I did it!!!

[Blue]

This morning I finally got my ears pierced! I'm almost 18 and I've never had them pierced before! I was TERRIFIED! I hate needles and pain and the thought of infections and sickness so I've just never gotten them done. But it didn't hurt at ALL. Got it done at Claire's. And I'm such a germaphobe and clean freak that I'm not really worried about them getting infected. :) Can't wait to finally be able to wear horsey earrings soon!!! I think it was outriding and I that have always said that we've never gotten our ears pierced and never really wanted to. So I just had to share! ;)

[Fjords <3]

Awesome! I got mine done when I was 12, because my parents wouldn't let me do it before. I got mine done at Claire's as well, I think they do a pretty good job. I've heard bad reports from them about getting the holes uneven, but that's the worst. Congrats on getting them pierced!

[allie0]

Hehe I got mine done when I was 5, and now they're all closed over :innocent: My bad!

Thats great, Claires are really good for getting your ears pierced :D

[Pinky]

Congrats! :). I had my lobes done at Claires when I didn't know better and now have them streched, but can't go past 6mm due to scar tissue.

Thats great, Claires are really good for getting your ears piercedVOID! Claires are really bad - the gun they use cannot be sterilised properly due to having plastic parts that will melt in an autoclave. From each customer, there is a fine 'microspray' from your ear that goes back onto the gun that can only be removed in an autoclave - gross!

Also, having earrings shot through your ears at high velocity is very damaging and tears the tissue, rather than creating a smooth channel for the jewellery to sit in as a needle would do. Sorry to have to tell you this, but Claires is one of the worst places to go to - you would have been better off going to a proper piercing shop.

Also, the aftercare 'lotion' they give you contains alcohol and tea tree oil, as well as benzalkonium chloride - all of which will damage the piercings. Use rock salt dissolved in boiled water to soak the piercings. DON'T turn the studs as it will tear the fistula, increasing healing times and causing more irritation.

Sorry for the novel and sounding harsh, but I hate the false information that Claires gives out - there are some really horrific things that have happened to gunned ears, I wouldn't reccomend going looking unless you have a stomach of steel though ;).

[peace_baby]

That's cool. Congrats! My mom took me to get mine done when I was a year and half old.

[dame_wolf]

Cool!

[Blue]

Pinky - So...don't use the stuff they gave me? Could I use Hydrogen Peroxide?

[Pinky]

So...don't use the stuff they gave me? Could I use Hydrogen Peroxide?Don't use the stuff they gave you.
Don't use Hydrogen Peroxide - that stuff can deafen you if it gets into the ear canal and is far too harsh. If Peroxide can lighten hair to the extent it does, imagine what it does to a newly created wound that you want to form into a healing fistula.

Read this: [Link] (http://www.compunction.org/healing2.txt) for healing advice and methods :)
And if you really want, [Link] (http://www.compunction.org/guns.txt), about why needles are better than guns.

Still, congrats on getting them done! When I had mine gunned the gun jammed with the stud halfway through my ear and the girl at Claires pushed it the rest of the way through o.O

[Blue]

Don't use the stuff they gave you.
Don't use Hydrogen Peroxide - that stuff can deafen you if it gets into the ear canal and is far too harsh. If Peroxide can lighten hair to the extent it does, imagine what it does to a newly created wound that you want to form into a healing fistula.

Read this: [Link] (http://www.compunction.org/healing2.txt) for healing advice and methods :)
And if you really want, [Link] (http://www.compunction.org/guns.txt), about why needles are better than guns.

Still, congrats on getting them done! When I had mine gunned the gun jammed with the stud halfway through my ear and the girl at Claires pushed it the rest of the way through o.O

Wow. Nice. So I really don't even have to use anything? And I can shower regular and everything? See, I took a shower about an hour ago and was super careful not to get shampoo on my ears.

What did you use for yours? The dissolved rock salt? How long do you soak it? Then do you rinse it? And blot it dry? Haha. Sorry for all the questions.

