Tattoo Shops Ear Piercing

I hadn’t thought about it much, but I just assumed that pretty much every little girl got her ears pierced by some teenager working at Claire’sin the mall. And I guess you could do that, but … why?

It sounds like a recipe for disaster. Infection, at least. I mean, I’m sure those super-responsible teens making minimum wage and excellent life choices totally give two craps about the job they do. It’s not like their parents still need to remind them to wash their hands before dinner. That gun they use to shoot your darling’slittle lobes? It’s probably safe and sterile, way better than a silly old-fashioned needle! Or maybe I’m being sarcastic. Read this informative article from

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Fear not, good parent! There are other piercing options. Some doctor’s offices offer the service. A better choice than the mall, but — get real —those medical nerdsaren’t experts in the field.

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The experts don’t have multiple doctorates, they have multiple piercings. Their shirts are rolled up to reveal a complex and colorful sleeve of ink that tells a life story; sometimes that story involves a Mogwai.They’re not teenagers and they’re definitely not in the medical profession. They’re tattoo artists and professional piercers.

It may sound odd or even irresponsible to bring your innocentlittle lamb into this den of alleged miscreants and ne’er-do-wells, but tattoo parlors are the best place to get your child’s ears pierced. Also, quit being so judgy, jerkface.

A good tattoo parlor is maintained to exacting standards:cleanlinessis paramount. Tattoo artistsare well-trained and go through a certification process. The piercing needle they use is safer than a gun because it’s sharper and, unlike the gun, can be sterilized. A tattoo artist’s business is built on his reputation and his reputation is his business.

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In other words, unlike the kid at Claire’s, he actually gives a shit. As far as piercings go, anything goes.Professional piercers havedone noses, tongues, nipples and scrotums —

Last weekend, I took my daughter to get her ears pierced atArtisanal Tattooin Somerville, N.J. The place felt like adoctor’s office, but way cooler. The whole experience was fantastic. As we were walking in, Penny and I joked about the unicorn tattoo I would get … only to find out someone was actually getting a unicorn tattoo at that moment! I’m pretty sure it was a sign.

After a couple of minutes in the waiting room, flipping through tattoo ideas that I’ll never get but kind of want, the piercer came to get us and bring us to his partitioned office. He explained the process to Penny and took his time making sure the earring placement, marked with a drop of ink, was just right. He held her ear with a surgical-looking tool, slid the needle through, and put in her new earrings. She said it felt like a pinch and was proud of herself because the old pro told her she was braver than some grown men he’d seen. He even had a stack of juice boxes for recovery and gave Penny one. I’d write more about the process, but that was it. Super simple, sterile and professional. And, yeah, pretty cool.

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David Lesser is a New Jersey-based member of the NYC Dads Group and a former stay-at-home dad. He formally wrote the blog Amateur Idiot/Professional Dad.I got my ears pierced a lot later than some kids. I desperately wanted them done, but my mom said no — she hadn’t been allowed until she was 17. Then, when I was 11, I opened my Christmas stocking to see the most exciting gift I had received in my young life: a set of colorful earrings. I remember asking my mom, almost in tears, if it was OK for me to pierce my ears. “If Santa says it’s OK, I guess it’s fine, ” she answered. A few days later, we went to the mall to get it done.

Underage

. I put up with it for a few days before asking my mom if it was normal for them to be so sore. She took a look, and my lobes were angry red and oozing. My brand new earrings had to be taken out so the infection could heal. After a few months (and a lot of begging), we went back to the same store to have them pierced again. Again, they became infected, only this time, so badly I had to go to the doctor for antibiotics. I gave up on having pierced ears.

Fast forward to college, where I was friends with a tattoo artist, who talked me into coming into the shop where he worked and having my ears pierced by a professional with a needle. I was wary, but I gave it a shot. Now, I have 13 different piercings in my ears. All of them were done in tattoo shops. None of them got infected. When I was a kid getting my first piercings, my mom wouldn’t have let me set foot in a tattoo shop. I wish she had.

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Brian Keith Thompson, owner and chief piercing officer at West Hollywood’s Body Electric Tattoo, is part of a growing movement of piercers advocating for parents to take their kids to tattoo shops instead of the mall for piercings.

“I don’t prefer (the mall) because I had it done with my first piercing, and it didn’t go well for me, ” he told Pop Sugar. “They got infected because I have sensitive skin.”

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Thompson, whose Instagram is filled with adorable photos of the piercings he does for kids, also explained that piercing guns make for a more painful piercing, since they don’t use needles, and are dangerous because they can’t be properly sterilized.

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, not pierces it, ” he said. “The needle is made to pierce the skin. It heals faster. You can sterilize it.” Piercing guns, on the other hand, can’t be sterilized because the plastic would melt under the heat required to properly sterilize a tool. “You can sanitize it, wipe it down with MadaCide, but you can’t sterilize it. It’s made out of plastic. To properly sanitize something, you need heat and steam.”

According to the Association of Professional Piercers, piercing with a needle is much safer than the guns used in many jewelry stores and mall kiosks. It echoes the sterilization concerns that Thompson shared.

“It is the position of the Association of Professional Piercers that only sterile disposable equipment is suitable for body piercing, and that only materials which are certified as safe for internal implant should be placed in inside a fresh or unhealed piercing, ” the Association’s website states. “We consider unsafe any procedure that places vulnerable tissue in contact with either non-sterile equipment or jewelry that is not considered medically safe for long-term internal wear. Such procedures place the health of recipients at an unacceptable risk. For this reason, APP members may not use reusable ear piercing guns for any type of piercing procedure.”

Y.o.

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Thompson isn’t the only piercer who takes that standard seriously. Sarah LaRoe, a mom and professional piercer with several facial piercings of her own, told Time magazine that she supports petitions to ban piercing guns altogether.

“There is a stigma attached to tattoo parlors that they’re dirty and will be bombarded by foul-mouthed people, ” LaRoe added. In reality, though, tattoo parlors in many states face far stricter regulations for cleanliness than any store at the mall.

Thompson, who has pierced ears for clients as young as three weeks, did empathize that not every piercer wants to work with kids, so doing some research and calling ahead is important.

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“Go to Yelp, read reviews, and check websites out. If they have positive reviews, then call, ” he said. “Not all places will do it. Some states have different regulations. It’s not bad that they don’t want to do it, but some people don’t want to work with kids. So call and ask.”

Piercing

Childcare nightmareA Mom Brought Triplets And A Toddler To Jury Duty & People Have Thoughtsbeen thereThis Mom Is All Parents Dropping Their Youngest Off At Preschool For The First TimeFor many of us, getting your ears pierced is a rite of passage. And until my second daughter was old enough to want to do it, I had thought only of the mall gun-piercing option. It wasn’t until I saw an article online listing some reasons why you might want to take your kids to a reputable tattoo shop to get this major life event done, that I considered it an option. So, when my youngest daughter asked to get her ears pierced, I knew I would explore a local tattoo parlor this time around.

You must choose a reputable tattoo shop. Studio City Tattoo in Studio City, California immediately came to mind, as I have had many friends get tattoos there. I called to find out if they do kids’ ears piercing. They do! As a matter of fact, they have regular weekday times from 11am-3pm, set aside for kids’ ear piercings. I do think it’s recommended that you make an appointment, but we just walked in and only had to wait about a

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