, hopefully all goes well

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Hrm. Spiffy then. I've learned something new. Although I'm not certain I buy the logic for the greater expense for plain old ear piercing. The guns can place the piercing on an exact spot because a) they mark the spot and b) most women pre the advent of all of this high-tech, super I-don't-know-what piercing stuff, got their ears pierced at the mall by someone using a gun and the majority of us don't have poorly or unevenly placed holes in our ears. Just saying. I even have two in my left lobe, both created with a piercing gun and there's no issue about placement in close proximity.

I'm not arguing with you, SA, because I know you were simply giving me information. I'm trying to puzzle it through, because there are a lot of niche industries that tell you you need "professionals" to do stuff for you -- at greater cost -- when it's point-blank not true. For all of the various other body piercing placements, yes, I'd go to specialty spot.

No problem. I was only guessing at the advantage. I've never been pierced myself and only listened to those 'professionals' who are interested in acquiring your business. I assume as well that the arguments for better safety and such are at the least exaggerated. If you are right and you can probably get just as precise of piercing with guns then the only other tidbit I have heard that may make a difference is that you are limited in options for the gauge of the jewelry with gun piercing. I believe that the specialty shops have limitations as well but still offer more options on the size of the piercing you can get.

 

[GeorginaS]

Options for size. You mean, say, you want to achieve something like this?

They actually slice the skin away from your ear to create holes like that. The site I found this photo on showed pictures of the surgical-like goings on you need to make that happen. If I were so inclined to do something as, um, extreme as all that, I don't know that I'd let someone in a tattoo shop perform the cutting and stitching on me. It looks like something that really needs a doctor involved.

No, what I'm talking about is straightforward, tiny hole in your earlobe so you can put a regular-sized earring in. That's all I know anything about.

 

[MotoH]

I bet he gets beat up a lot.

 

[GeorginaS]

I wonder how much all of that cost him. And I wonder if he realizes that he's likely going to be 75 years old one day, and I don't think any of that is going to improve with age.

 

[Borek]

His nose looks like a**.

 

[zomgwtf]

So I went to the claires at Square One (a pretty big mall). Asked if they could pierce my ear they said sure no problem. I picked out my earring and stuff and she asked for ID. I was like woah... how old do you have to be for this? She was like 16, I just looked at her as though she was stupid cause I am far from 16 and do not look young at all, if anything I look older. Anyways I show her my health card, which in Ontario is a picture ID and is much, much more secure than even a license and harder to forge. She says they don't accept it... so I asked if they would accept my birth certificate. She says no, only picture ID. So I went on with my list of IDs, credit card, social insurance, school ID, bank cards etc. etc..

She said nope only drivers license, passport, or citizenship card. I replied, so you are telling me that I can use my health card to go to a government run LCBO and buy alchol get drunk, go to a club get more drunk, and end the night off at a strip club but I can't get my ear pierced at a claires? She just looked at me so I said ok true and left.

I think the ID requirment is stupid I mean like for real your piercing your ear... why the hell should it be necessary to have such stringent ID regulations? You should just be able to prove who you are and how old you are... even a school ID can do this. I don't drive and haven't gone to get my drivers license yet, never traveled out of the country so never got a passport, and I was born in Canada so I get a birthcertificate not a citizenship card...

Anyways I ended up going to Walmart and I bought some white gold earrings and I'm just going to do it myself. I'll let you guys know how that goes.

 

[Evo]

So I went to the claires at Square One (a pretty big mall). Asked if they could pierce my ear they said sure no problem. I picked out my earring and stuff and she asked for ID. I was like woah... how old do you have to be for this? She was like 16, I just looked at her as though she was stupid cause I am far from 16 and do not look young at all, if anything I look older. Anyways I show her my health card, which in Ontario is a picture ID and is much, much more secure than even a license and harder to forge. She says they don't accept it... so I asked if they would accept my birth certificate. She says no, only picture ID. So I went on with my list of IDs, credit card, social insurance, school ID, bank cards etc. etc..

She said nope only drivers license, passport, or citizenship card. I replied, so you are telling me that I can use my health card to go to a government run LCBO and buy alchol get drunk, go to a club get more drunk, and end the night off at a strip club but I can't get my ear pierced at a claires? She just looked at me so I said ok true and left.

I think the ID requirment is stupid I mean like for real your piercing your ear... why the hell should it be necessary to have such stringent ID regulations? You should just be able to prove who you are and how old you are... even a school ID can do this. I don't drive and haven't gone to get my drivers license yet, never traveled out of the country so never got a passport, and I was born in Canada so I get a birthcertificate not a citizenship card...