[lacyloo]

I had mine done when I was a few weeks old LOL
I really want to have my belly button done but I'm nervous. :eek:

[Petra]

Congrats! :)
I got mine pierced when I was 4. My father did it with a needle.
When I was older I got allergic to metal, my ears got sore and the holes completely closed after I stopped wearing earings. I couldn't even tell where I had them pierced before.
I pierced them again when I was 20 with a needle. Lol I sterilized it in a fire from a lighter. Wiped my ears with alcohol put gold earings in after I pulled the needle out and left it heal. I didn't use anything for my ears after that, just didn't mess with them until they healed. I never got any infection; they healed pretty fast.

[peace_baby]

I had mine done when I was a few weeks old LOL
I really want to have my belly button done but I'm nervous. :eek:

It's really not that bad. Just remember NOT to let anyone practice on you. The girl that did mine didn't know squat about what she was doing and I didn't know until she started freaking out.. She got about halfway through and her supervisor had to finish it (take the needle out and pierce again). That wasn't fun at all. But I can say, I don't regret getting it done. It doesn't hurt anymore and I've got more jewelry for it than I do anything else. :innocent:

[Pinky]

Wow. Nice. So I really don't even have to use anything? And I can shower regular and everything? See, I took a shower about an hour ago and was super careful not to get shampoo on my ears.

What did you use for yours? The dissolved rock salt? How long do you soak it? Then do you rinse it? And blot it dry? Haha. Sorry for all the questions.
You don't have to do anything at all :). The shampoo won't really do anything to your ears unless you're using tea-tree shampoo, which will irritate them.

For all of my piercings, I've used the salt solution. Any salt will do as long as it isn't too strong - use a small amount of salt in a mug of boiling water. When you taste it (don't drink it ;)), the solution should taste no more salty than tears. I normally make the solution in a mug, then put it in a shot glass and hold that to the area to soak it (something that was quite difficult with my septum piercing xD).
You can soak it for as long as you like, about 2-5 minutes is the reccomended time.
After a soak, rinse off the salt solution with plain water so it doesn't dry out your skin :).

Tbh, I only actually do that for the first 2 weeks before I get bored and leave my body to heal itself. I've not had any problems doing this :).

Questions are good! You've been misinformed and are correcting that :D.

[outriding01]

Way to go! Yup, I still don't have my ears pierced and I'm almost 22. To be completely honest, I'm pretty tight with my money and I just can't justify paying someone to stick me with a needle when, as a diabetic, I get to do that fun job all on my own 4-8 times a day. I have a very, very high tolerance for pain, so that doen't bother me. I've contemplated just taking a needle I haven't used yet and doing it myself, but I'm pretty sure they would end up crooked and I don't trust anyone else in my family to do it (not that they would, they're all pretty squeamish...)

[Petra]

Way to go! Yup, I still don't have my ears pierced and I'm almost 22. To be completely honest, I'm pretty tight with my money and I just can't justify paying someone to stick me with a needle when, as a diabetic, I get to do that fun job all on my own 4-8 times a day. I have a very, very high tolerance for pain, so that doen't bother me. I've contemplated just taking a needle I haven't used yet and doing it myself, but I'm pretty sure they would end up crooked and I don't trust anyone else in my family to do it (not that they would, they're all pretty squeamish...)

You don't need a high tolerance for pain to do this. It doesn't hurt. I did it with a regular sewing needle. I felt pressure, not pain. Breaking the very last piece of skin didn't go very easy, I had to push hard, but it still didn't hurt. I picked a needle as thick as my earings so they are not hard to put in. And I left the needle in for few minutes before I took it out. I think you'd be perfectly fine doing it yourself.

[Horseaholic]

Good conversation going on here.

