So I grew up in the 70's. I got my ears pierced at the mall.

[lynn]

Mother just made sure I twirled them daily , I don't remember her cleaning the piercings daily for 6 weeks. She was a working, raising 5 children, tired mom. my ear piercings never got infected. So please explain to me why I am so nervous about letting Dd get her ears pierced. Talk me down. Give me your good ear piercing stories.

[marbel]

 I got my ears pierced in 1972, also at the mall. Never a problem.  I'm quite sure my mother never paid attention to my ears, checked whether I was disinfecting/cleaning them, etc.

 

But yeah.  I was totally freaked about my daughter getting hers done.  What if they are crooked? What if they get infected?  And on and on.

 

She had them done at the mall.   She got the disinfectant (probably just overpriced rubbing alcohol, right?) and took care of them.  I nagged her way too much.  I guess it's been 3 years or so now?  No problems.  

[Arcadia]

I was born in the early 70s, had my ears pierce at a goldsmith shop as many relatives are allergic to something in earrings. I had gold studs for earrings. So the only thing I would be watching out for is nickel earrings allergy.

[LucyStoner]

My parents had mine pierced when I was a baby. No problems. I think they were told by their doctor to go to the jewelry store to have it done. My mom said they used the little guns.

 

I love having pierced ears which never grow in because I have had them so long.

[DawnM]

My father took me to the doctor's office to get my ears pierced. They aren't even. Drives me nuts.

[Reefgazer]

Yup, 70s mall piercings here, too.  Swiped the ears once each night with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol and 40 years later, they're still fine.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I have 4 ear piercings, and a tongue piercing. Dd and ds each have 4 ear piercings.

 

Not really any problems, except for dd's first. It was done at Clair's in a mall, all was well. But then her ear healed around the backing of the earring (I was only 18, 19, and probably didn't pay enough attention to daily care) and her pediatrician had to get it out. Now she uses backs with the plastic plate things.

 

The kids' second piercings were done through different tattoo shops.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I had my ears pierced with a safety pin in the 70's.  Terrible infections.  I still have scars.  (Physical not emotional!)

[freesia]

I had my friend's Mom, who was a nurse do my first. The second was at some shop in Georgetown, DC. No problems that I remember. I did clean daily with alcohol for a month.

 

DDs were done at the mall. She had the bottle of disinfectant. No problems until two years later when she got a nickel allergy. All fine now.

 

I have never known anyone with problems from piercings.

[Starr]

I've seen my share of little girls with ooze coming out of their ears when I was a school nurse. Sometimes they push the back on too tight. So yes, it does help if someone else who can get a good look checks that they are turned, cleaned and not squished into the ear. But really I've had more friends with bellybutton piercings that were infected.

[MotherGoose]

Mine was in the mall, but late 80s. No issues except related to allergy to nickel, or something, which I still have. Could not wear cheap dangly metal head earring from late 80s... Sniff!!!

[Onceuponatime]

1983: a friend convinced me to let her pierce my ears. She told me she had done her mother's and her grandmother's ears. An ice cube and and a threaded needle were used. My earlobes were wrestled into submission. I felt it all. My friend told me I had tough lobes. My ears throbbed for a day. One hole was slightly skewed. I never got an infection, but I did have to use peroxide regularly for a while.

[alisoncooks]

My mom's friend who owned a hair salon did my first 2 sets with a piercing gun. The second set was uneven, so I got a single piercing in just one ear to make it look intentional.

 

Had my cartilage done at Claire's with a gun.

Had my navel pierced at a tattoo parlor with a needle.

 

I don't wear a single piercing at all now. (Haven't for years -- some sort of allergic reaction and I don't care enough to get to the bottom of it, LOL).

[Junie]

I got a single piercing in the 80s at the mall for my 10th birthday.

 

I remember telling my mom: "Now I know what a piece of paper feels like when you punch a hole in it."   :crying:  :lol:

 

 

[magnificent_baby]

Same as you, except in the 80's and I'm certain I didn't even twirl them. My sister took me and my mom worked so much, I don't think we did anything to take care of them. 

