Why You Should NOT Get Your Ears Pierced In a Mall!

I remember the day that I got my ears pierced. I was ten years old and had just gotten my Dorothy Hamill haircut freshened up by Cindy, our hair dresser at Trudeau's Salon on Rt. 1 in Saco. I was wearing my super-huge eyeglasses that had a "C" sticker on the bottom of the left lens and a tiny gold butterfly sticker on the right lens. I also collected stick pins. Anyway, my mom decided to treat me to the amazing rite of passage that I had looked forward to for so long, going to the mall to get my ears pierced. I was nervous, I was scared and excited! I wanted pierced ears so badly! I wanted to wear lady bug earrings and birthstone studs! I watched a girl younger than me climb into the chair and the pressure was on. I couldn't chicken out now. If that little 4 year old could hold it together in the name of vanity, than gosh darn it, I could too! I almost passed out from the anticipation, then, "CHUNK", that industrial sound that you hear so loudly in your head when the pimply 16 year old girl pulls the trigger on the piercing gun! And just like that, I crossed over. I was a woman now. Strawberry Lip Smacker gloss was not far behind...

Now that I have shared my special childhood memory with you, I will share with you why we should not bring our daughters to a mall to get THEIR ears pierced!

The major problem is that the plastic piercing guns can't be properly sanitized. The plastic would melt in the autoclave, which is what regular piercing needles and the earrings themselves would be sterilized in. An antiseptic wipe used on the piercing gun isn't enough. There's still a risk of spreading diseases like staph infections and hepatitis after multiple uses. This is especially dangerous to people with immature or compromised immune systems, like babies and young children. Simply disinfecting only reduces the number of viable microorganisms, sterilizing instruments kills microorganisms and is the best defense against infection. The best bet is to go to a professional piercer.

What was your experience having your ears pierced? Did it involve an ice cube and a needle? Comment on our Fan Page or tweet #anotherholeinmyhead

Still waiting for those diamond studs.

Celeste