Often mothers’ comments:

– For the first earrings for a little girl – only gold!

– We pierced our ears with a pistol, did not have time to get scared.

– We must do it until one year old – so that later I don’t even remember

Surprisingly, it would seem that a narrow topic at the junction of the medical, cosmetology and jewellery spheres – ear piercing – causes a lot of unceasing controversy, in which people often defend completely opposite points of view. What metal should the first earrings be for children (and not only), pierce with a gun or a needle, how early to do this? We interviewed specialists and share their answers with you.

Baby earrings: a look from the other side

We all regularly meet babies in a stroller, with a pacifier in their mouths, and – with cute earrings in their ears. To many, this seems charming – a small woman is growing.

To begin with, not all professional piercing masters generally agree to pierce children. They believe that for the age of up to 3 years (and sometimes up to 6-8) this is too serious manipulation, a small child is not yet able to control himself or imagine the consequences of this step. What is there – just to understand what these strangers are doing with him now. The masters themselves, to whom the children were brought “for the procedure”, recall with a shudder the babies choking in hysterics and do not seek to repeat this experience.

According to professionals, in our society, early ear piercing is traditionally considered the norm, and many simply cannot imagine a girl without earrings. “Who needs it? The child or the parents? ”, The specialist urges to think. Given the current trend towards treating a child as an individual with his own feelings and needs, and the understanding that the horror experienced in childhood can remind of itself with problems later, such remarks sound at least reasonable.

Where and how to pierce ears for children and adults

There are several good reasons why you should avoid places that offer you the gun puncture method, and here’s why. Piercing guns cannot be sterilized. This means that there is a very high risk of cross-infection with diseases such as HIV, AIDS, hepatitis. In addition, piercing guns tear tissue rather than piercing it. This is not noticeable, because the puncture occurs according to the principle of a jackhammer: with tremendous impact force and speed using a blunt shackle. Such a wound often heals extremely poorly, with the formation of scars. And sometimes it doesn’t heal at all.

According to the master, punctures must be made with a special needle. Piercing needles are always a disposable tool that craftsmen never skimp on. They are sterile – the master opens them in front of the client. These needles have a mirror coating, three-dimensional laser sharpening and a perfect surface – in the hands of a professional they are the safest and most comfortable tool.

At what age should you have your ears pierced?

First, it is very difficult for young children to explain how to handle a fresh wound. Instinctively, children do not allow to touch the place that hurts, so it becomes difficult to care for punctures. Secondly, due to the fact that children often touch the punctures with dirty hands, there is a high risk of infection of the punctures. Parents often do not have the ability to control this moment constantly.

And, finally, the third – a point that, in our experience, few people think about. With age, the ears grow and change their size and shape, which means that punctures made in infancy may turn out to be completely asymmetrical when the child grows up.

On his page in the section with information, the piercing master warns: children who are under 18 years old will definitely need a parent or official guardian to go to the piercing salon, who will have to fill out a consent form with the procedure.

What earrings to insert into the ears after a piercing, and where to find them?

What kind of metal should be used so that healing is as gentle and quick as possible? Isn’t it “noble” – gold, silver, or at least medical steel?

Currently, the safest material for punctures is implantable titanium. It does not contain nickel, copper, cobalt and other toxic impurities such as surgical steel, gold or silver.

But it is not enough just to choose the “right” metal, there are other safety requirements for the first earrings for small and adults. Jewelry that will be installed in a fresh puncture must have an ideal polish and optimal length so that the jewelry does not squeeze the wound. They should be lightweight and free of jags, locks and other parts that can provoke the adornment to cling.

The main recommendation is to choose adequate jewellery, the masters say. Very cheap jewellery and silver can cause allergic reactions and inflammation even in fully formed punctures, jewelry that is too massive and heavy can stretch the puncture, and jewellery with tenacious parts is dangerous because they are easy to catch and severely injure, and sometimes even tear the earlobe.