Squiffy Teddy Does…Piercing your baby or child’s ears

If you think its a good idea to ram a needle or shoot a stud loaded gun through your baby or your child’s ears, then you need to make sure you know what this involves and what to look for from both the piercer and premises.

The dos and don’ts and rights and wrongs of piercing a child or infant and how to do it are infinite. We do not recommend that children have their ears pierced, but as this is such as common occurrence we have put together some advice as a starting point for parents, but still recommend that you carry out your own research and carefully weigh up all the arguments before making a decision.

There is currently no lower age limit for getting a piercing though high street store Claire’s Accessories, in Weston Super Mare told us they would not pierce a child younger than four months old. Their website clearly says they will not pierce a baby younger than six months old.

Would you expect to pop into a high street store to have a blood test or an injection? It’s unlikely.

Because a child’s ear is constantly growing, it is not wise to have your child’s ear pierced until they are at least seven years old. Babies with pierced ears are at risk of ripping the piercing out on bedding. Children can also do this during physical play and their dirty hands may play with a new piercing causing infection.

Generally, tattoo and piercing studios will not pierce a person under the age of 18 years old. High street stores should not pierce a person under the age of 16 without the consent of their parents.

If you still want to go ahead with it, firstly take advice from people who have already had their children’s ears pierced. Get word of mouth recommendations for piercers. Find out how much information they were given about looking after the piercing once completed, and how to take it out safely if need be.

Visit the shop before having the piercing. See if you can spot any potential health hazards. Would you expect to pop into a high street store to have a blood test or an injection? It’s unlikely and as piercing can carry the risk of blood borne infection, you are looking for the same level of hygiene that would expect from your health centre’s treatment room.

How piercing works
There are two ways to pierce ears. With a piercing gun or a needle. Only sterile disposable equipment is really suitable for piercing. This immediately rules out ear piercing by gun.

Commonly used reusable ear piercing guns appear to be a quick and easy way of making holes for relatively low cost. So would be a hammer and nail from B&Q but you wouldn’t choose this option either.

It is possible for an ear piercing gun to become contaminated with blood from a previous client and because most guns are made from plastic, they cannot be sterilised in a medically recognised way.

Anti-septic wipes are used to dust over them, but they only clean the external surface of the gun, not its inner working parts. The best way to sterilise piercing equipment is by using an autoclave. This device uses steam to sterilise equipment, destroying bacteria, viruses and spores. Because of the high temperatures it uses, plastic will melt.

There is a possibility that tiny particles of blood can transport into the inner mechanisms of the piercing gun. Because of this it is worth bearing in mind that hepatitis can live for periods of time on inanimate objects. Babies and young children with immature immune systems may be at a higher risk of such infection.

Only sterile disposable equipment is really suitable for piercing. This immediately rules out ear piercing by gun.

The gun pierces the ear by using the jewellery stud. These should be in sealed sterilised packaging before use. Though the stud looks pointed they are actually quite dull. The piercing happens when the stud is forced through the ear using high pressure. This is less of a piercing and more of a crush injury as the ear sustains similar tissue damage.

There are plenty of ear piercing horror stories to be heard, including when the gun’s spring loaded mechanism was not sufficient to force the jewellery properly through the ear, making the client have to go to casualty to have the offending stud surgically cut out. Gun operators are unlikely to be trained to deal with these kind of ‘when piercings go bad situations’.

Ear piercing studs can also be too short for some earlobes and though the pressure of the gun is enough to force the stud pieces to lock over the tissue, the compressed tissue can’t return to its normal state and becomes irritated. This can result in further swelling and increases the risk of infection because it cannot be thoroughly cleaned.

Off the high street, professional body piercers usually go through extensive training that may last years rather than a two-week training course. Piercing studios are generally part of a tattoo studio where the prevention of cross contamination and medical grade sterilisation is paramount.

Piercing here is done with a needle. This needle is hollow and sharp, slicing through the skin, and pushing tissue aside to make room for the jewellery to be put in. Needles are sterilised and disposable meaning that no part of it will have come into contact with a previous client.

What you really need to look for
To carry out ear piercing, the business and piercer must be registered by the local authority under section 15 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1982.

Local councils can now also make their own bye-laws and conditions to go with this which will vary from area to area.
You should be asked to read and sign a consent form, giving details of name, address and age. These should be retained by the piercer for two years afterwards. This will allow alleged cases of infection to be studied promptly.

All serious infections or complications that result from an ear piercing procedure happening within seven days of the piercing should be reported to the local environmental health department. It is important to get the ears checked out by a GP.

You should receive written information that you can take away with you explaining the risks of ear piercing, and after- care advice.

Is there a notice conspicuously displayed near the ear piercing area giving the name address and telephone number of the licensing council?

Get the piercer to talk you through what they will do and ask to see the equipment. Ask them how it is sterilised after each used.

Remember that bad sterilisation may result in:
Hepatitis B causing liver infection/jaundice,
Hepatitis C causing abdominal infection, jaundice, cirrhosis and liver cancer,
HIV causing immune system dysfunction leading to infections, cancers and death.

All serious infections or complications that result from an ear piercing procedure happening within seven days of the piercing should be reported to the local environmental health department.

Is the shop clean? Is the area around the piercing area clean? Is the shop and equipment around the area in a good enough repair to make sure it is can be cleaned effectively?

Is there any waste material from previous piercings lying around? Is everything disposed of correctly?

Is there a sink? Are the tables and chairs used by the client contaminated with blood or other bodily fluids?

There should be no eating, no drinking and no smoking in the area and a prominent sign reminding this.

What is the piercer doing with their hands? Have they washed them? Covered them with disposable gloves? Have they touched their mouths or nose since washing their hands?

Is the correct jewellery being put into ears during the piercing? Make sure non-nickel metal is used to avoid adverse allergic reactions.

As well as being prone to infection, bodies can also reject the piercing causing the area to erupt in a potentially permanent keloid scar.

It is worth bearing in mind that thousands of piercings take place every week with the client suffering from no adverse reaction, but is it really worth the risk to your baby or child?