Using a piercing gun is a less accurate way of piercing as you can’t see where the needle will penetrate the skin and the pin is covered. This can affect the overall appearance of your piercing as they can be off-center and uneven. Potentially Slower Healing This is an extreme ear collapse. This isn’t common but it can happen. This is irreversible without surgery. Obviously if everyone who had a gun piercing was reporting issues, the practice would be stopped. There are risks present in any piercing method (gun or needle) but the risks with guns, the environment they are usually used in and the people who usually use them, are much higher than with a needle piercing. I’m not saying that a needle piercing has never caused a problem, but the frequency with which these are observed is much lower than with guns. Tragus piercings – I have no idea how people manage to do these piercings using a gun (I’ve seen conch piercings done with a gun as well, again, no idea how much shoving and pushing that it took to get the tissue into the gun).

Beguerie, J.R. and Petersen, A., 2017. Pseudomona Chondritis and Ear Piercing Pseudomona and Piercing.The aftercare advice given (if any) is usually inaccurate and any professional piercer will disagree with 90% of any information given on the aftercare sheets (pre-typed by the gun company) from these places – trust me, I’ve read one. Look for titanium, 14-karat gold, or surgical-grade steel. What are the different types of ear piercings?

If piercing guns are so unanimously hated, there must be a good reason why they are still used in a lot of places. There are different types of tissue in different parts of your ear, so how long it takes to heal depends on your body and the place you've pierced.The reason I have put this blog together is to educate people that you DO have a choice when it comes to piercings! If after reading all this, you are happy to be pierced with a gun, then there’s nothing anyone can do to stop you, but I do hope that this has given you food for thought. People will pierce anywhere that they can with a gun. I’ve seen nipples, navels, conches, rooks, eyebrows and even in one case – an intimate piercing done with a gun. Below are a few more examples of other body parts pierced with a gun. This is rarely the fault of the piercee, as mentioned before, when you go somewhere that advertises that they perform piercing, you expect the piercings to be done in the safest, most hygienic way possible. It is not for the client to question the piercer’s methods, but as is the purpose of this blog, ask which method will be used and then you can make an informed choice. Caring for pierced ears. American Academy of Dermatology. https://www.aad.org/public/skin-hair-nails/skin-care/caring-for-pierced-ears. Accessed Jan. 7, 2018. I’m not for one minute saying that EVERY gun piercing will cause problems, or that EVERY needle piercing will heal without incident. Needle piercings can be problematic and swell, just like gun piercings, but it’s a much less common occurrence. And the damage done (if any) is much more rarely permanent/extensive. Proper aftercare is required with any piercing; failure to follow it can easily result in a poorly piercing, whether done with a gun or needle. The main problem with gun piercings is the jewellery used being sub-standard. I see many more gun piercings that have triggered an allergic reaction than those which are infected. Needle piercing can be SAFELY used for a much wider range of placements, and with far more jewellery options.