Bad ear piercing experience!!!!
- Thread starter Hilly
- Start date
MacAddict_Sami
Well-known member
I had a really bad experience when I got my second hole on my ear lobes done and it was done at Claires too... Since then, I've only gone to professional parlors... I am sorry you had this experience and I am glad you are writing a letter to let them know how displeased you are and hopefully something is done about it...
NutMeg
Well-known member
Of my 7 piercings 5 were done at Claire's or something similar when I was in my early teens or younger. 4 lobe, 1 cartilage and man am I glad that none of them went horribly wrong... I knew nothing about piercing back then, but I won't ever go back.
I hope you guys realise that the whole getting pierced at Claire's thing isn't just bad because of the damage the gun can do as a result of the actual piercing, or because the "piercers" are woefully under-trained. It's scary because the piercing equipment can't ever be properly sterilized and you can catch blood borne diseases like hepatitis. Please, go to a professional or at the very least do it yourself in a sterile environment, for all piercings not just cartilage. The gun damage and under-trained staff problems are minimized for lobe piercings, but the sterilization issue is not.
And Hilly, be careful. If it gets infected and it starts looking nasty you should consider going into a piercing shop and having someone look at it. The problem in your situation is that there isn't a ring in place to allow the infection to drain, so it could become trapped and turn into an abscess. And watch it like a hawk, I know from experience that cartilage infections come out of nowhere and are very very bad. And take your complain to the highest level, the issue with that lady removing the earring with her bare hands is so sketchy.
I hope you guys realise that the whole getting pierced at Claire's thing isn't just bad because of the damage the gun can do as a result of the actual piercing, or because the "piercers" are woefully under-trained. It's scary because the piercing equipment can't ever be properly sterilized and you can catch blood borne diseases like hepatitis. Please, go to a professional or at the very least do it yourself in a sterile environment, for all piercings not just cartilage. The gun damage and under-trained staff problems are minimized for lobe piercings, but the sterilization issue is not.
And Hilly, be careful. If it gets infected and it starts looking nasty you should consider going into a piercing shop and having someone look at it. The problem in your situation is that there isn't a ring in place to allow the infection to drain, so it could become trapped and turn into an abscess. And watch it like a hawk, I know from experience that cartilage infections come out of nowhere and are very very bad. And take your complain to the highest level, the issue with that lady removing the earring with her bare hands is so sketchy.
Darkness
Well-known member
I've had many piercing over the years and have been to Claire's when I had by lobes done. To be honest they're not very good. If you're having cartilage done, you should go to a professional body piercing studio. They are fastidious with cleanliness and highly trained. Piercings should always be done with the needle method on cartilage and Claire's use a gun which is a big no no. I hope your ear gets better soon. To help with the swelling, bathe it a couple of times a day with sea salt. Put about a teaspoon in some boiling water and let it cool until it's tepid and dip a cotton bud in and put this around the piercing. Don't over clean though as this also can cause irritation. Hope this helps..
blindpassion
Well-known member
Something to add onto my previous post,
When I was younger I had my ears pierced at claires and they failed completely.
The sides weren't lined up and I had to let them heal for five weeks and then go back and have it done again. Well, they did it wrong again, and I've lived to this day with one of my piercings being lower then the other.
*curse words*.
When I was younger I had my ears pierced at claires and they failed completely.
The sides weren't lined up and I had to let them heal for five weeks and then go back and have it done again. Well, they did it wrong again, and I've lived to this day with one of my piercings being lower then the other.
*curse words*.
elib067
Well-known member
i have had the same experience! i got my ears pierced and cartilage pierced years ago at claires (before i new the dangers of a gun) and everything went just fine and dandy. well i went to get a second cartilage done underneath my first and it went horribly wrong. first of all it immediately swelled up and the angle that it went in was different than the first. well i went along shopping and an hour later it was still massively swelled up. well just thinking that i was having a different recovery period than all of my other piercings (and i have a lot) i didn't do anything about it. a couple days later, maybe 4 or 5, my cartilage was as thick as my ear lobe and i had to definition to it, it looked like cauliflower ear (what wrestlers get). i had to take it out and a month later it was just getting back to normal. now i would say that maybe it was me, but it wasn't. out of my 12 other piercings i had never had this experience!
i knew that it wouldn't be the most professional job ever but i was expecting a completely botched piercing.
i knew that it wouldn't be the most professional job ever but i was expecting a completely botched piercing.
jennifer.
Well-known member
i'll copy and paste a part of a response i put in another recent ear piercing thread:
when my own daughter was 10 though, she asked me to get hers done at claire's and that was an instant NO. i made sure to take her to an APP certified piercer (Association of Professional Piercers) in the area that would do it with my permission. it wasn't worth the risk of infection for my daughter and it shouldn't be for your own body. no matter what the cost. proper aftercare is important as well and i made sure she was doing it as directed.
on a funnier note, this thread makes me think of the part in pulp fiction where rosanna arquette's character is talking about her piercings and how the gun goes against the entire idea of piercing. it's actually true. like others have mentioned, it's not worth the risk.
also, another vote from me for non-iodized sea salt soaks!
