Ear Piercing Gun

The piercing gun or piercing implement was originally intended to be used on earlobes only. Even so, ear piercing studs are usually of one length and too short to accommodate swelling or earlobes which are thicker than average.

Ear piercing studs are very difficult to clean thoroughly. The butterfly clip backing can become clogged with hair, discharge, dirt, and bacteria. Studs also have a tendency to become wrapped with hair, embedding the hair in the piercing.

The piercing gun procedure causes more tissue trauma than the piercing needle procedure. The studs are considerably duller than a piercing needle and literally tear a hole through the tissue, whereas the needle slices a clean hole the gauge of the jewelry to be installed. A cleanly made hole is especially important in cartilage piercings.

Most importantly, the cleanliness of the piercing gun method is questioned. Ear piercing guns are often made of plastic which cannot be properly sterilized in an autoclave. Simply wiping the gun with a surface disinfectant between clients is not adequate when the piercing gun could have possibly been exposed to bloodborne pathogens. Although the piercing studs themselves may be sterile, piercing guns which touch the earlobe before and after the procedure can be easily contaminated with blood. The gun may also be indirectly contaminated if the piercer touches the studs after they are installed and then touches the piercing gun without changing gloves.

While some newer piercing guns are designed with sterilized, encapsulated stud cartridges to reduce the risk of contamination of the gun, older models without this safeguard are still used and are readily available for sale.

From The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/hiv_aids/hivinfo/transmit.htm
 

  "In 1985, CDC issued routine precautions that all personal service
  workers, such as hairdressers, barbers, cosmetologists, and massage 
  therapists should follow, even though there is no evidence of transmission 
  from a personal service worker to a client or vice versa. Instruments that 
  are intended to go through or penetrate the skin, such as tattooing and 
  acupuncture needles or ear piercing devices, should be used once and 
  thrown away or thoroughly cleaned and then sterilized. Instruments such as 
  razors, which are not intended to penetrate the skin but which may become 
  contaminated with blood should be used for only one client and thrown away 
  or thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after each use." 

Single-Use Disposable Needles

Piercing needles are hollow, lancet-point needles, beveled and sharpened similarly to the hypodermic needles used by medical professionals. Most are about 2 inches in length. Piercing needles slice a crescent-shaped hole and do not remove tissue. The larger the needle, the more exaggerated the crescent shape of the hole. Most piercers do not perform piercings larger
than 10 or 8ga. Many piercers in Europe use cannula needles designed for intravenous drips, which are fitted with a plastic sheath that is used to thread the jewelry into the piercing.

The needle should remain in its sterile autoclave package until the piercer is ready to proceed with the piercing. Needles should be used only once and placed in a medical sharps container which is disposed of through a medical waste disposal service. Aside from cleanliness concerns, needles are noticibly dulled from a single use.

References:

"Complications of Ear Piercing: Treatment and Prevention," W.M. Hendricks, Asheboro Dermatology Clinic, North Carolina. Cutis, 48:5, 1991 Nov, 384-94, ISSN 0011-4162.

"Embedded Earrings," H.A. Cohen et.al., Pediatric Community Clinic, Petach Tikvah, Israel. Cutis, 53:2, 1994 Feb, 82, ISSN 0011-4162.

"Embedded Earrings: a Complication of the Ear Piercing Gun," H.R. Muntz et. al., Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University Medical Center, Missouri 63110. In J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 19:1, 1990 Mar, 73-6, ISSN 0615-5876.

"Experts Discourage Use of Home Piercing Kits," WRAL-5, Oct 20 97, http://www.wraltv.com/features/healthteam/1997/1020-ear-piercing/

"Hazards of Ear Piercing Procedures which Traverse Cartilage: A Report of Pseudomonas perichondritis and Review of Other Complications," V.L. Cumberworth and T.B. Hogarth, Department of Otolaryngology, Queen's Medical Centre, University Hospital, Nottingham, England. Br J Clin Pract, 44:11, 1990 Nov, 512-3, ISSN 0007-0947.

"Infection as a Consequence to Ear Piercing," J. Gearge and M. White. Practitioner, 233:1465, 1989 Mar 22, 404-6, ISSN 0032-6518.

"The Piercing Gun," Association of Professional Piercers Procedural Standards, 1998 edition, pp 31-38, http://www.safepiercing.org

"Pseudolymphoma of the Earlobes Due to Ear Piercing," I. Zilinsky et. al., Department of Plastic Surgery, Chaim Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel. J Dermatol Surg Oncol, 15:6, 1989 Jun, 666-8, ISSN 0148-0812.

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