Anyways I ended up going to Walmart and I bought some white gold earrings and I'm just going to do it myself. I'll let you guys know how that goes.

NOOOOO! Do not do it yourself.

You don't have a driver's license?

 

[WhoWee]

I bet he gets beat up a lot.

I was thinking he probably gets caught on things - birds could be a problem too.

 

[zomgwtf]

NOOOOO! Do not do it yourself.

You don't have a driver's license?

Well I asked my aunt if she could do it for me but she said she would just take me tomorrow. And I don't have my drivers license, I never really felt the need to go and get one. I live in a pretty big Canadian city and can get anywhere I need to go or want to go quickly by public transit.

 

[DaveC426913]

I live in a pretty big Canadian city

Pah. It is a burb and always will be.

and can get anywhere I need to go or want to go quickly by public transit.

And it is a burb without proper public transport. Which is why the strip mall wastelands it calls roads are clogged with cars.

And don't even get me started on its [strike]Auschwitz[/strike] http://www.videobabylon.ca/wedding-location-images/miss_city_hall.jpg" . You guys will never live that down.

Can you tell I don't like it?

 

[zomgwtf]

And it is a burb without proper public transport. Which is why the strip mall wastelands it calls roads are clogged with cars.

And don't even get me started on its [strike]Auschwitz[/strike] http://www.videobabylon.ca/wedding-location-images/miss_city_hall.jpg" . You guys will never live that down.

Can you tell I don't like it?

Hmm your from Etobicoke right?? Hahaha everyone around Mississauga hates the city... just jealous . I do agree though that city hall is ugly. Our transit system is a lot better than the neighbouring city public transit. Try going to oakville, they've fixed it up recently but it was just horrible before. The TTC is good but I find it soooo confusing.

 

[GeorginaS]

This seems far more complicated than it needs to be. Will your aunt just vouch for you then? Because minors can get their ears pierced at someplace like Claire's as long as a growed-up signs for them.

 

[GeorginaS]

I was thinking he probably gets caught on things - birds could be a problem too.

 

[zomgwtf]

This seems far more complicated than it needs to be. Will your aunt just vouch for you then? Because minors can get their ears pierced at someplace like Claire's as long as a growed-up signs for them.

Yeah I think she can just say she is my mother or something to that effect. I'm more than old enough to get my ear pierced (they say the age is 16)... lol I am 21.

 

[DaveC426913]

Yeah I think she can just say she is my mother or something to that effect.

'samatter? Your actual mother won't vouch for you getting a hole put in your head?

 

[Moonbear]

This seems bizarre that you're having such difficulty just getting an ear pierced.

As for the gun things...they don't punch a "dull" earring through your ear. At least, way back when I had mine done, you got a pair of earrings with a point on the back...the ones you bought for piercing were different than regular earrings because they did need to be pointy and sterile. I had mine done in a jewelry store.

I've let the holes close since then, but I think the gun thing is probably the best...that way the hole is punched and earrings inserted all in one fell swoop. It sounds potentially more painful to poke the hole and then push an earring into it. No reason to think a needle would wind up straighter than a gun either.

Though, I'm pretty sure they won't let you get certain body parts pierced in the middle of the mall...those are going to require a specialty shop no matter how you want the piercing done.

 

[GeorginaS]

Right, the gun inserted earring has a sharp point and the post is thicker than regular earring posts are, so it creates a slightly larger hole than you'd need for an earring to go in comfortably. And yes, the hole-with-earring inserted all in one go is way better than poke-hole-try-to-insert-earring method, I think.

I do understand that they have regulations and need ID. If you look young, I can see them being leery, but if OHIP has picture ID, I don't know why she wouldn't take it. When you live in a big urban centre, it's not unusual not to have a driver's license. When I lived in downtown Ottawa, I let my license expire because I didn't ever drive. I could walk just about anywhere I wanted to go or take a bus or ride my bike. Ottawa is super pedestrian friendly when you live downtown, but I can easily see a lot of people not having a license on hand. I doubt I'd have one if I lived in TO either.

Funny that yours closed, Calluna. I didn't wear earrings for years because rather suddenly, all of the earrings I had made my ears hurt like mad and they got infected constantly. (Which I thought was really weird given that I had mine pierced when I was, I think, 13 or so. They should have been properly healed inside by now, one would think.) So I stopped wearing them and the holes didn't close over. Very recently, on a whim, I purchased a pair of nickel-free costume jewelry earrings. Lo and behold. They don't hurt my ears. I can wear earrings again! As long as they are nickel free. I have some lovely emerald earrings in gold settings that I need to get put into new settings now, because I'd like to be able to wear them again. Do you suppose anyone makes nickel-free gold?

