Is it really that bad to get ears pierced at Claire’s?

[Anonymous]

My kid wants to get her ears pierced for her sixth birthday. I’ve seen a lot of recommendations for piercing places and pediatricians. Has anyone recently done Claire’s? How was the experience? It seems so easy in comparison…

[Anonymous]

It's fine, truly. It's been several years, but my daughter got her ears pierced at Claire's in Montgomery Mall. The main thing is making sure to manage the healing process with her - a 6yo isn't going to be able to be as diligent as you need to be the first stretch of time.

Honestly, the Claire's people do a lot of piercings and their process is pretty solid. It is a different piercing process than is normal at a tattoo shop, and I think that it's expensive for what it is, but it's fine. This board is snobby af and very paranoid about things seeming low-class.

[Anonymous]

I had my ears pierced there when I was young. The piercings were placed too low on my lobes, so there are certain earrings I can never wear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's fine, truly. It's been several years, but my daughter got her ears pierced at Claire's in Montgomery Mall. The main thing is making sure to manage the healing process with her - a 6yo isn't going to be able to be as diligent as you need to be the first stretch of time.

Honestly, the Claire's people do a lot of piercings and their process is pretty solid. It is a different piercing process than is normal at a tattoo shop, and I think that it's expensive for what it is, but it's fine. This board is snobby af and very paranoid about things seeming low-class.

I don't think it's snobby to understand that Claire's uses a piercing gun with parts made of plastic that can't go into an autoclave to be properly sterilized. It just carries a higher risk of infection to do it with a piercing gun, Claire's or not. Personally, I think the risk is small, but it's up to the individual to accept that greater risk.

[Anonymous]

My daughter’s friends who got their ears pierced there got infections.

[Anonymous]

I had mine done at Claire's as a child and took my daughter to the pediatrician.
I think they both use similar equipment.
I think Claire's is fine but I would follow my ped's advice of only solid gold earrings for the first year. We bought nice gold studs that she could wear all the time.

[Anonymous]

I’ve only done it at Claire’s, and one of my kids has three piercings on each ear. It’s been fine for us, no issues.

[Anonymous]

It’s fine.

[Anonymous]

Its fine to get it from a gun from a shop in mall but better to get it from a pediatrician or a piercing shop with a needle.

[Anonymous]

I was more concerned about the holes being placed correctly than the healing process TBH. So that's why we went with a tattoo shop. It was also easier for the kids to be lying down on a table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's fine, truly. It's been several years, but my daughter got her ears pierced at Claire's in Montgomery Mall. The main thing is making sure to manage the healing process with her - a 6yo isn't going to be able to be as diligent as you need to be the first stretch of time.

Honestly, the Claire's people do a lot of piercings and their process is pretty solid. It is a different piercing process than is normal at a tattoo shop, and I think that it's expensive for what it is, but it's fine. This board is snobby af and very paranoid about things seeming low-class.

I don't think it's snobby to understand that Claire's uses a piercing gun with parts made of plastic that can't go into an autoclave to be properly sterilized. It just carries a higher risk of infection to do it with a piercing gun, Claire's or not. Personally, I think the risk is small, but it's up to the individual to accept that greater risk.

See, I see that everywhere, but it just doesn't ring true. The guns they use at Claire's are basically holders for the single-use cartridges they loads the starter earrings into and then that is what pierces the ear. It's not one needle in a plastic gun that they wipe with a Clorox wipe between crying kids. The "gun" never actually touches anyone other than the Claire's employee holding it. The main risk of infection continues to be in aftercare, per my tattoo artist, who asked the poor girl at Claire's about a hundred questions and asked to see the whole process when his kid wanted her ears pierced there.

But on this board? It's snobby. Half the people posting here are embarrassed that they use drug store makeup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's fine, truly. It's been several years, but my daughter got her ears pierced at Claire's in Montgomery Mall. The main thing is making sure to manage the healing process with her - a 6yo isn't going to be able to be as diligent as you need to be the first stretch of time.

Honestly, the Claire's people do a lot of piercings and their process is pretty solid. It is a different piercing process than is normal at a tattoo shop, and I think that it's expensive for what it is, but it's fine. This board is snobby af and very paranoid about things seeming low-class.

