Children and Earlobe Piercing
A big milestone for children is having their earlobes pierced for the first time. It’s scary but also exciting! And it is absolutely the most fun time had in this studio! There are some issues that can arise, largely due to unrealistic expectations. So here are some things to mull over while deciding if your child is ready.
Realistic Considerations:
Infants and toddlers always cry (sometimes before we ever do anything! 😅) Young children cry, too, but more from fear than from pain.
Child should be able to sit through both ear piercings, tears are fine but sometimes the fear is too much. We will not force any child through the process.
Pain is relative, but young children cannot understand that ear piercing pain is very brief and fleeting (no amount of discussion can change this).
Asking for earrings is not a sign of readiness; judge readiness by how they do at the doctor’s office or with minor injuries, as well as risk of pulling at ears
1st holes only until the earlobes grow enough to support a second pair (often ~ age 10 or so), but this is an anatomy-specific decision for the piercer. (See below)
This studio always has a very long view regarding body piercing. We focus on healing first and foremost. Jewelry is a concern for once the sites are fully healed. However, we have been under the assumption (from the “mall”) that since earrings are involved they are the only thing that matters. False - healing is everything! And incomplete healing is something we see coming back to haunt women later down the road! So… Healing First. Fun jewelry Later!
Risks of Earlobe piercings that are too close:
Irritation, migration, and rejection: Close piercings can increase the risk of the body pushing the jewelry out.
Tearing: Having multiple piercings that are too close together can weaken the earlobe, making it more susceptible to tearing if a piercing gets pulled or snagged.
Aesthetic issues: The jewelry may look crowded or unbalanced, even if the piercing itself is otherwise healthy.
Growth: Children’s earlobes grow as the rest of them grows. The piercer will take that into consideration when evaluating anatomy.
Crowding 1st & 2nd, Wide 3rd
The earlobe piercings pictured here were done when this client was very young. The alignment was never great, but the crowding and gaps got worse as her ear grew.