Petra it really is not safe to do these types of things unless it is a sterile hollow needle and you know what you're doing. Putting a needle in a lighter does not sterilize it. When sterilizing with heat it has to reach a specific temp and has to maintain that temperature for a specific amount of time (also pressure is usually a large factor as well - ie: autoclave). Not to mention direct flame dulls the needle and compromises it's structure (and not to mention how the product you're burning,lighter fluid, is not clean either). Piercing needles should always be hollow to remove the skin they are penetrating rather than push it to the side.

Edited for clarification. Also to say I hope you don't think I'm being mean. I just don't want people to see this thread and think it's safe to pierce themselves with sewing needles that they charred in a lighters flame.

[Pinky]

+1 to Horseaholic's post.

If you really want to self pierce, autoclaved clamps, needles, jewellery (ie. barbells or labret studs - not butterfly backed earrings) and gloves are available for as little as $10 on eBay.

I'd also reccomend cannula needles (ones with a sheath) over blade needles (without a sheath) as I've found that the blade needles tend to snag and make the piercing site swell more. (Based off an experiment with piercing my conch).

Edit: I thought I should add that I don't condone self-piercing without extensive research and a basic understanding of anatomy of the area you are piercing. Lobes are pretty safe to self-pierce as there aren't any major nerves/blood vessels in the fleshy part and you can get away without using proper equipment (still a bad idea though). Cartilage, however, is full of veins and nerves and, if severly damaged, the cartilage can collapse. So yeah ;). Research is the key. And autoclaved equipment. And implant grade titanium/biocompatible material for initial jewellery.

[Yoshi]

"then put it in a shot glass and hold that to the area to soak it"

haha that's what I did when I got my nipples done, it was an interesting experience. I also kinda let them go on their own after a couple months and they're fine. Guns=bad for the most part, but I got mine done when I was a baby and I know a lot of other people that also had them done that way. If I had a choice I'd go to my piercer any day, he's amazing! And he also gives out the salt to make a gallon of the solution for free so that's nice too.

[Blue]

So...just an update. :( I had to take them out about 20 minutes ago. I was really upset because I really really wanted them pierced, but, oh well. My mom can't wear earrings and apparently neither can I. I started getting knots in my ears, which is why my mom can't wear them either. :( Oh well, atleast I tried!

[AUEquine]

What kind of earings did they put in your ears? I got mine done at Claires back in 5th grade, and didn't have any issues. But since I have had issues with alot of different types of earings. I can't wear anything that isn't 100% sterling silver or real gold. I can't do anything gold or silver plated. I think I can remember back and remember my mom having to purchase special earings from Claires for me, not just their standard ones.
I'm kinda with Pinky on the whole Claire's thing, don't think they're very trustworthy. But I don't think taking your kids to a piercing parlor is a good idea either. There used to be a few of the high end jewelry stores back home that would do a good job, but most of them have quit offering that service. All their stuff was one time uses. They ordered stuff from a company and it came presterilized in individual packages.

Well good luck to you! I'll keep my eye's peeled for any cute horsie clip ons for you!

[luv2show]

Yayyy!! Haha, pictures once you get pretty ones in ;)

I just got my 2nd hole done about 2 months ago. I want to get 3 in each ear but I don't want it to look goddy or anything so I might just stick with the two. & of course I have my belly button pierced. That hurt like a ***** but I loveeeee it!

[Blue]

AUE, that's what I thought, maybe I was allergic, because they actually itch a lot right now. But maybe that's just because I took them out.

They put in 14kt gold, they were pretty cheap. $26 for the earring kit I think.

[AUEquine]

AUE, that's what I thought, maybe I was allergic, because they actually itch a lot right now. But maybe that's just because I took them out.

They put in 14kt gold, they were pretty cheap. $26 for the earring kit I think.

Might have just been gold plaited. I've worn gold plaited before, and they are find just for a night out or something. But my mom gave me a pair of Cubic Zirconium set in 14K Gold plaited for me to wear all the time (I'm weird and always like to have earings in). And they were great.... for about a week. Apparently a week is how long it took for my ears to wear down the gold plaiting to whatever metal is underneith. When I took them out they were obviously tarnished and dingy looking. And my ears itched like heck. They didn't hurt to touch like if they were infected, but they itched and the hole was very hard.

