Medical Ear Piercing FAQ

There is lot of misinformation regarding ear piercings therefore we have put together a list of frequently asked questions for your information.

• What are the risks of ear piercing?
• How can I make an appointment with your ear piercing professionals?
• Where should I get my ears or my child's ears pierced?
• Can I swim after I pierce my ears?
• Can I bring my own earrings?
• My kids want to have their ears pierced. I have heard that ear piercing can cause nickel allergy. Is that correct?
• Among friends we discuss whether gold is less allergenic than titanium and therefore better for ear piercing. Would you be so kind to give us the correct information?
• I had my ears pierced two weeks ago and now I have got an infection in one of the piercings. What should I do?
• Why should I not twist the earrings during the healing period?
• For how long should I wear the ear piercing earrings?

What are the risks of ear piercing?

Infection: Anytime the skin is broken there is the risk of infection. We use sterile techniques to prevent the risk of infection. Our patient education material provide detailed instruction on after care of the ear lobes. Our technique is bloodless and our single use sterile catridges eliminate cross-contamination.

Pain: The The procedure causes minimal pain. However, since we are physician owned and supervised, we are able to perform your ear piercing with topical anesthesia if you so prefer.

Allergic reactions: Allergy to nickel and other components of earrings and ear piercers can occur. At Medical Ear Piercing Clinics, we use medical grade materials and earrings to prevent allergies.

Keloids: Keloids are excessive scar tissue that form around a wound. Keloids may occur after ear piercing and are 80% more likely to occur if ears are pierced after age 11 years. Other risk factors for keloids include dark skin, previous keloid formation and nickel containig earrings.

How can I make an appointment with your ear piercing professionals?

It is best to make an appointment online. Our hours are by appointment at all our locations. Our prices start from $60 depending on age of child, type of ear ring and local anesthetic use.

Where should I get my ears or my child's ears pierced?

Medical Ear Piercing Clinics exists to provide a safe, hygienic and professional alternative to mall kilosks and tattoo parlors. Our medical professional are experienced in painless, aseptic techniques and service all ages from newborn to adults.

Can I swim after I pierce my ears?

Chlorine and the bacteria in unchlorinated waters may both irritate your newly pierced ear. It is therefore recommended that you wait 2-3 weeks after your piercing.

Can I bring my own earrings?

In order to reduce the risk of infection and nickel allergy we only use our medically sterile earrings.

My kids want to have their ears pierced. I have heard that ear piercing can cause nickel allergy. Is that correct?

The ear piercing procedure as such cannot cause nickel allergy. It is the material that some ear piercing earrings are made of which can cause nickel allergy. All ear piercing earrings made of metal contain nickel– more or less - even gold and silver. The only ear piercing earrings that do not contain any nickel are the ones made of Medical Plastic. Therefore we recommend that your kids get their ears pierced with Medical Plastic.

Among friends we discuss whether gold is less allergenic than titanium and therefore better for ear piercing. Would you be so kind to give us the correct information?

If both metals gold and titanium contain the same amount of nickel, titanium is the best metal for ear piercing as titanium binds nickel better than any other metal, including gold. In other words titanium will leak less nickel than any other metal, which means that titanium is less likely to cause nickel allergy.

I had my ears pierced two weeks ago and now I have got an infection in one of the piercings. What should I do?

It is difficult to give an exact answer without knowing the exact condition of the ear but as general advice: - If the infection is in the soft part of the ear remove the ear piercing earring, clean with an antiseptic. If no recovery until next day – see a physician. - If the infection is in the hard part of the ear (cartilage) – remove the earring, clean with an antiseptic and see a physician immediately as infection in cartilage needs urgent medical attention. Other symptoms that need urgent medical attention are redness spreading from the piercing and a very swollen ear.

Why should I not twist the earrings during the healing period?

If you twist the earrings without having carefully washed the ears and your hands first, it can result in an infection. A common misunderstanding is that if you do not twist the ear piercing earring the skin will grow onto the earring – this will not happen with Medical Ear Piercing. Also, do not let the piercing be without any earring as the piercing will shrink and the diameter of the hole will quickly be reduced, especially during the first year.

For how long should I wear the ear piercing earrings?

When you have pierced the soft part of your ear so we recommend you to wait for at least six weeks until you remove the ear piercing earring. When the time has come to change the earrings, we recommend you to take out the ear piercing earring directly after you have taken a shower and washed your hair. Do not let the piercing be without any earring as the piercing will shrink and the diameter of the hole will quickly be reduced, especially during the first year.