Does the top of your ear get pierced with a gun or a needle?

Answer 1

By needle, ALWAYS by needle. Never, ever, and I do mean EVER get pierced with a germ ridden plastic piercing "gun", which in this instance is an appropriate title since it destroys the tissue that it gets put in front of. The problem with them mainly is that they are made of a poor grade plastic, which cannot be sterilized in an autoclave and are only ever cleaned with mid grade germicide which cannot ensure the most hygienic possible procedure, and this is to presume that the gun gets cleaned regularly to begin with. Just as significant is that the posts on the earrings, that are quite brutishly shoved through your ear, are too short to accommodate swelling which will cause a good deal of pain and probable rejection during the healing. In the instance of upper cartilage piercings, the gun has a nice tendency to "crunch" cartilage and roll blood vessels. Even more significant to this fact, is that the ear "piercers" at places that offer piercing gun services are usually not, nor are they required to be studied in piercing, to be accredited in bloodborne pathogen training, and usually just really don't know what they're doing. You'll be lucky if they wash their hands or wear gloves during the procedure, and they will only give you a watered down astringent for your ears for aftercare, which more often than not, dries the site out. A professional body piercer will have the education, tools, and bedside manor more so than a senior citizen at a piercing kiosk in a mall and will use a medically autoclaved piercing needle and set up to ensure that you are getting a clean and quality piercing while at the same time using their experience to put you at ease in a nervous moment and will apply lubricant to the needle and will gently, but with ample force, slide the needle through your cartilage and educate you in how to take good aftercare of it.

Answer 2

NO! They absolutely shouldn't. Piercing guns are very harmful -- hollow needles should always be used.