Second ear piercing?

Question

I got my first piercings done by my doctor, but she refuses to do my second piercing right above? Everybody who gets it done from Claires gets infected! Where should I get the second whole done?

Answer 1

Good job avoiding Claire's. You COULD be okay to get one from there, but you'll be lucky. It is irresponsible and ridiculous that they are allowed to even pierce people. Here's why i am against Claire's use of gun, this is cited from the links below..
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"It is the position of the Association of Professional Piercers that only sterile disposable equipment is suitable for body piercing, and that only materials which are certified as safe for internal implant should be placed in inside a fresh or unhealed piercing. We consider unsafe any procedure that places vulnerable tissue in contact with either non-sterile equipment or jewelry that is not considered medically safe for long-term internal wear. Such procedures place the health of recipients at an unacceptable risk. For this reason, the APP must strongly recommend that reusable ear piercing guns not be used for any type of piercing procedure.
While piercing guns may seem to be a quick, easy and convenient way of creating holes, they have major drawbacks in terms of sterility, tissue damage and inappropriate jewelry design. These concerns are addressed below.

Reusable ear piercing guns can put clients in direct contact with the blood and body fluids of previous clients.

Although they can become contaminated with bloodborne pathogens dozens of times in one day, ear piercing guns are often not sanitized in a medically recognized way. Plastic ear piercing guns cannot be autoclave sterilized and may not be sufficiently cleaned between use on multiple clients. Even if the antiseptic wipes used were able to kill all pathogens on contact, simply wiping the external surfaces of the gun with isopropyl alcohol or other antiseptics does not kill pathogens within the working parts of the gun. Blood from one client can aerosolize, becoming airborne in microscopic particles, and contaminate the inside of the gun. The next client’s tissue and jewelry may come into contact with these contaminated surfaces. There is thus a possibility of transmitting bloodborne disease-causing microorganisms through such ear piercing, as many medical studies report.

As is now well known, the Hepatitis virus can live for extended periods of time on inanimate surfaces, and could be harbored within a piercing gun for several weeks or more. Hepatitis and common staph infections, which could be found on such surfaces, constitute a serious public health threat if they are introduced into even one reusable piercing gun. Considering the dozens of clients whose initial piercings may have direct contact with a single gun in one day, this is a cause for serious concern. Babies, young children, and others with immature or compromised immune systems may be at higher risk for contracting such infection.
Additionally, it is not documented how often piercing guns malfunction. Some operators report that the earring adapter that holds the jewelry will often not release the earring, requiring its removal with pliers. These pliers, which contact contaminated jewelry immediately after it has passed through the client’s tissue, may be reused on multiple customers without full sterilization. Few, if any, gun piercing establishments possess the expensive sterilization equipment (steam autoclave or chemclave) necessary for such a procedure.

Piercing guns can cause significant tissue damage.

Though slightly pointy in appearance, most ear piercing studs are quite dull. Piercings must therefore be accomplished by using excessive pressure over a larger surface area in order to force the metal shaft through the skin. The effect on the body is more like a crush injury than a piercing and causes similar tissue damage. Medically, this is referred to as “blunt force trauma.” At the least, it can result in significant pain and swelling for the client, at the most in scarring and potentially increased incidence of auricular chondritis, a severe tissue disfigurement
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Occasionally the intense pressure and speed of the gun’s spring-loaded mechanism is not sufficient to force the blunt jewelry through the flesh. In these cases, the earring stud may become lodged part way through the client’s ear. The gun operator, who may not be trained to deal with this possibility, has two options. S/he can remove the jewelry and repierce the ear, risking contamination of the gun and surrounding environment by blood flow from the original wound. Alternately, the operator can attempt to manually force the stud through the client’s flesh, causing excessive trauma to the client and risking a needlestick-type injury for the operator. How often such gun malfunction occurs has not been documented by manufacturers, but some gun operators report that it is frequent.

When used on structural tissue such as cartilage, more serious complications such as auricular chondritis, shattered cartilage and excessive scarring are common. Gun piercings can result in the separation of subcutaneous fascia from cartilage tissue, creating spaces in which fluids collect. This can lead to both temporary swelling and permanent lumps of tissue at or near the piercing site. These range from mildly annoying to grossly disfiguring, and some require surgery to correct. Incidence can be minimized by having the piercing performed with a sharp surgical needle, which slides smoothly through the tissue and causes less tissue separation. A trained piercer will also use a post-piercing pressure technique that minimizes hypertrophic scar formation.
Cartilage has less blood flow than lobe tissue and a correspondingly longer healing time. Therefore infections in this area are much more common and can be much more destructive. The use of non-sterile piercing equipment and insufficient aftercare has been associated with increased incidence of auricular chondritis, a severe and disfiguring infection in cartilage tissue. This can result in deformity and collapse of structural ear tissue, requiring antibiotic therapy and extensive reconstructive surgery to correct. Again, medical literature has documented many such cases and is available on request.

