Does ear piercing hurt?

Ear piercings are usually the least painful kind of body piercing. All our piercing earrings have ultra-thin piercing posts, which aid faster healing and help to minimise any discomfort. Despite this, piercing can still sting a little, and for young children this can be a little surprising so we encourage you to discuss this with your child before booking. For adults, most find the service mildly uncomfortable and discomfort is over fast.

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What is the minimum age for ear piercing?

Our ear piercing service is available for adults and children. Children will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Photo ID  may be required when accompanying a minor, so please bring a passport or driving licence with you.

 

How is the ear piercing done?

Before the procedure, we will take you through the relevant forms that need to be signed. Once this is done, the ear piercing specialist will then clean and mark your ear where the piercing is to be, you will be given a mirror and ask to confirm if you are happy with that placement. The piercing is completed with Caflon Blu equipment and pierced with a gun. When the piercing is complete, the specialist will take you through the aftercare and show you how to cleanse and care for your piercing.

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Piercing Aftercare 101

From infections to healing time, it’s essential to care for your new piercing from home.

A fresh piercing is susceptible to infection, some may even be rejected by the body, which means aftercare of a new piercing is extremely important. On the day of your appointment, your piercer will offer you saline solution and an aftercare leaflet to help you take care of your piercing once you leave the clinic, but here are some other things you can do (as well as what to look out for) to ensure a safe and healthy healing period.

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Cleaning Instruction

1. Always wash your hands thoroughly before cleaning your piercing. A piercing is an open wound, so unwashed hand can transfer bacteria and cause infection.

2. Cleanse both sides of the piercing with a saline solution three times a day until it is fully healed. We recommend the pre-made aftercare solution offered to you at the time of your piercing at Body TLC.

3. Avoid irritating your piercing with products such as hairspray, shampoo, soap, perfume or cosmetics. After using any of these, clean your piercing with your ear care solution.

4. In many cases, proper aftercare procedures will clear up an irritation that develops in the earlobe. Check to see if earrings are too tight. Loosen if necessary and continue cleansing with ear care solution three times a day. If the problem continues, seek medical attention immediately.

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Advice and Tips

1. Pain, redness and swelling are not a normal result of ear piercing and can lead to infection. Should pain, redness or swelling appear any time more than 24 hours after the piercing, see your doctor immediately.

2. Take extra care when removing clothing over the head or brushing hair, so that earrings don't get caught. Be careful when participating in sports or rough play.

3. Avoid sleeping on your new piercing. When going to bed, always check to make sure the earring is secured. You can always use a travel pillow to suspend the ear in the middle of the hole while you sleep.

4. Gently rotate your earrings three times a day after cleaning to prevent them adhering to the ear.

5. Do not remove or change the earring until the piercing has fully healed or you are advised to do so, as this will result in infection or the piercing closing. Your piercer will give you approximate healing times – but everyone is different, and the healing time can vary depending upon age, health, diet and lifestyle.

6. We recommend avoiding swimming in chlorinated pool water or freshwater lakes during the healing process. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the experts at Body TLC for advice.

7. Sometimes redness and swelling experienced after piercing is due to a metal allergy, not an infection. Nickel used for strength in many metal alloys, is the most common metal allergen. All Caflon piercing earrings meet global standards for nickel release requirements, the European Union Directive 94/27/EC-the Nickel Directive (Reach ANNEX XVII). All our gold products have very low nickel content – less than 0.025%.

8. For people with nickel allergies, our surgical grade titanium earrings are 100% nickel-free.

 

Piercing Health and Safety

When visiting us for a piercing, your safety is number one.

Safety measures are especially crucial in the piercing world and to guarantee your experience is as safe as possible, hygiene is our top priority. From staff training and sterile equipment to complimentary ear cleaning solution (for under 10's, £1 for 10+) for you to take home, we’ve got you covered.

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Staff Training

We want to make sure you’re comfortable and at ease before, during and after your piercing. For that reason, our staff are specially trained and adhere to both a COVID-19 checklist and strict piercing guidelines to make sure your ear piercing experience with us is the best it can be.
 

A Sterile Studio

The HS piercing studio adheres to safety guidelines and uses sterilised equipment, to ensure that both you and your piercer are well-protected. We are proud to use the exclusive Inverness ear piercing system where earrings are packaged in sterile, tamper-resistant cassettes. Each individual earring and exclusive Inverness Safety Back™ are fully enclosed in our sterile earring capsules and are not opened until selected for piercing.

For your peace of mind, all Caflon piercing earrings are made from premium hypoallergenic metals and feature ultra-thin piercing posts for a gentle experience that minimises discomfort.