 

DD got hers done at age 4; no issues at all. 

[LifeLovePassion]

My ears never liked the piercing job I had. I got my girls pierced at a tattoo shop with a needle. They have had no issues, nor have I since buying and wearing earrings purchased there.

[nd293]

So please explain to me why I am so nervous about letting Dd get her ears pierced. Talk me down. Give me your good ear piercing stories.

Not me: I followed my mother's rule: no piercing before you're old enough to deal with it by yourself, which my mother decided was 13.

 

I told dd that if her ears fell off it was her problem (although I would drive her to the doctor if she asked). I didn't touch, clean or look at the piercings once they were done. And she did all the research on the best method, and place with the best reviews.

 

As for stories, dd had no real problems. They did seem to take longer to heal and seem to cause more problems (getting red or painful) with whatever the current approach to care is. I lost patience eventually and got her surgical spirits as we used when kids: no more issues. (Also she had to stick to silver or gold or stainless steel or she had issue.)

[nd293]

I've seen my share of little girls with ooze coming out of their ears when I was a school nurse.

😄 That's exactly why my Mom had the "no piercings until you're old enough to manage it yourself" rule! She dealt with gross ears at work, she drew the line on dealing with them at home!

[redsquirrel]

My son got his ear pierced at the mall two years ago.  The woman was very nice. She was very experienced, talked to him a lot about keeping it clean. He just had to wipe it with hydrogen peroxide once a day and twirl it.  He had no problems whatsoever. 

 

I got my navel pierced at a music festival...and it went just fine, lol. No infection and the woman did a fantastic job.  She was a professional with a tent set up, btw.  I didn't just ask some stranger to do it, lol. 

 

But, if I can keep a piercing clean at a week long music festival (Of course I got it the first day, right?) when I was sleeping in a tent and didn't have running water, then a teenager should be able to do it in a house with the modern conveniences, lol.

[Garga]

I remember cleaning them, but I can't remember if I did it at her prompting or if I remembered.

 

I do remember that when it was time to take them out that they were almost impossible to get out.  I was practically in tears.  My mom had a friend visiting and wouldn't help me because she said, "Well, you need to figure it out."  I think she just didn't want to leave her friend. 

 

Turns out that the first earrings have very thick posts and are very, very hard to get out (the backs are on soooo tightly.)  Once I got those out (after crying alone in the bathroom, tugging at my ear), I wore regular earrings with regular small posts.

 

I think the hands off parenting of the 70's/80's wasn't what it's cracked up to be. 

 

Prompt your daughter to clean the ears and then help her get the first set out.  She'll be fine.

[Okra]

I was born in the early 70s, had my ears pierce at a goldsmith shop as many relatives are allergic to something in earrings. I had gold studs for earrings. So the only thing I would be watching out for is nickel earrings allergy.

 

Most piercings are never a problem.  I got mine done at the mall when I was a child.  DD got them done at the mall, no problems  

She found out the hard way she was allergic to nickel.  I think it is fairly common.  She did not wear nickel earrings for years and years.  Recently, she started wearing earrings with nickel in them with no problems, so I'm not exactly sure what happened.

 

But, just a heads up, either stay away from nickel, or just be aware that it might be a reaction to it.

[maize]

I've seen my share of little girls with ooze coming out of their ears when I was a school nurse. Sometimes they push the back on too tight. So yes, it does help if someone else who can get a good look checks that they are turned, cleaned and not squished into the ear. But really I've had more friends with bellybutton piercings that were infected.

When I researched this a couple of years ago the current advice was not to turn the earrings.

 

And to have the piercing done with a needle not a gun.

[Mothersweets]

I got my first set done at the jewelry counter of a drugstore in 1979 (I had just turned 10). It must have been a new thing where I lived as I remember we had to wait IN LINE for almost an hour to get it done! Weird, huh?

 

My folks made sure I wiped them with hydrogen peroxide every day and I never had any problems with them.