The length and design of gun studs is inappropriate for healing piercings.

Ear piercing studs are too short for some earlobes and most cartilage. Initially, the pressure of the gun’s mechanism is sufficient to force the pieces to lock over the tissue. However, once they are locked on, the compressed tissue cannot return to its normal state, is constricted and further irritated. At the least, the diminished air and blood circulation in the compressed tissue can lead to prolonged healing, minor complications and scarring. More disturbingly, the pressure of such tight jewelry can result in additional swelling and impaction. Both piercers and medical personnel have seen stud gun jewelry completely embedded in ear lobes and cartilage (as well as navels, nostrils and lips), even when pierced "properly" with a gun. This may require the jewelry to be cut out surgically, particularly in cases where one or both sides of the gun stud have disappeared completely beneath the surface of the skin. Such consequences are minimal when jewelry is custom fit to the client, allows sufficient room for swelling, and is installed with a needle piercing technique which creates less trauma and swelling.

Jewelry that fits too closely also increases the risk of infection because it does not allow for thorough cleaning. During normal healing, body fluids containing cellular discharge and other products of the healing process are excreted from the piercing. But with inappropriate jewelry, they can become trapped around the hole. The fluid coagulates, becoming sticky and trapping bacteria against the skin. Unless thoroughly and frequently removed, this becomes an invitation to secondary infection. The design of the “butterfly” clasp of most gun studs can exacerbate this problem. Again, these consequences can be avoided with implant-grade jewelry that is designed for ease of cleaning and long-term wear.

A further note on ear piercing studs:

Most ear piercing studs are not made of materials certified by the FDA or ASTM as safe for long term implant in the human body. Even when coated in non-toxic gold plating, materials from underlying alloys can leach into human tissue through corrosion, scratches and surface defects, causing cytotoxicity and allergic reaction. Since manufacturing a durable corrosion- and defect-free coating for such studs is extremely difficult, medical literature considers only implant grade (ASTM F-138) steel and titanium to be appropriate for piercing stud composition. Studs made of any other materials, including non-implant grade steel (steel not batch certified as ASTM F-138), should not be used, regardless of the presence of surface plating.

Misuse of ear piercing guns is extremely common.

Even though many manufacturers’ instructions and local regulations prohibit it, some gun piercers do not stop at piercing only the lobes, and may pierce ear cartilage, nostrils, navels, eyebrows, tongues and other body parts with the ear stud guns. This is absolutely inappropriate and very dangerous.

Although gun piercing establishments usually train their operators, this training is not standardized and may amount to merely viewing a video, reading an instruction booklet, and/or practicing on cosmetic sponges or other employees. Allegations have been made that some establishments do not inform their employees of the serious risks involved in both performing and receiving gun piercings, and do not instruct staff on how to deal with situations such as client medical complications or gun malfunction. Indeed, surveys conducted in jewelry stores, beauty parlors and mall kiosks in England and the US revealed that many employees had little knowledge of risks or risk management related to their procedure.

Considering that a large proportion of gun piercers’ clientele are minors or young adults, it is not surprising that few gun piercing complications are reported to medical personnel. Many clients may have been pierced without the knowledge or consent of parents or guardians who provide healthcare access. Therefore, the majority of the infections, scarring and minor complications may go unreported and untreated. Furthermore, because of the ease of acquiring a gun piercing and the lack of awareness of risk, many consumers fail to associate their negative experiences with the stud gun itself. They believe that, since it is quicker and easier to acquire a gun piercing than a manicure, gun piercing must be inherently risk-free. Often it is only when complications prove so severe as to require immediate medical attention that the connection is made and gun stud complications get reported to medical personnel.

Despite these pronounced risks associated with gun piercing, most areas allow gun piercers to operate without supervision. Recent legislation has begun to prohibit the use of guns on ear cartilage and other non-lobe locations, and the state of New Hampshire has made all non-sterile equipment illegal, but these changes are not yet nationwide. It is our hope that, with accurate and adequate information, consumers and the legislatures will understand and reject the risks of gun piercing in the interests of the public health. "
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Go to a highly trained professional piercer in a clean shop. A look at the Autoclave, spore tests, portfolio, clean area, certificates and liscences are a must to see before you get anything done the first time...

