Many people would want to pierce their ears at home because of multiple reasons. The pain is worth the gain. For one, it is so much cheaper than going to a professional place and getting it done. But is it safe? Let’s find out.
Can you pierce your ear with a sewing needle?
It can be dangerous to pierce your ear with a sewing needle if you don’t do it right, but nevertheless, it is done by a lot of people. With the appropriate sewing needle and the correct way of numbing your ear, you can easily pierce your ear.
However, it requires some of the essential safety measures that should be taken before you proceed to do the deed on your own.
If you are successful following all the safety precautions, you will see that opening of the hole will be exceptionally small, since it would have been done with a sewing needle instead of a piercing one.
Secondly, while you are piercing your ear, you are more likely to puncture through and out of your skin, which increases the risks of excessive bleeding, infections and contamination.
So, it’s not inherently protected, but rather you can make it more secure on your own.
How to numb your ear when piercing it?
Before piercing, ear can be numbed by:
- Cold Compress
- Ice packs
- Skin desensitizing/numbing cream
- Chamomile essential oils
- Tapping of the skin
A cold compress or an ice pack numbs our skin prior to a procedure such as an ear-piercing. It can also be done by a skin desensitizing cream with lidocaine subordinates to help anaesthetize the ear cartilage. Putting a thick layer of the numbing creams for 30 minutes to 60 minutes can also do the trick.
Chamomile essential oils adequately enter underneath your skin’s surface into the more profound layers as an effective mitigating specialist. Tapping your skin strongly a couple of times can have a brief desensitizing impact.
Which sizes of needles can you use for piercing?
Needles of different gauge sizes are used for different body piercings. But as we mainly are focusing on the earlobes, we approximately need 18G and 20G. Furthermore, it depends on the specific area that we are primarily focused on to pierce. These can include tragus, helix, rook, and conch; now these areas require 16G and 18G needles.
As we are well aware of the different types or varying needles which are technically used for various purposes. Some of these include,
- Hollow
- Cannula and
- Curved needles
Safety Precautions Mandatory to Follow When Piercing Ear with a Needle
There’re few things to consider if you’re going to self-pierce.
- Ensure that you disinfect everything that will be utilized during the puncturing (including anything you may have to contact during the cycle). What’s more; wear careful gloves.
- As we know that piercing will hurt. So for the sting generated by the piercing, consider a nearby pain-relieving like Orajel or an ice pack.
- Even after it is done stinging, it will take some time to completely heal. So set up a saline drench or some other kind of sanitizing each day for a few days.
Does ear piercing hurt with a needle?
It is normal to feel a stinging sensation after piercing your ear with a needle or any other thing because you are puncturing a hole in your earlobe. Still, overall, it is a bearable pain just a little prick, and you get done.
Using different types of numbing methods, as described above, always does the work very swiftly and smoothly. Nothing too much to be alarmed at as far as the pain is concerned (If done right).
Is piercing with a gun better than getting it done by a needle?
Overall, piercing with a needle is much safer and less painful as compared to a gun, but there are no serious health issues attached to the guns as well (Many people have their ears pierced by a gun and its completely fine).
As per the saying old is gold, we should stick to the old methods of we’re not familiar with the new ones, and the oldest of them all is to get the piercing done by a needle.
Here are some points in the debate of piercing with a needle vs. piercing with a gun:
-
Risk of Infection and Disease Transmission:-
Disease transmission is conceivable even with expendable cartridges when the parts are used inaccurately or when the administrator doesn’t comprehend or adhere to the standard cleanliness rehearses. Body liquids or regular microbes might become kept onto any region of the puncturing gun and afterwards, moved to another customer.
· We Don’t All Have “Standard” Size Earlobes:-
Piercing guns use stud earrings of standard length and width. People with thick earlobes may find their new studs or earrings becoming tight when the lobes swell after piercing. They will have little to almost no post length to use for expansion to relieve the pressure.
-
Low Quality of Jewellery:-
You often don’t get the desired earring while getting yourself pierced with a gun. It’s already embedded in the piercing gun. The standard stopper or the clasp used is the butterfly clasps which may not be suitable for everyone.
-
No Proper Sterilization:-
You can’t sterilize a piercing gun. And sterilization is necessary because it kills all the “viable microorganisms,” while disinfection reduces the number of viable microorganisms.
The reason why piercing guns cannot be sterilized is because they are made of plastic. The plastic would melt in an autoclave (a machine used to sterilize instruments like needles, jewellery, and other tools we might use during the piercing).
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Not a Promised Desired Result:-
There’s a difference in the degrees of trauma sustained by the surrounding tissue. While doing it with a needle, you need to be assured that you are going to get a definite puncture or a hole as you may say in your ear lobe.
While in some cases the piercing apparatus in front of the gun can get stuck in your earlobe if it’s too thick and that further causes heavy damage and excessive bleeding.
Is it a bad idea to pierce your own ears?
If you think you can bear the stinging and that you won’t chicken out halfway through the process of piercing your ear with the help of a needle, then no it’s not a bad idea to pierce your ears yourself.
It’s an old tradition that girls often do it together; they numb by placing an ice cube behind the earlobe and then pierce the ear with a sewing needle’s help. But you are promised a desired result by the end of the time.
But it should be done In the presence of someone experienced.
What should you do after getting your ears pierced?
You should make sure that it does not get affected or contaminated by any infectious particles. Let it sit for a day completely untouched as it should start the healing process very soon. Meanwhile, you can take herbal relaxants like lavender and chamomile.
Other than that, try to keep your piercing dry and prevent it from getting moist. Avoid getting it wet as microbes are more active in humid environments. Use antibiotic lubes after a day or two.
The old remedies are always of help, like in order to increase the healing process you can use the curry oil. It has intrinsic properties that help in overall keeping the site of the piercing.
FINAL VERDICT
It would not be advisable to just start making holes in your ear by yourself. There is a good reason that most piercing apprenticeships last for over a year; they are professionals and know what they are doing.
However, if you take time to educate yourself about proper technique, risks, aftercare, and jewelry, you can substantially minimize the chances of something going wrong when you DIY it.
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