 

Had two more sets done by my sister when she worked at Clairs at the mall and I was 13 or so. I don't remember being so gung ho on using the hydrogen peroxide and they came out fine. I think the very top set has closed up now but I bet I could still get an earring through the second set.

 

Oh, mine are all evenly spaced, too. :)

 

eta - and they were done with a gun all three times, too.

Edited September 22, 2016 by Mothersweets

[Mothersweets]

When I researched this a couple of years ago the current advice was not to turn the earrings.

 

And to have the piercing done with a needle not a gun.

 

Do you remember why they said a needle not a gun? It seems like there would be more of a chance to screw it up using a needle.

[Scarlett]

1983: a friend convinced me to let her pierce my ears. She told me she had done her mother's and her grandmother's ears. An ice cube and and a threaded needle were used. My earlobes were wrestled into submission. I felt it all. My friend told me I had tough lobes. My ears throbbed for a day. One hole was slightly skewed. I never got an infection, but I did have to use peroxide regularly for a while.

My moms friend did mine with a needle and ice cubes. I remember them disinfecting the needle with fire. I do not remember it hurting. But I wanted pierced ears so bad I am sure I blocked it out.

 

I don't like loud noises so I would have hated the gun they use now. I about jumped out of my skin when I took my niece to have hers done by the gun.

[TrixieB]

Turns out that the first earrings have very thick posts and are very, very hard to get out (the backs are on soooo tightly.)  Once I got those out (after crying alone in the bathroom, tugging at my ear), I wore regular earrings with regular small posts.

 

 

I remember those piercing earrings!  The salons here used them.  I have no idea why the posts were so thick. 

 

I got my first three piercings with those thick posts.  The next two were regular thickness posts.  Then I got a cartilage piercing with a gun (VERY bad idea) - I don't know if it was a thick post or not, can't remember, but it NEVER healed and I had to let it close up about a year later.  It left a weird mark <_<  One more piercing after that and it never healed either and is now closed up.

 

Due to the problems I had the last two times, if I were to get another, I'd go to a tattoo/piercing place.  I think a hollow needle makes a cleaner less traumatic piercing, plus I like the style of starter earrings they use (easier to keep clean). 

 

[Loowit]

I got mine done in the 80's at the mall the same day as my sister.  They told my mom to clean them with rubbing alcohol twice a day for a few weeks and twirl them around.  We never had a problem.  I have since gotten a few more, I have three in each ear and never had an issue.  My DD got hers done about 8 years ago.  She wasn't good at letting me clean them and she did get an infection in one ear.  It cleared up with treatment and hasn't had a problem since.

[maize]

Do you remember why they said a needle not a gun? It seems like there would be more of a chance to screw it up using a needle.

Here's an explanation:

www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/anti-aging/a35208/piercing-guns-bad-dangers/

[J-rap]

I got my first ones pierced in the early 70's.  My uncle is a doctor, and he pierced them himself at his clinic.  I did have to twirl them and clean them with alcohol daily.  I got my other two at the mall!  All of them were with a gun, and I've never had any problems.  

[OneStepAtATime]

I have 4 ear piercings, and a tongue piercing. Dd and ds each have 4 ear piercings.

 

Not really any problems, except for dd's first. It was done at Clair's in a mall, all was well. But then her ear healed around the backing of the earring (I was only 18, 19, and probably didn't pay enough attention to daily care) and her pediatrician had to get it out. Now she uses backs with the plastic plate things.

 

The kids' second piercings were done through different tattoo shops.

DD had hers done at Claire's and the same thing happened!  Her ear grew over the back of the earring.  It was weird.  

 

I got mine at the Piercing Pagoda in a mall the day I turned 18.  Mom wouldn't let me have pierced earrings until I was 18.  My best friend took me.  No issues.  I guess I cleaned them.  I don't remember.  I did get gold studs since I knew family with allergies to certain metals. 

[scoutingmom]

I had mine done in 1980 at the mall with the piering gun. Had to twirl them and use oxygen peroxide.... and they got infected and it was ages before they were ok. Then turned out I had an allergy and could only use gold earings, which I couldn't afford other ones (so just that first pair) and no dangly ones which everyone wore... I gave up. They closed up, but still look pierced.