*sorry about the long reply, it's something i firmly believe in!
sorry about that, but yeah--claire's (or any place in a mall) is a big no-no. i'm sorry you had such a horrible experience hilly. next time go to taurian or sacred heart (i took my daughter to sacred heart) on westheimer in the montrose. i believe both are APP certified
when my own daughter was 10 though, she asked me to get hers done at claire's and that was an instant NO. i made sure to take her to an APP certified piercer (Association of Professional Piercers) in the area that would do it with my permission. it wasn't worth the risk of infection for my daughter and it shouldn't be for your own body. no matter what the cost. proper aftercare is important as well and i made sure she was doing it as directed.
on a funnier note, this thread makes me think of the part in pulp fiction where rosanna arquette's character is talking about her piercings and how the gun goes against the entire idea of piercing. it's actually true. like others have mentioned, it's not worth the risk.
also, another vote from me for non-iodized sea salt soaks!
*sorry about the long reply, it's something i firmly believe in!
sorry about that, but yeah--claire's (or any place in a mall) is a big no-no. i'm sorry you had such a horrible experience hilly. next time go to taurian or sacred heart (i took my daughter to sacred heart) on westheimer in the montrose. i believe both are APP certified
jeez that's terrible what happened Hilly! lets hope that something is done to the manager with dirty hands and no gloves! that's terrible service!!
i only have my earlobes done and had it done when i was 11 in my local hairdressers! cost £5 and i was so proud of the little gold balls in my ears! now if i wanted anymore i'd deffo go to a professional
i only have my earlobes done and had it done when i was 11 in my local hairdressers! cost £5 and i was so proud of the little gold balls in my ears! now if i wanted anymore i'd deffo go to a professional
AmberLilith
Well-known member
Piercing with a gun is a very bad idea, for several reasons.
As mentioned, gun piercing can shatter cartilage.
The studs are not sharp enough, so it's forcing something blunt through your ear, which creates far more damage to the surrounding tissue than a sharp needle does -leading to longer a healing process.
The studs are a set size, meaning they are sometimes not long enough and can get embedded in the ear lobe or not allow room for any swelling.
Piercing guns are not sterile, no matter what people try to tell you! Maybe the gun part doesn't actually touch your ear, but it is near enough to your ear to get contaminated by 'back-spray' and cannot be autoclaved. That gun has been near so many other people's ears. Do you really want it near yours?
The studs are often poor quality metals or metals that are not best suited to healing a piercing or to preventing allergic reactions, eg: gold is more porous that titanium so more likely to harbour bacteria; silver tarnishes, the coatings come off plated jewellery... The recommended metal is implant grade titanium, or at a push implant grade stainless steel. In the UK, the standard is titanium.
Also, the people who pierce in places such as Claire's usually don't have training in bloodbourne pathogens and how to avoid cross contamination.
Here are some links:
BME Encyclopaedia
and again
Daelner, on BME
Wikipedia
I can't find the other link i was going to post... will edit if i find it.
I'm getting an error message on the BME site
i think it's been taken down.
Hilly - I'm really glad you complained. I'd encourage anyone else who has also had a bad experience to complain too. Maybe then stores such as Claire's will realise that their procedure is just not acceptable. At the very least they might be inspired to clean up their act -literally.
As mentioned, gun piercing can shatter cartilage.
The studs are not sharp enough, so it's forcing something blunt through your ear, which creates far more damage to the surrounding tissue than a sharp needle does -leading to longer a healing process.
The studs are a set size, meaning they are sometimes not long enough and can get embedded in the ear lobe or not allow room for any swelling.
Piercing guns are not sterile, no matter what people try to tell you! Maybe the gun part doesn't actually touch your ear, but it is near enough to your ear to get contaminated by 'back-spray' and cannot be autoclaved. That gun has been near so many other people's ears. Do you really want it near yours?
The studs are often poor quality metals or metals that are not best suited to healing a piercing or to preventing allergic reactions, eg: gold is more porous that titanium so more likely to harbour bacteria; silver tarnishes, the coatings come off plated jewellery... The recommended metal is implant grade titanium, or at a push implant grade stainless steel. In the UK, the standard is titanium.
Also, the people who pierce in places such as Claire's usually don't have training in bloodbourne pathogens and how to avoid cross contamination.
Here are some links:
BME Encyclopaedia
and again
Daelner, on BME
Wikipedia
I can't find the other link i was going to post... will edit if i find it.
I'm getting an error message on the BME site
Hilly - I'm really glad you complained. I'd encourage anyone else who has also had a bad experience to complain too. Maybe then stores such as Claire's will realise that their procedure is just not acceptable. At the very least they might be inspired to clean up their act -literally.
hello_kitty
Well-known member
Cartlidge piercings done with a gun vs. a needle are like night vs. day. Mine done with a gun gives me issues even after 10 years. Mine done with needles healed quickly and properly, and have never given me issues, even though they're a lot newer than my gun one (and are in some harder areas to heal, like my conch).
Piercing guns are crude torture devices. I want to slap every parent I see at the mall sitting their kid down in a chair to get pierced. But... people are hard to educate. There's misconceptions about piercing studios, and I'm sure most of the general public believe Claires or Walmart is safer than a than piercing studio any day.
Piercing guns are crude torture devices. I want to slap every parent I see at the mall sitting their kid down in a chair to get pierced. But... people are hard to educate. There's misconceptions about piercing studios, and I'm sure most of the general public believe Claires or Walmart is safer than a than piercing studio any day.
