I admit, I am guilty for getting my first pair of piercings done with a gun and I am sure you know or heard of someone who have done the same. It is easy to walk through the mall and get your ears pierced at one of the jewelry kiosks you see, but professional piercers strongly emphasize that you should never use piercing guns to pierce any part of your body, including those ear lobes. Keep reading to learn why.
One major issue with piercing guns is cleanliness. When we get our piercings done by professional piercers, they use tools that are autoclaved, or sterilized at very high temperatures. Piercings guns are made of plastic and if autoclaved, the plastic will melt. Instead, they are wiped down by alcohol to kill most, but not all, of the bacteria. Some bacteria will still survive this process, and when this device pierces your ears, you may come into contact with it. If you or the person before you bled while getting their ears pierced, the blood would also come into contact with the piercing gun and may be contaminated with bloodborne pathogens that did not die with the wiping down with alcohol. Also, if the piercer touches the piercing and/or the gun, whatever bacteria was on their hands will also be on the piercing. This will increase your chances of being infected.
Another issue with piercing guns is trauma. These piercing guns force a blunt earring through the skin. Earrings may feel sharp to the touch, but they are in no way close to the sharpness of the needle used by professional piercers. Because of such bluntness, the gun is forcefully ripping through skin to make room for the piercing. This can lead scarring and infections. Being pierced by needle can also be a much less painful experience.
Lastly, another reason why you should go to professional piercers are that these people are professionals. These piercers have taken classes and have been trained not only on piercing people, but have been taught about microorganisms and pathogens, sterilization, and cross contamination. Usually, people who pierce with guns do not have as much training as professional piercers do. There are people who begin piercing with training done for as little as a few hours, opposed to the months piercers train for.
All in all, yes, there are people who pierce their ears with guns and are fine. However, do you really want to risk everything just to save a few dollars?