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[kewb]

I finally got the courage to get mine pierced when I was 18. I almost bailed because the baby ahead of me on line cried when they pierced her ears. My friend insisted I stay. This was in the 80's. Never had any problems. Somewhere in my 20's I started reacting to any earrings that weren't silver or gold.

 

I wanted do to wait until she was 13 so she would be old enough to take care of them herself. She campaigned hard at the age of 9 so I relented. Took her to the mall. No major problems. I did think she took a long time to heal. Plus, she reacted to the cute inexpensive earrings right away so only silver or gold for her.

[Night Elf]

I did my oldest dd's ears when she was 3 months old because her Catholic godparents gave her gold earrings as a gift.

Youngest dd got them done when she about 8.

Neither have had any problems at all. I did follow the cleaning regime though.

I don't know how old I was when I got mine done.

[Carrie12345]

My mall piercings went fine.  I tried to find a piercing/tattoo shop for my girls, but no one local would take them, so they got mall piercings done at the same time.  One was perfectly fine.  One struggled with infections for quite a while.  Both stuck (for the most part) to instructions.

[VaKim]

I had mine done in 1978, when I was 12, in a store with a gun. Had to turn them every day and put alcohol on. Mine never got infected or anything. I actually went about 15 years without earrings when the girls were little and went back to wearing them with no problems at all.

 

DD just got hers done with a gun at Merle Norman's last month. They said to turn them twice a day and swab with peroxide for 6 weeks. She did that for about a week, then just turned them once a day. We have taken them out now and she is wearing other earrings with no problem. No infections or anything. 

[Mothersweets]

Here's an explanation:

www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/anti-aging/a35208/piercing-guns-bad-dangers/

 

Thanks! Makes sense :)

[RioSamba]

Claire's at the mall with a gun when I was 13. I can't remember what the cleaning process was but it worked. I stopped wearing earrings after DS 2 and the holes closed. Now there is a tiny little lump in each ear. The lumps aren't visible but I can feel them. I guess it's scar tissue? I hate the lumps, but I don't really want to pierce again.

[Seasider]

Mall in the 70's here, too, but I was a teen at the time. I swabbed my ears daily for weeks with the magic solution from Claire's (actually probably a mall store of a different name back then - my subsequrnt piercings were all done at Claire's).

 

The reason I was nervous when my own girls wanted pierced ears, and I made them wait til they hit double digits? The battle-scarred earlobes of many of my acquaintances, from infections or wearing heavy wired earrings that cut long slits, and the young friends of my girls who actually did deal with awful bloody infections because they did not take care of their own ears.

[SKL]

I had it done at the mall, was on my own (age 12) to take care of them.  I was not perfect, but nothing horrible happened, though I did decide I didn't really want pierced ears and let them grow back.  (Still have what appear to be holes though.)

 

My sister had infections.  Had a hard time finding earrings that didn't bother her ears, even as an adult.

 

My kids will probably have the quick piercing done like I did if they want it (at age 12).  Not sure, but I don't think I'll worry much about it.  We have enough bigger things to worry about.  :)

[SparklyUnicorn]

I had mine done at Caldor's when I was 8.  Don't know if you've heard of that store, but they are no longer in business.  They were were a department store.  Never had issues. 

 

I wouldn't even worry about it.  Keep them clean.  Get good posts made with gold or plated with gold.  Cheaper metals can cause problems for someone people. 

 

 

[Bluegoat]

I had mine done at Eatons in the mid-80s with a gun.  I used peroxide and did the twirly bit.  They did get infected but it wasn't a big deal.

 

I don't think earlobes are that big an issue really. 

[Just Kate]

I got my ears pierced at Claire's at the mall in the early/mid 80s and I had all sorts of problems! First, somehow skin grew up over the back of one of my earings, so I took them both out and let them grow up. Then I used my mom's old self-piercers (that's what she called them, they were gold hoops that were sharp and you just pushed them into your ears...slowly over time). After a while, I started wearing regular earings and thought all was fine, but I ended up with this giant bump-like thing in the back of my ear. I went to the doctor because it was horribly painful and he gave me an antibiotic and told me to let my pierced ears grow up.

