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

[Anonymous]

I got my ears pierced at Piercing Pagoda in the 90s and recently took my oldest daughter there for her ears. No issues and no regrets.

[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.

FACTS!

Claire's is fine. No matter where you go, be sure to help your kid maintain them the first several weeks.
My pediatricians office does piece, but when I asked the doc, she said she hates when people come to her office to do it, because they just don't do it very often - we're better off going somewhere that does it all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait...so it's snobby to go to a tattoo parlor instead of Claire's? That's a stretch.

Sure, it's a "boutique" service vs a mass market solution that makes a thing safe and accessible for people at all levels of society. It's just more "I have a nanny and would never send my kids to daycare" attitude. But I have tattoos, so clearly my opinion is trashy from the very start!

I disagree with this perception. I think that DCUM can be haughty about some things, but I don't think this is one of them.

[Anonymous]

I got my ears pierced at Claire's as a kid and they're super crooked. I'd go to an experienced piercer.

[Anonymous]

Claire's is fine. Ask for the manager if you want someone with lots of experience. They probably do 10 piercings a day.

[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.

+1. If kids were getting infections from ear piercings at Claire's at the rate people believe it is happening on this board they would have been shut down by the health department long ago.

[Anonymous]

I took my older daughter to a piercing shop in Manassas. It was less expensive than the one near us and it had availability as this was only a few months after COVID re-opening. It was still expensive.

The "gem" on the earring fell off the front like a couple of days later. And then something else went wrong and basically her skin grew over the earring back - or became partly attached. She twisted it one day and there was a good bit of bleeding. And since it was 30 minutes each way to get there going back for replacement earrings or follow up was not convenient.

So we'll just be doing Claire's with my younger daughter.

[Anonymous]

My 10yo has had then done 3x now. First time tattoo place, 2nd time, professional piercer….. 3rd time I said I’m not paying for it anymore so she paid for it herself and we went to Claire’s. It’s actually not as cheap as it used to be. The earrings they offer have gotten pricy. She’s kept them in this time around though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Same! I highly recommend Craig Pokes U so they placed it correctly

[Anonymous]

Claire's is totally fine. I don't recommend Craig Pokes U for just an ear piecing.

[Anonymous]

I had my cartilage pierced at Claire's when I was growing up and it still gets sore every once in awhile. In general (especially with cartilage or piercings other than the bottom of ears), I think a needle is inherently better because it kind of pushes the flesh to the side, whereas a gun can displace it completely.

So, I will take my kids to a piercing/tattoo parlor, but I think it's fine to use Claires for first ear piercings.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t sister has a crooked piercing from Claire’s so I wouldn’t.

[Anonymous]

I'd do Claire's over the pediatrician. I had mine done by the pediatrician back in the day and they used a little handheld thing that looked like a staple remover that got caught and locked midway through the piercing. Lots of blood, pushing and pulling the thing to try to get it off my ear. The holes are also not ideally placed.

My mom took my younger sister to Claire's. Ha

[Anonymous]

Tattoo parlor all the way. They are regulated much more than places like Claire’s. Hygiene standards are way higher. I agree with PP about it being safer to use a needle to pierce. A gun just pushes the stud earring through the flesh.

[Anonymous]

Going to a piercing place is just as easy.