Claire's&icing's vs piercing shop?

Question

my mom said next week she would let me get my ears pierced again but i was what do you guys think of going to claire,icing's vs going to a piercing shop

Answer 1

i am a piercer in a shop. every tool that i use is put in an autoclave and 100% sterile. Claires uses piercing guns which you CAN NOT fully sterilize. I have used both methods and i can tell you that using a needle is much safer for you and the piercer. Guns shatter the cartlidge or flesh because of the high impact of the ear stud. That causes plasma and blood to splatter on the gun you and the piercer. Just because you cant see it doesnt mean it isnt there. If you really want to go to Claires ask them how they sanitize the tools they use. I can guarentee you will not hear the word autoclave. NOTHING CAN BE 100% STERILE WITH OUT AN AUTOCLAVE. Just consider your saftey before you do anything. And also i would not take advice from anyone who is not a piercer or tattoo artist for these kinds of questions. Just because they have gotten a piercing or tattoo does not make them knowledgeable in the field.

Answer 2

1. People in tattoo/piercings shops are trained professionals. They go through 6 months to a year of training before ever even touching someone with a needle.
2. Piercing guns used at Claire's and The Icing are violent and unsanitary. It's called a gun for a reason, because it's shooting something rather dull through your ear, and just like a real bullet wound, it causes a lot of stress and damage to the area being pierced, (on a lesser scale of course.) And as other's have mentioned; it's impossible to completely disinfect that gun, that numerous other girls have had used on them.
3. I've never had a gun piercing NOT get infected or cause problems for more than two months, while all of my piercings done at a piercing/tattoo shop always heal up just fine.


It'll probably be a little harder to get your mother to agree to take you to a tattoo/piercing place, but in the long run it's safer, cleaner and will be less damaging to your ears. Everyone who said anything about tattoo places not being as clean as Claire's need to understand that the equipment at GOOD tattoo parlors are all individually sealed, and get thrown away after one use. Plus everything in the shop is santized to almost a neurotic degree.
Find a good piercing/tattoo shop, somewhere clean and comfortable. Your ears will thank you for it.

Answer 3

I would say definetely go to a body piercing shop or a tattoo parlor it might cost a little more but atleast it is way safer. These people that are saying to go to claires/icing obviously don't know what their talking about. Body piercers do piercings for a living, your lucky if the people from claires are smart enough to paint a dot on your ear and poke it with a plastic gun and most of the times it's not even straight. And a tattoo parlor is definetely NOT going to use a dirty needle they don't use a gun that has peoples germs all over it. They use clean disposable needles not just a piece of plastic that hurts a lot more because the gun is squeezing your ear and pushing pressure on it why do you think it's so red after and at a tattoo parlor they use a needle so it only goes through one way. Besides i've gotten my ears pierced (2nd ear holes and both cartliges) at a jewelery store and they were both crooked and infected in the same week. So if you want somebody to pierce your ears that's not even gonna care if they do a good job or not go to claire's or icing but if you want someone whos gonna care and try to do a good job and will be a lot safer then go to a tattoo parlor.

Answer 4

A piercing shop might be a little strange for your mother but based on past experience I would go there. I had my ears pierced at Claire's and one of the earrings went backwards into my ear. The second time I had it pierced It immediately got infect. The third time was the charm but I went to a local shop.

For cartilage piercing on the ear I went to Icing twice and both times it got very infected almost right after I did it.

Answer 5

Well, you could go to Claires; you could get pierced by some young girl who watched a 45 min video on how to use the gun; a gun which can not be sterilized; by jewelry that forces it's way through the skin instead of piercing it; suffer unneeded tissue damage; get aftercare solution which will prolong healing....

Or you can go to a piercing studio where the person has trained for at least a year, learning how to do piercings; where they proplerly sterilize their needles, tools and jewelry; where they will use a needle to pierce the skin, instead of shoving a blunt object through your ear; where they will give you proper aftercare instructions; where they will give you support if you have a problem; where you will be pierced with high quality jewelry instead of cheap crap.

It will cost more, but the health of your piercing and your overall health are far more important than money.

Answer 6

Do not have a piercing done by a 16 year old with a week of training in a mall food court who does piercings with a piercing gun. Guns are dangerous and not mean for piercings ANYWHERE.

http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Piercing_gun
http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Ear_Piercing_Stud

I strongly urge that its important you go to a professional piercer with the proper training and knowledge about piercings. From start to finish its just better, cleaner, safer and piercings are much more attentive that the Claire's employees, trust me. There is less risk, shorter healing time and less pain if you have it done by a professional piercer who uses needles.

Answer 7

I disagree with ashley, I have one tattoo and the place I went to was so clean and they used disposable needles not the reusable kind as this is the law. I would say go to a jewelry store like Kay's jewelers or even JCPenny for an ear piercing because they will make sure that the hole are even and match. If you go to claires or ICING, you have some teen who just wants to get you in and out and won't worry about those types of things. Also for my sister who is 12 now, I pierced her ears myself. They sell an ear piercing kit at walmart , walgreens, cvs for $10 or less it's a little hand-held gun that includes the earrings (gold studs). and it hurts a lot less than a needle. I say give that a shot.

Answer 8

THe piercing shop is better, besides needle piercing being more sanitary, the piercing shop piercers are farmore knowledgable and able to deal with you questions. Piercing guns are plastic and difficult to clean, needles come individually packaged and are subsequently sterilized. Claire's piercers may have 2 weeks of training, professional piercers have several years of training and apprenticeship. Besides, needle piercings heal faster and easier

Answer 9

Piercing shop (a good one) - it's done with a needle which is safer and reduces the risk of infection. Don't go to Claire's, I had a very, very, very , bad experience with them (I had it done for free which you never refuse...) and I got very bad ear infection, I was so scared when my ear swell and swell. Generally avoid guns, always go for needles even if it costs more.

Answer 10

Do the research yourself and you'll see that not many people would recommend a mall shop. Piercing guns are really hard to clean, the girls are barely trained (I believe 2 weeks) and the guns can get jammed. If you go to a professional, they'll have everything autoclaved, their jewelery is higher grade material so less irritation, they are trained much better, and you don't have to worry about a hollow needle getting jammed. http://www.namaii.com/suck/