Read these: Educate yourself...this is what you need to know..
From the Association of Professional Piercers..
*http://safepiercing.org/rights.html
*http://safepiercing.org/FAQ.html
*http://safepiercing.org/healthConsiderations.html
* LOOK AT THIS, http://safepiercing.org/choosePiercer.html

Answer 2

Shop around. There are other places that you can get your piercings done, like tattoo parlors (have to be over 18 for that) or other, smaller jewelry outfits. The risk with multiple piercings in the ears is that eventually you will pierce cartilage, which can take upwards of 2 years to heal.

Otherwise, go to Claire's but keep a VERY close eye on what they're doing. Part of infection is from people messing with their piercings w/out washing their hands, so keep your hands super-clean (if you have acrylic or long nails, keep a nail brush with you) and disinfect the piercing with either hydrogen peroxide (or alcohol or a product specifically for ear piercings) morning and night. Also, some infections are caused by an allergic reaction to the piercing stud, so if you have any metal allergies it's best buy 14k gold piercing studs seperately.

Answer 3

Ive never heard of anyone getting their ears pierced by a doctor...

I got my second hole pierced at Claires but i highly suggest that you do not do so because i learned that many people's ears become infected due to the piercing gun in which they do it with.

I have since wised up and gotten my other piercings done at a tattoo/piercing parlor. They are the ones that are trained the most to do this kind of job. it costs a little more than claires but the risk of infection is much lower to none there.

Answer 4

I have 5 piercings in each ear. If your doctor won't pierce your ear again, he/she must have a reason. Have you asked why they won't? There is no "best place" to have it done. It just needs to be clean. They should wear gloves, clean your ear before they pierce it and use a disposable gun. Try another place in the mall that does them. Like Piercing Pagoda if they have it. Or a place that does tattoos and ear piercing. Check around ask your friends.

Most importanly, after you've had it pierced again, make sure you do the proper cleaning and turning of your freshly pierced ears.

Answer 5

It is up to you, since it is your body - I was informed when I got my ears pierced that your ears are one of the most sensitive parts of your body, though each person has a different level of sensitivity. I got another pair of piercings in my ears, and all they did was bleed. If you do get a second pair of piercings however - go with the gem earrings, not the little silver/gold/platinum balls - they tend to cause less problems.

Answer 6

I would go to Claires... or something like that. To prevent infection I used an ear cleaning solution sold at Claires. I used once in the morning, and once at night. I didn't get any infections. My sisters, and other relatives have gotten pierced there too... if it is a problem with metal allergies, they have special earrings that wont cause any allergies. I hope you can find a place that you are comfortable getting your ears pierced...

Answer 7

Any body piercing place can do it. As scary as some of those places might seem (tongue piercings, face piercings, etc.), most of those places are very aware of infection because of the more sensitive places they pierce. They tend to be fanatically clean and good at what they do.

Also, it is mostly you who keep the infection away. Good earrings and good follow-up with cleaning are the trick.

Answer 8

I got mine done at Claire's and it did not get infected but they did them crooked the first time! haha, so I had to get them re-done at a different Claire's. Also, they use the "piercing guns" and those are really bad for your ears and the tissue inside of them. The best way to get it done is at a tattoo parlor/shop that is very clean and sterile and uses a NEW and STERILE needle for every piercing. Make sure they are liscensed with the State Health Department and that you feel comfortable! Don't be afraid to ask questions! Good luck! :)

Answer 9

Most plastic surgeons will do piercings (ear and otherwise) for a small fee.
I wouldn't go to Claire's either. Sterile technique is safer.

Answer 10

I had mine done at Claire's many years ago and had no problems. I had my 3rd holes done at Wal-mart if you can believe that and no problem there either. Just make sure you keep them clean and turn them and etc just as you are told to do. Also most body piercing shops will pierce your ears as well. Since they do not use a gun though may hurt a little more than getting pierced with a gun and definitely costs more.

Answer 11

i got my cartilige pierced at claire's a year ago and it's totally fine! but if you still feel uneasy about it i would just go to a tatto/piercing place! (even thought it may not look like it at times..haha) they usually r very professinal and really know what they r doing. the ONLY downside to that is I went with my friend to get her's pierced and they just do with a needle...it looked like it hurt...but hopefully you can take it!! GOOD LUCK!:) i hope that helped!?