# So I Guess I'm Getting My Ear Pierced **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 10, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531 "2012-05-10T18:05:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/1 "2012-05-10T18:05:32Z")
47 year old, pretty bland looking man. My wife is recovering from a stroke, and really wants me to get my ear pierced. It’s the least I can do. Any recommendations? What earring should a 47 year old suburban white guy get? Where should I get the piercing done? ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/2 "2012-05-10T18:16:52Z")
No matter what you do, when you return from getting it done (but before she sees you) remember to loudly declare “You said rear, right?” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/3 "2012-05-10T19:33:22Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > No matter what you do, when you return from getting it done (but before she sees you) remember to loudly declare “You said rear, right?” Or just tell her the piercer was having a “buy one get one free” special and then glance down significantly at your crotch. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/4 "2012-05-10T19:34:05Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > No matter what you do, when you return from getting it done (but before she sees you) remember to loudly declare “You said rear, right?” Yeah, are you sure you just didn’t misunderstand when she said she wanted to see you with a stud in your rear? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/5 "2012-05-10T19:36:43Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Yeah, are you sure you just didn’t misunderstand when she said she wanted to see you with a stud in your rear? I’m going to stick with my misunderstanding. Ear piercing it is. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/6 "2012-05-10T19:38:59Z")
Well in that case, I say go hoop rather than stud. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/7 "2012-05-10T22:18:16Z")
The Claire’s in the mall, like the rest of us. They sell special piercing earrings that are usually pretty bland (mine was a gold stud, IIRC)that have to stay in for some amount of time (a few weeks as I recall). After that your options are limitless. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/8 "2012-05-11T12:21:31Z")
It really depends on who you talk to. Me, I’d go to a real piercer - I’ve been using Hank, currently at the [Tattoo Factory in Chicago](http://www.tattoofactory.com/crew/artist.asp?ARTIST_ID=43), for about 10 years. He was formerly at Chicago Tattoo where I first met him, and I followed him to Uptown. He’s that good, and a really nice guy. He’s done both my ears (I’m a 41 year old woman, BTW), and my left nostril with a stud and a hoop. From a real piercer, you’ll get a larger gauge earring, a hoop style, and they come several ways with the [captive bead](http://www.thechaingang.com/some-body-parts/ears/surgical-steel/surgical-steel-captive-bead-ring-s.html)being most popular, but s/he may be able to set you up with a more plain hoop without a bead. The piercer will talk to you about what you want, and show you the choices and gauges to choose from, which will be autoclaved and in sterile packets. They don’t usually give you a ton of choices for the initial pierce, but you can buy your own and have them change it for you if you decide you want something else later on. They’ll write down for you what gauge and diameter you ended up using so you can get the same size. Most people (especially guys) don’t change it, though. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/9 "2012-05-11T12:37:27Z")
I agree about the hoop. They’re easier to sleep with in too (for me - the posts stick in to my head otherwise). ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/10 "2012-05-11T13:19:32Z")
I got my ear pierced as a forty-fifth birthday present for myself. First one (from the Piercing Pagoda at the mall) was a simple silver stud, small round shiney ball. Unobtrusive and goes with just about anything. I am now partial to simple hoops or a CZ stud. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/11 "2012-05-11T20:35:57Z")
Don’t get it done in a mall unless you literally \*can’t \*afford to go to a freestanding piercing parlor. You don’t want them to use the gun on your ears. It punches out your skin and causes tissue damage, as opposed to a needle which neatly slices between layers of skin. Piercings done with a gun in a mall are more likely to have complications due to traumatic aftereffects of the piercing gun, the lack of skill of the piercers, and the relative lack of sanitary procedures compared to a legit piercing parlor. The gun hurts a LOT more, and is more likely to cause keloids in the short term. There’s also more potential for long-term scarring, if you ever decide to take the piercing out permanently. Trust me on this, I’ve had both types of piercing done, and you’ll never get that gun near me again. I still have visible earholes from the gun, and it’s been over a \*decade \*after I last took out the rings. But the piercing sites I had done with a needle (eyebrow, nose, ears) are completely invisible, and it’s only been about 5 years since I took them out for good. It’s true that most people who get gun piercings don’t have complications. But that’s a calculated risk you should only take after being educated on the matter. You’ll pay more for a piercing at a parlor, but it’s worth it. They also have a better selection of manly rings to choose from. I recommend a [CBR](http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/2420/ringdy.jpg), which is a plain hypoallergenic ring held together with a captive bead. They’re hard to change on your own, but they’re very comfortable and attractive. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/12 "2012-05-11T20:44:29Z")
I’ve had ear piercings done with a gun several times, and didn’t experience any ill effects. It wasn’t done in a mall, but in a fairy reputable jewelry store, for what it’s worth… ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/13 "2012-05-12T03:38:00Z")
Why does she want you to do this? Did she mention this yearning for you to pierce your ear BEFORE the stroke? First time I had my ears pierced I was maybe 14 and my doctor did it with a needle, and catgut that I had to pull out a tiny bit each day for a week, then I was allowed to wear posts for a YEAR before wearing hoops or wires. No problems with infections for over 30 years until I had a reaction to some cheap earrings. I stopped wearing any, and the holes closed up. Had them repierced in the same place/spot they were pierced the first time, but this time I went to Claire’s. Quick, easy, and relatively cheap. I see lots of guys in there when I walk by. Doesn’t seem to be any difference between the results of the two different techniques. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/14 "2012-05-13T01:15:06Z")
Go to a professional piercing place. Even if it’s just an ear-piercing, they’ll give you a lot more info about caring for it, and what to do if it gets infected (yes, ear piercings can get infected), etc. I just wish I had gone there to get my cartilage pierced, rather than the mall. I would have KNOWN then that they take so long to heal, rather than just assuming there was something wrong. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/15 "2012-05-13T02:54:16Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > Why does she want you to do this? Did she mention this yearning for you to pierce your ear BEFORE the stroke? I don’t remember her asking me ever before the stroke, but she has wanted to, ah, put eyeliner on me. Anyhoo. I think having a stroke has made her all _carpe diem_ and shit. A lot of other ‘bucket’ things she or we would like to do are not in the cards right now, but getting my ear pierced is something I could do. And I did. Went to Claire’s, where the woman said no, they didn’t have any earrings for middle-aged men, even though I saw a little fake gold Spongebob. Just outside Claire’s, though, was the Piercing Pagoda, and I got a fake diamond stud put in. My wife loves it. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/16 "2012-05-15T20:51:53Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I still have visible earholes from the gun, and it’s been over a \*decade \*after I last took out the rings. Feature not bug. > [@bup](#): > > A lot of other ‘bucket’ things she or we would like to do are not in the cards right now, but getting my ear pierced is something I could do. If you end up having sex while skydiving, put that shit on YouTube. 😉 –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/17 "2012-05-15T23:00:58Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Feature not bug. I can’t still get rings through the visible holes in my ears. They grew over internally, but externally they never will. This is a big reason I’m anti-gun, when it comes to piercing. It’s better not to have a permanent mark on your body, in case you ever change your mind. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-im-getting-my-ear-pierced/621531/18 "2012-05-16T16:09:06Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > It’s better not to have a permanent mark on your body, in case you ever change your mind. Yeah, but it came free with the earring!