Where to get my ears pierced?

Jun 3, 2014

Sandra L.

Not sure where to get my ears pierced , any suggestion please.

Jun 3, 2014

Cheez H.

I got mine pierced at Claire's when I was 6.5 lol.

Jun 3, 2014

Frannie B.

Piercing pagoda.. They usually have kiosks in some malls.

Jun 3, 2014

Sandra L.

Shop 😀

Jun 3, 2014

Kaitlin M.

Piercing pagoda for lobe piercings, and a piercing parlor for cartilage piercings. I got both my holes done at piercing pagoda, and I haven't had one problem. I'm going back soon (hopefully) for my thirds

Jun 3, 2014

Traci P.

Don't go to places like Claire's or the Piercing Pagoda, they are not trained professionals and use a gun to pierce instead of a hollow needle. You should go to a tattoo/piercing shop where the people have training and are more sanitary as well. The chick who pierced my ears at Claire's did a horrible job when I was young. They are very uneven and one is at a different angle than the other. I have lots of friends who have also regretted going to cheap places at the mall, it's not worth it to save a few bucks, trust me, go to a pro piercer and you will be so much happier!

Jun 3, 2014

Traci P.

I wouldn't either Renay! Last friend I went with to the piercing pagoda I had to talk out of getting her piercing there when the lady obviously did not care about sanitizing the area first, washing her hands or even wearing gloves!

Jun 3, 2014

Kaitlin M.

Personally, I don't see what makes a "professional" piercer better than a person at a kiosk. Both people draw dots on your skin, and both can make the mistake of it being uneven. That's why I always have my mom or someone check to make sure they are even. Just saying though. I'm a huge baby and I hate pain, but I actually enjoy getting my piercings. The needle is worse too, first you have to take the pain of the insertion, and then they have to put in the earring. Double the pain.

Jun 3, 2014

Faith J.

I have a double on my ears and they were both done at Merle Norman and they look really good and even and I haven't had any problems

Jun 3, 2014

Traci P.

A professionally licensed piercer who takes pride in doing things the right way would not even allow a piercing gun in their shop. I live in Portland, Oregon and have many friends who are licensed and absolutely despise those things!

Jun 3, 2014

Kaitlin M.

But Traci, I agree with you about that being wrong. Gloves should always be worn, and I always make sure they clean the studs with alcohol.

Jun 3, 2014

Kaitlin M.

My boyfriend lives in Portland! Haha but yes, I understand where you're coming from. I wouldn't go there for a cartilage or any other piercing, but a quick piece into the lobe is nothing. After care of a piercing is the most important part anyway :)

Jun 3, 2014

Traci P.

Have you ever seen someone pull the piercing gin from the autoclave? Probably not since claires & piercing pagoda don't even own an autoclave. (The autoclave is the machine that sterilizes everything)

Jun 3, 2014

Kaitlin M.

I'm pretty sure they dispose of their guns. And the gun doesn't touch your ear anyway. I got my ears pierced when I was younger and the gun got stuck on my ear. I was terrified for piercings and the earrings fell a few days later. But that didn't stop me from going back years later to get re-pierced

Jun 3, 2014

Cheyenne G.

Do notttttt go to claires! I prefer piercing pagoda way more and I had no problems with my piercing from them.

Jun 3, 2014

Jennifer G.

I say go to your local piercer! A lot of the time they are the best bet in my opinion.

Jun 3, 2014

Jennifer G.

And I work at a piercing place and as Traci said, they should use a hollow needle. And everyone at my work despises the gun too.

Jun 3, 2014

Kayli D.

I got my first ones done at Claire's

Jun 3, 2014

Zoey A.

I go to a local tattoo shop, and get all my piercings done by the extremely reputable Jesse H. You just have to do some research in your area!!

Jun 3, 2014

Viviana F.

Claires

Jun 3, 2014

Shaye M.

I just want to say, Claire is absolutely correct by saying guns aren't sanitary or good for piercings. The reason for it is because they're actually piercing you with blunt jewellery, not creating a clean hole which will leave the piercing more prone to infection and make the healing process longer. Like she said, any reputable piercer isn't going to use a gun and believe it or not, piercers are trained differently depending on where you go. For example, you can get cheek piercings at a piercing parlour but can't get them in a mall. That's because they have different qualifications.

Jun 3, 2014

Maggie M.

I got my ears pierced at a place called Koi. They are a piercing parlor and I think they are pretty good.

Jun 3, 2014

Skyler P.

Do it at a tattoo place. if you go to a tattoo shop you won't be left with a big bump under your ear because they use needles instead of a gun.

Jun 3, 2014

Emily W.

Kaitlin, they reuse the guns after wiping them with alcohol. This isn't sanitary, as piercing with blunt force causes blood, plasma, and epithelial cells to become lodged in the gun. Piercing guns cannot be fully sanitized because they cannot be placed in an autoclave. Every time they pierce someone, they put them at risk of bacterial, viral, or fungal infection.

Piercing with a gun, besides being unsanitary, causes unnecessary trauma to the piercing. It can cause the cartilage to collapse (particularly in upper ear piercings), and can form scar tissue (a hard knot inside the piercing). The wound, on a microscopic level, is jagged and takes much longer to heal properly, and is at higher risk of infection or migration.

Always see a licensed piercer in a reputable parlor. Make sure they use a hollow point needle and that they sanitize everything in an autoclave. They should wear gloves as well. They will give you detailed instructions for aftercare (not just a bottle of antibacterial solution like Claire's). The piercing will heal easier, faster, and with significantly less risk of infection or scarring (as long as you take care of it). Plus, if anything does go wrong or you have questions you can go back to the piercer for advice.