[Pinky]

I started getting knots in my ears.
I'm with AUE, it does sound like you're allergic. If you'd gone to a good parlour, they would have used implant grade titanium (the stuff that is used to stablise broken bones, occasionally) that has no nickel and cannot cause an allergic reaction. It's probably the nickel you're allergic to - it's a very common allergy.

If you still really want them done, look for a parlour in Georgia here (http://411.bmezine.com/). They'll have reviews and such so you can make sure that they're good at what they do :). They won't have to pierce them again - they'll just open it up with a taper and put some good quality jewellery in :D.

(Stainless steel and adonised jewellery may also contain nickel - you'll have to check closely to make sure that any jewellery you buy in future won't cause an allergic reaction.)

[Blue]

Might have just been gold plaited. I've worn gold plaited before, and they are find just for a night out or something. But my mom gave me a pair of Cubic Zirconium set in 14K Gold plaited for me to wear all the time (I'm weird and always like to have earings in). And they were great.... for about a week. Apparently a week is how long it took for my ears to wear down the gold plaiting to whatever metal is underneith. When I took them out they were obviously tarnished and dingy looking. And my ears itched like heck. They didn't hurt to touch like if they were infected, but they itched and the hole was very hard.
That's EXACTLY what mine is like.

Pinky, I think I'll go to Pain and Wonder this summer, where my friend got her tattoo, I looked online and they have good reviews. I've heard a lot of good stuff about them. Unfortunately I just don't have time to go now. :( Might ice tomorrow and mom's got work. But I'll try one more time and be sure to get the implant grade titanium. :)

What do they use in parlors and how do they go about piercing your ear? The ear gun at Claire's didn't hurt much, will it hurt more or less?

[jeezitsjacki]

aww sorry you had to take them out. :(I just got my 3rd set of holes on my lobes done today, it was a x mas present from my parents. Now I have third holes and my cartilage.. no more for me though, ears are wear I have to draw the line :)

[Pinky]

What do they use in parlors and how do they go about piercing your ear? The ear gun at Claire's didn't hurt much, will it hurt more or less?
The piercer will either use a blade needle or a cannula needle. A blade needle is just metal and the jewellery follows it, a cannula needle has a plastic 'sheath' that stays in your ear until the jewellery is in :). Personally, I prefer cannula needles as I find that blades tend to snag.

They may use clamps, or they may do it freehand. If they use clamps, they'll put them on your ear lobe and pierce through the gap in the clamps. If freehand, they'll just push it through.

You'll be surprised at how little it hurts actually - you shouldn't feel any pain, just a bit of pressure and that's it. And your ears won't throb afterwards because they haven't been shot ;).

Good luck!

[Blue]

The piercer will either use a blade needle or a cannula needle. A blade needle is just metal and the jewellery follows it, a cannula needle has a plastic 'sheath' that stays in your ear until the jewellery is in :). Personally, I prefer cannula needles as I find that blades tend to snag.

They may use clamps, or they may do it freehand. If they use clamps, they'll put them on your ear lobe and pierce through the gap in the clamps. If freehand, they'll just push it through.

You'll be surprised at how little it hurts actually - you shouldn't feel any pain, just a bit of pressure and that's it. And your ears won't throb afterwards because they haven't been shot ;).

Good luck!
Thanks!

That sounds a lot better than a piercing gun. Haha. :) My ears were so bright red after they did mine at Claire's!

[Pinky]

I remember when I had mine done at Claires (I was 8..or 10) - they were so painful and the gun moved when the girl did them so the placement was way off - I'm facing a situation where I'll have to get my lobes scalpelled to correct placement if I want to stretch further :/.
When I had my seconds pierced with a needle I was like...'is that it'? You'll find healing much easier too because you won't be allergic to the jewellery :).