Ear piercings for children

Here at Lighthouse, we often get asked “Do you do ear piercing for children?” From the off, we should say we understand that this is quite a controversial subject among piercers and parents alike, for a few different reasons.

Is the choice to get pierced that of the child or the parent? Is the child mature enough to look after their own piercing?

And then there is the fact that piercings can be quite painful. We understand all of this, and because it’s such a sensitive area of debate, we have our own policy. Firstly, we will only pierce a child’s ears (earlobes only) if they have explicitly asked for it themselves. Secondly, we feel that 13 years and above is an appropriate age for this.

Our policy at Lighthouse has long been that we will only pierce those over 14. However, our younger clients are most often very sensible and responsible in taking good care of their new piercings. So, with much consideration, we have now decided to offer both earlobe and navel piercings to mature 13-year-olds.

The rules remain the same in terms of parental permission. A parent or guardian must attend and be present throughout the entire procedure, and both must bring some form of ID (passports are ideal). Furthermore, the minor getting pierced must demonstrate to their piercer that they fully understand what aftercare is required, and the implications of neglecting their new piercing.

The dangers of piercing guns

Parents are becoming more and more aware of the dangers of piercing children’s ears (or anybody’s, for that matter) with reusable piercing guns. In fact, any piercer worth their salt won’t use a piercing gun, for more than one reason. They have major drawbacks in terms of sterility and accurate placement, but the problems don’t stop there.

Piercing guns are often not sanitised correctly and it’s actually very difficult to do so, even with antiseptic wipes. Furthermore, fluid buildup between clients can lead to dangerous contamination and infection. And because these guns use studs to pierce the ears, they cause significant damage to the skin. In fact, because they’re quite dull, the ears can incur significant tissue damage caused by blunt force trauma.

Here at Lighthouse, you will only see us using the highest quality, single-use, sterilised needles.

Other things to consider

After a piercing, the jewellery must stay in the ears for at least four months. Even thereafter, it’s important to wear earrings almost constantly for several months. So, it’s a good idea to schedule your child’s piercing for a time when they won’t be engaging in a lot of activity, i.e., wait until the sports season is over. It’s also important to remember that they shouldn’t swim for at least 6-weeks after they’re got their piercing.

If you still have questions around piercings for children, please feel free to get in touch. Give us a call on 01273 739019 or visit our shop on Queen’s Road in Brighton. We’d love to talk you through things.