Hollow Needle Piercings VS/ Piercing Guns
This is one most asked commonly asked questions! “ Why do you choose to pierce ears with a single-use sterilized needle instead of a piercing gun?” Well to start, Needles result in less tissue trauma, shorter healing time, and an overall more hygienic piercing procedure than piercing with a piercing gun. Needles also allow me to get a more precise piercing angle for the perfect piercing.In addition to using needles, all of my materials and jewelry are high-quality, implant-grade, and sterilized in a medical-grade autoclave (sterilizing machine). Fun fact: your dentist and/ doctors use the same machine to sterilize instruments between their patients.
When it comes to a piercing gun vs needle, it's obvious that only ONE of these tools should ever be used for piercing. Let’s talk about it!
PIERCING GUNS:
A piercing gun sounds scary, right? Well, it's kind of because piercing guns ARE scary. Piercing guns are often used in malls, and even some well known piercing studios… Just because a studio/place is well known, doesn’t mean that they are using sterile practices.
A piercing gun isn't really a gun at all. It's a small, usually plastic, device that shoots a "starter earring" through an earlobe. Some people even use piercing guns for other parts of the ear including cartilage, but this is a huge mistake. Even using them for lobes can cause many healing issues. Any new piercing is creating a wound to your body. So it’s important to be careful.
PROBLEMS:
So what makes piercing guns so bad anyway? I often to hear that some location’s that using piercing guns are cheaper, and while that might be true, you’re getting what you pay for…
Poor Training: Piercing Guns/Systems are not regulated in the state of Utah. So anyone operating a Piercing gun isn’t required to go through the same training as Hollow Needle piercers. (We have to learn all about anatomy, sanitation, bloodborne pathogens, proper placement, and more. We know how important it is to give our clients good results and we happy to put the work in.)
Unsterile: Many people aren't aware of how dirty piercing guns are. Piercing guns CANNOT be disinfected and sterilized, and this means that your piercings may not be sanitary. Some piercing guns get used on multiple people in a single day. Would you want someone to use a piercing gun on you if they just used it on a baby, a child, and a teenager within the same hour?
Quality of the Jewelry: Most piercing gun jewelry is made with mixture of metals including copper, which is unsafe for fresh piercings. They will usually be gold/copper mixtures and/or “sterling silver” both of those are not suitable for healing piercings. Most piercing guns also use butterfly backs. (Those are the backs that slide onto the earring posts and have a loopy "butterfly" shape.). In fresh piercings, you want to use straight posts with flat-backed jewelry. This allows room for the piercing location to swell, and heal. Butterfly-back earrings are stuck at one size and will not allow the tissue to swell, they also trap bacteria and are so much harder to clean properly.
More Painful: Too many people think that piercing needles are more painful than piercing guns, but this isn't the case, it will be more painful in the long run. Piercing guns don't actually "pierce" anything on their own. They use the jewelry to create a new hold in the body. When you use a piercing gun, the gun is using enough force to shove the jewelry through a thick earlobe and/or shattering a hole through your cartilage. The healing alone will be a nightmare.
Trauma: Piercing guns cause too much trauma to human tissue in general, but they can be extra traumatic for cartilage. As a matter of fact, piercing guns can shatter cartilage and cause excess scarring, keloids, and bumps. All piercings have the potential to scar, but your chances go up if you use a piercing gun. Never trust anyone who claims that you can use a piercing gun on your ear cartilage or, worse, your nostril.
So with all of this in mind, why are there still "piercers" who choose to use piercing guns. No legitimate piercer would use a piercing gun. That said, there are people who work at malls, jewelry stores, and even “pop up shops” that will use them. Why don't they know better? It usually comes down to ignorance. To give them the benefit of the doubt, they probably were taught that this was okay. Even though it clearly isn’t. Which is why it’s so important to do your research and continue your education in this industry.
HOLLOW NEEDLE:
A hollow needle isn't like a sewing needle. They're long hollow needles that come in a variety of thicknesses (in this case, gauges) to perform piercings safely and efficiently. The needles have longer bevels, slightly different shapes, and special coatings that made them easier and more comfortable to use for piercers and clients alike.
BENEFITS
Piercings are so much fun and great way to express yourself! It’s not my intention to scare you away from piercings in general, but to educate you to help you understand how to get pierced SAFELY. Lets talk about why the needle is a better option.
Better Training: This is the best reason to go to a professional piercer who uses a needle instead of someone who uses a piercing gun. We learn all about anatomy, hygiene, and everything else they need to know to make sure their clients end up with safe and healthy piercings. It is also regulated in Utah! So if you’re going to licensed studio (like K. Artistry) This means we have annual health inspections to make sure we are using safe practices.
Sizing: When you get pierced with a needle we can use the correct gauge/needle thickness for the specific locations. We are also able to provide you with a longer post to start out with to accommodate the initial swelling. Then we will downsize accordingly when the piercing is healing! This provides an overall more comfortable healing experience.
Less Painful: Piercings performed with needles will be far less painful than piercings performed with guns. When you get a needle piercing, the piercer is using a super sharp needle and a smooth and long bevel to slice right through your skin. That sounds scary, but it's no different than a doctor using a needle. You may feel a brief pinch and some pressure, but beyond that, there won't be much pain. With this in mind, this doesn't mean that needle piercings are painless. Pain is subjective, and what's painless for one person may be painful for another. But they’re typically less painful and the healing is alway quicker since we aren’t creating as much trauma to the tissue.
More Sanitary: Needles are always single-use. Not only that, but a good piercer will either unpackage a needle right in front of you or let you see it as it comes out of the sterile packaging The jewelry, if the piercer is good, will also be sterilized and handled with gloves rather than bare hands to minimize any potential contamination. Even if the piercer uses tools, like clamps, they will either be sterilized or single-use.
More Precise: When we start the piercing process, they start by marking your ears with a pen. I make sure you look at those markings, change them if you wish, and then perform the piercing. Because I’m using a needle, I’m able to ensure that the piercing goes exactly where it's meant to. This results in precise and even piercings. Precise piercings aren't as easy if you're using a piercing gun. Even if the piercer chooses to mark your skin, they won't be able to see the markings behind the bulky gun.
Jewelry Quality: Most professionals in this industry understand what quality of jewelry to provide for safe healing experience. This isn’t always the case, so ask your piercer to make sure! I use Implant grade titanium or SOLID 14k Gold jewelry ONLY.
Better Aftercare Support: I’m always here to offer support and will also teach you all about proper aftercare. I’m here to help you trouble shoot if needed! Someone at a mall who uses a piercing gun will not have the expertise to do this. Many offer bad advice, like spinning jewelry or using harsh products like Bactine or their “piercing solution” that is usually full of harsh chemicals.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A GUN PIERCING
So you have a gun piercing because you didn't know any better. Now what? If it's a piercing from when you were a child, there's not much to do for it now. The piercings will likely never close and they've probably healed well, even if they're not perfect.
If your piercing is somewhat new, however, we recommend visiting a professional piercer for a quick look. Don't worry about taking them out yet. A piercer will evaluate your piercings, see if they're even, and see if there's any need to re-do them. They can also swap out your jewelry for high-quality piercing jewelry that's ideal for healing.
PIERCING GUN VS NEEDLE: THE DIFFERENCE MATTERS
When it comes to choosing between a piercing gun vs needle, the answer is obvious. Needles are always going to be the best choice. These two piercing methods don't even compare. So the next time you're thinking about getting a new piercing, be sure to advocate for yourself and ask all the questions before getting it done! I’m alway happy to see you in my licensed studio! I serve clients all over the state of Utah!
