Walmart EarPeircings???

[Karen]

I worked at an Earring Tree years ago. We pierced ears with a gun, and everything WAS sterile. The earring were completely contained in a little sterile plastic "cartridge" so human hands never got to touch them. The cartridge was loaded into the gun and only the sterile plastic - and of course the earring inside it - touched the ear. We never had any problems with people coming back with infections, and one of the girls that worked there that summer had me give her another hole every other paycheck - several of them in cartilage.

My ears are not pierced, in case you are wondering. There are metal allergies in my family, and I never saw the point of punching a hole in one's body to hang metal objects from it. But that's just my opinion.

[Donnaj4962]

I have 2 holes in each of my ears, and has them done at Claires. I have never had any problems. Both sets were done with a gun. I have a friend whose daughter recently got her 2nd holes done at Walmart, and has had no problems.

When I got my cartilige pireced, I HAD to go to a tattoo parlor. Indiana has a law that will not allow places that pierce ears to pierce cartilige because of the risk of infection and specialized training that needs to be done. I got mine done for $40.00 ($10.00 more for the piercer's tip) and I have had no problems. He did it with a needle, and it HURT! But it was worth it.

I must, however, caution about breast piercings. There was an article in the paper this past weekend about a girl here in Indiana that had both nipples pierced, and gangrene set in and she has had to have both breasts removed. She is only 18, I believe! She had some sort of medical condition with her blood that caused the gangrene to set in, but the article also indicated that there was concern about the sterility of the needles used. She had it done at a tattoo parlor in Indiana.

[ramanth]

Had my ears pierced three times (lobes twice and once in cartlidge) and all were done at Claire's. Never had a problem with infection.

[moosmom]

Please be careful when having your cartalidge done. There's a nerve in the area that, if pierced, can cause permanent hearing impairment. I know, because it happened to me.

I'd try the mall. They have kiosks there that advertise free piercings with the purchase of studs. I'd trust them long before I'd trust Wal-Mart.