 

About a year later, I tried Claire's again and wouldn't you know it...the person doing the piercing messed up. My earings were extremely uneven! So I had to let the bad one grow up and do it again. What a pain!!

 

Kind of funny, when I was a senior in high school (93-94) I got a part-time job at Claire's. My ear piercing training included taking a written test about safety and keeping things clean, and then they gave me a piece of paper with a hand drawn ear on it with a dot on the lobe. I used the gun to pierce the piece of paper. My first piercing was a 3 year old little girl who came in with Grandma. The little girl was not real excited about getting her ears pierced and grandma was promising her all sorts of things to get her to comply. I was nervous about piercing and didn't really want to. But grandma wanted both ears to be done at once, and there were only two of us working, so...

 

Because I was nervous, I guess I was a little slow. We said one, two, three and my manager clicked her gun a second before me. Little girl jumped and I completely missed her ear. Girl was crying, grandma was mad, and I was so embarrassed.

 

I kept that job all through the school year, but I hated doing piercings. And I'm still shocked at the little training I received.

[heartlikealion]

Are you asking if the gun method is a good idea now? I think it's not as easy to clean as the needle?

 

Is your dd asking for them? What's the push?

 

I never got mine done. I might eventually lol. I got an eyebrow ring in college, that's it. My sisters pressured me into it as a kid... the gun was broken and I never went back lol

[lllll]

nm

Edited October 4, 2016 by Cathi

[klmama]

My moms friend did mine with a needle and ice cubes. I remember them disinfecting the needle with fire. I do not remember it hurting. But I wanted pierced ears so bad I am sure I blocked it out.

 

I don't like loud noises so I would have hated the gun they use now. I about jumped out of my skin when I took my niece to have hers done by the gun.

 

Another needle and ice cubes kid here.  It didn't hurt, but listening to the cartilage breaking as the needle went through it waaay too slowly was kind of gross.  My ears seemed to be infected a lot when I was a kid, but that wasn't because of the way they were pierced or how well I cared for them.  It turned out I was allergic to nickel, but it took a very long time for me to realize what the problem was.  Once I switched to gold earrings, I didn't have any more trouble.

[kiwik]

I got mine done at a chemist late 70's or early eighties with a gun. I flinched and although they were level one hole was angled. I used witch hazel and twisted them. I agree those thick piercing ones were really hard to get off. I can only wear surgical steel for more than a few hours and sometime in the nineties i gave up and they completely closed. I had them redone in about 2003 when i was a bridesmaid at a friends wedding but those are closed too. I did several ear piercings for others and disinfecting a stud, icing tbe ear and shoving the stud straight though worked best. For me it is on the list of "things we will discuss when you are 13".

[Guest2]

Funny, I had the Claire's experience as well.

[solascriptura]

I just had my 3 dds ears pierced at the mall.  In retrospect, I would have had all of  them get solid gold starter earrings.  I opted for the gold plated and 2 of my girls struggled with mild infections and tenderness for far too long.  Once I figured it was a sensitivity to the metals,I bought the expensive solid gold studs and they have had no problems at all.  That's the thing, I didn't know that they had metal sensitivities until they had their ears pierced.  They didn't want to remove them and redo the piercings, ya know?  Because they didn't want to redo everything, I just kept applying a lot of antibiotic ointments.  

 

 

[kroe1]

You are nervous because you know many infections have become resistant to most antibiotics.

 

My own experience 40+ years ago was a nightmare because of metal sensitivity. Oh, you just wanted good stories, sorry.

[Lawyer&Mom]

Gold studs with a gun at a jewelry store when I was five. No problems until after my first pregnancy (almost 30 years later!) when I developed gold sensitivity. Which sucks because I *love* yellow gold. Now I wear rhodium-plated white gold studs. The rodium looks like silver. Not my first choice, but what can you do?