Piercing Guns - why professional piercers suggest you avoid them

Piercing guns have been around for a long time but times have changed and there are a lot of good reasons why a needle is a healthier choice.

We are often asked about ear piercing for children (and adults too!) and whether we use piercing guns. The answer is a very definite no.

We know you want the best for your child and that there's a lot of contradictory information out there.

So, here are some facts about ear piercing guns:

* An ear piercing gun is made of plastic with an internal mechanism.

When sterilising equipment it is heated up to 134° and that temperature is maintained for a period of time in order to sterilise. Unfortunately, if you put an ear piercing gun into an autoclave to sterilise it, it MELTS and the internal components stop working (see the main picture above). Ear piercing guns cannot be sterilised. They can be "cleaned" but there is a massive difference between clean and sterile.

Ear piercing guns can have blood or contaminents left on the device when being used on the next person.

* The gun is designed to mechanically force a stud through the ear. This effectively causes blunt-force trauma and does not make a clean wound. This can cause excess tissue damage to the area - meaning potentially more issues with healing.

* The studs that are used in ear piercing guns are normally too short to accommodate the excess swelling caused by the blunt-force trauma, meaning studs can become buried in the ear and have to be removed.

* Most popular ear stud choices include surgical steel, silver, 9ct gold, and plated gold. None of these are safe for initial piercing. Nickel content is also high in these metals - the number one cause of allergic reactions. There is an EU directive about nickel content if you want to check it out further.

* A professional piercing studio that only uses needles for ear piercings is acting in the best interests of their customers.

Hopefully this blog has helped you in making your decision.