Is Piercing Pagoda and other stands sanitary?

Question

I want earlobes pierced but don't wanna get any diseases! Are the mall places clean/experienced or should i go to a parlor that is just for piercings?

Answer 1

Simply – go to a piercing studio!

There are no strict regulations on piercing thus anyone can be allowed to pierce, difference with a studio is that the people performing the piercing will be trained, not just in how to stick a needle through your skin but also correct positioning, blood pathology and what to do if something goes wrong.

With malls the people performing the piercing are simply not trained, if they were trained they would understand why what they do is wrong, they get a leaflet and a short training session before being let loose on people. As such they can put the piercing in completely the wrong place, they can slip that could see the stud going into your face, they are unlikely to be following cleanliness needed, etc.

The main problem with mall places is that they use piercing guns, these are not at all safe nor are they suitable for piercings – this is true for ALL piercings, some people seem to believe that they are okay for ear and nose piercings, this is not true they are only used for these types of piercings and not others because the guns cannot pierce other areas due to their inaccuracy, the restrictions on how much can be fitted into the gun and the fact that in other areas there is higher risk if not pierced in the correct place.

A piercing gun literally shoots your flesh with blunt metal not piercing the skin so much as forcing it out of the way, this can cause nerve and skin damage, the guns can only use the studs specifically designed for it which not only add to damage but are not a suitable material for jewellery so can cause allergies that can cause a lot of problems in terms of infection or if the skin swells around the stud.

The biggest problem with piercing guns is that they are not clean, because they contain plastic parts it means they cannot be sterilised, furthermore because of all the small parts dirt, dead skin and bacteria can remain within the gun itself. This means not only an increased risk of the piercing becoming infected but also leaves you at risk of diseases such as hepatitis B and HIV.

Links to information on piercing gun risks;
http://www.namaii.com/suck
http://www.bmezine.com/news/pubring/20030509.html
http://www.compunction.org/guns.txt
http://www.freewebs.com/antipiercingguns/petitionlink.htm
http://tattoo.about.com/cs/psafety/a/piercing_guns.htm

Going on personal experience I can say it can go wrong;
I had my lobes pierced twice on each side, my nose pierced, and cartilage pierced all with a piercing gun. My bottom lobes got infected from the studs. All piercings were in the wrong places – my flatmate was a piercer so informed me of this, otherwise I'd have had no idea. My cartilage became so badly infected that it became swollen overnight, so much so the stud became imbedded in my ear so deeply I had to go to hospital to have it removed – it bled a lot and I still have the scar. I have had a few piercings since, after getting over the fear of something going wrong, I got them done professionally at a studio and have never had any problem with them.

Obviously not everyone has an experience like this, however quite often infections happen without a person even realising it is because of the stud that has been used or the gun being dirty, and certainly unless trained you'd not be aware of the piercings being in the wrong place, and heaven help anyone who contracts hepatitis B or worse from something as simple as an ear piercing!

A few tips for you;

-Go to a piercing studio with a good reputation locally.
-Don't go to a studio that uses piercing guns.
-Don't go to a studio that pierces underage.
-Make sure the person piercing you is full trained.
-Make sure the studio itself is very clean.
-Jewellery used should be brand new.
-Equipment should be sterilised.
-Needles should be taken fresh from a pack.
-Don't be afraid to ask them questions.
-Should be as clean as you'd expect your doctor to be.

The key word here is – SANITARY – it should not be sanitary it should be sterile, piercing guns and little mall stores or stands are not sterile, piercing studios however are to the point where they resemble hospital rooms. The staff at piercing studios are fully trained professionals that do this for a living and treat it as an art, not people who just apathetically jam jewellery into you for minimum wage with minimum training.

Answer 2

By state laws all of those places have to be sanitary. The thing I would worry about is how good they are at their skill... I got my second holes in my ears ar the pagoda and they are not even with each other. I would go to a tatoo/body art shop that does piercings because they are trained specialists deicated to their craft, not just some kids doing their after school job in the mall.

Answer 3

Earlobes are the least likely place to get infected, so you are probably okay.

Any piercing gun cannot be fully sanitized, so you always run a risk. The reason people (including myself) are so anti piercing guns is obviously it cannot be fully sanitized, but really because the gun causes such shock to the body. This is especially important in cartilidge. It is semi bone and can shatter with a gun.

I'd always be on the safe side and go to a professional who uses a hollow needle. This will lower your risk for hepatitis, HIV, and regular infections.