I'm curious to know how this all finally turned out, zomgwtf.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I've let the holes close since then, but I think the gun thing is probably the best...that way the hole is punched and earrings inserted all in one fell swoop. It sounds potentially more painful to poke the hole and then push an earring into it.

I believe that they normally use a hollow needle and put the jewelry into the hollow point before removing the needle leaving the jewelry behind in the piercing.

 

[zomgwtf]

I'm curious to know how this all finally turned out, zomgwtf.

I ended up going to a salon, my aunt knew this place so that's where she drove me. I don't think I look young at all hahaha definitely not 16. It ended up being a lot cheaper than what it would have cost for me to get it done at the Claires I had gone to originally.

All I had to pay for at the salon was the earring which was only 12$ (it's palladium which is kinda like platinum). At Claires I would have had to pay for the earring plus a 'starter kit' so altogether it was going to cost around 30$. Although I still have the earrings I bought from walmart, they are white gold with cubic zirconia. After about 4 weeks I'm going to take this one out and put one of those in instead. This one is only a ball stud, but you have to keep it into reduce risk of infection and to allow it to heal properly.

As for your question about gold earrings without nickel. After getting this palladium earring I looked more into it as I had never heard about it before, it turns out that they use it for white gold... I'm not sure if there's any nickel involved. If you just got the palladium though it looks pretty much exactly like white gold, maybe a little bit whiter but that's it. A lot cheaper. If you want yellow gold then I'm not sure

 

[zomgwtf]

I believe that they normally use a hollow needle and put the jewelry into the hollow point before removing the needle leaving the jewelry behind in the piercing.

Yeah that's pretty much what they do. They say it's better because it causes less trauma to the tissue since it's slicing the tissue instead of forcing an object through it.

You can test this out yourself actually, if you take piercing earrings (the sharp ones) and try to push it through say a rubber glove it takes A LOT of pressure before it pops through. If you take a piercing needle it takes minimal effort and it slices right through the glove. It also makes a slit instead of pushing a hole. All of this reduces the risk of infection and irritation to the tissue which speed up healing time.

Not worth it in my opinion for an ear lobe piercing. In fact I was just going to do it myself with a sewing needle but my aunt said she wouldn't do it (I found it was awkward to bring my arms up in the mirror with it going in ok since I can't see the back of my earlobe lol) My friends would have done it but my aunt suggested I went to the salon, which I ended up doing. For other piercings though I think using the needles is the best way to go. For instance using a gun on your cartiledge will shatter your cartiledge in your ear.

This one actually still kind of hurts after 3 days still. The first day it didn't hurt at all but every now and then it gets this stinging tingly sensation. (Like right now)

 

[Kajahtava]

Earrings and piercings freak me out, for some reason I have a huge phobia of needles and stuff going into others while I'm fine with them going into myself.

 

[mcknia07]

I've still been wanting to get my belly button pierced... after all these years(4), I have still never done it. Any thoughts on that one?

 

[union68]

I think I was 15 or 16 when I got my ear pierced. I put lower gauge stuff (it's backwards, right? Lower gauge = thicker?) into my ears too soon after the piercing and the puss and stuff couldn't seep out. Oops. Removed the jewelry and everything healed right up. I got it done with a piercing needle. The piercing itself wasn't bad at all. They stick the ring in the opposite end and pull the needle right through along with the ring.

I turned 18 and got into tattoos. I have quite a few of them now.

 

[DaveC426913]

I've still been wanting to get my belly button pierced... after all these years(4), I have still never done it. Any thoughts on that one?

Yes. I will put it in for you. When is a good time to come by?

 

[GeorginaS]

Yes. I will put it in for you. When is a good time to come by?

Wow are you ever a helpful sort.

 

[DaveC426913]

Wow are you ever a helpful sort.

I swear she doesn't mean a thing to me. Your clean-shaven legs are my one and all.

 

[Evo]

I had my ears pierced by my doctor, which basically put a string through them, then the gold earrings were inserted. Guess what? I'm allergic to gold, but only when it's in direct contact with my blood. My earlobes almost fell off. This was back before the days when they switched to surgical steel due to allergies. My mother had to have my aunt go to Cairo, Egypt from Paris, France and buy me pure silver earings. Not a big deal, they often went to Egypt, it's like a hop, skip and a jump from Paris. That fixed the problem.

 

[MotoH]

Allergic to gold? Sucks hard!

I'm allergic to kryptonite so I kinda know how it feels. . .