I don't think it's snobby to understand that Claire's uses a piercing gun with parts made of plastic that can't go into an autoclave to be properly sterilized. It just carries a higher risk of infection to do it with a piercing gun, Claire's or not. Personally, I think the risk is small, but it's up to the individual to accept that greater risk.

+1. I am not an expert but it looked like my pediatrician was using the same piercing gun as Claire's. I am sure it was sanitary.

See, I see that everywhere, but it just doesn't ring true. The guns they use at Claire's are basically holders for the single-use cartridges they loads the starter earrings into and then that is what pierces the ear. It's not one needle in a plastic gun that they wipe with a Clorox wipe between crying kids. The "gun" never actually touches anyone other than the Claire's employee holding it. The main risk of infection continues to be in aftercare, per my tattoo artist, who asked the poor girl at Claire's about a hundred questions and asked to see the whole process when his kid wanted her ears pierced there.

But on this board? It's snobby. Half the people posting here are embarrassed that they use drug store makeup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's fine, truly. It's been several years, but my daughter got her ears pierced at Claire's in Montgomery Mall. The main thing is making sure to manage the healing process with her - a 6yo isn't going to be able to be as diligent as you need to be the first stretch of time.

Honestly, the Claire's people do a lot of piercings and their process is pretty solid. It is a different piercing process than is normal at a tattoo shop, and I think that it's expensive for what it is, but it's fine. This board is snobby af and very paranoid about things seeming low-class.

I don't think it's snobby to understand that Claire's uses a piercing gun with parts made of plastic that can't go into an autoclave to be properly sterilized. It just carries a higher risk of infection to do it with a piercing gun, Claire's or not. Personally, I think the risk is small, but it's up to the individual to accept that greater risk.

See, I see that everywhere, but it just doesn't ring true. The guns they use at Claire's are basically holders for the single-use cartridges they loads the starter earrings into and then that is what pierces the ear. It's not one needle in a plastic gun that they wipe with a Clorox wipe between crying kids. The "gun" never actually touches anyone other than the Claire's employee holding it. The main risk of infection continues to be in aftercare, per my tattoo artist, who asked the poor girl at Claire's about a hundred questions and asked to see the whole process when his kid wanted her ears pierced there.

But on this board? It's snobby. Half the people posting here are embarrassed that they use drug store makeup.

Haha I like you. The place most often recommended in my neighborhood (Fatty’s) requires the child to have a state ID or passport, which we don’t have yet. It’s wild to me that so many of the things that were so easy growing up are so complicated in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's fine, truly. It's been several years, but my daughter got her ears pierced at Claire's in Montgomery Mall. The main thing is making sure to manage the healing process with her - a 6yo isn't going to be able to be as diligent as you need to be the first stretch of time.

Honestly, the Claire's people do a lot of piercings and their process is pretty solid. It is a different piercing process than is normal at a tattoo shop, and I think that it's expensive for what it is, but it's fine. This board is snobby af and very paranoid about things seeming low-class.

I don't think it's snobby to understand that Claire's uses a piercing gun with parts made of plastic that can't go into an autoclave to be properly sterilized. It just carries a higher risk of infection to do it with a piercing gun, Claire's or not. Personally, I think the risk is small, but it's up to the individual to accept that greater risk.

See, I see that everywhere, but it just doesn't ring true. The guns they use at Claire's are basically holders for the single-use cartridges they loads the starter earrings into and then that is what pierces the ear. It's not one needle in a plastic gun that they wipe with a Clorox wipe between crying kids. The "gun" never actually touches anyone other than the Claire's employee holding it. The main risk of infection continues to be in aftercare, per my tattoo artist, who asked the poor girl at Claire's about a hundred questions and asked to see the whole process when his kid wanted her ears pierced there.

But on this board? It's snobby. Half the people posting here are embarrassed that they use drug store makeup.

[Anonymous]

Of course it's not "bad" - the vast majority of us 90s kids got our ears pierced at Claire's and we're generally fine. In the grand scheme of things, I think you can cross this worry of your list.

That being said - not sure how getting your ears pierced at Claire's is easier than just going to a tattoo/piercing parlor. A quick google search of "DC piercing parlor" and clicking on the first link got me a place that has pricing and info on piercing for minors, and makes appointments online. Why not just do that? You could have done that it less time than writing this post.