Ear piercing instrument
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An ear piercing instrument, commonly referred to as an ear piercing gun, is a device designed to pierce earlobes by forcing a sharpened starter earring through the lobe. Even though designed to only pierce earlobes, ear piercing instruments are commonly used to pierce ear cartilage, and sometimes to pierce non-ear body parts. These devices come in both disposable and reusable models that are primarily of two different designs.
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[edit] Ear piercing instrument designs
The traditional design is built around a spring that stores potential energy when the ear piercing instrument is pulled into the cocked position. Pre-sterilized starter earrings of the stud earring design, are typically provided in pairs by the manufacturer in sealed plastic containers. One starter earring is loaded into a receiving tube in the cocked portion of the instrument, and its matching friction back is loaded into a holder closer to the main part of the instrument. The earlobe is inserted between these two parts of the instrument, and the trigger is squeezed, releasing the spring, and causing the instrument to close with considerable pressure, forcing the sharpened stud earring through the earlobe, engaging it into a friction back. Most disposable models, intended for home use, are variations of the traditional design.
An improvement on the standard piercing instrument is the Disposable Cartridge (or Cassette). These are very similar to the traditional design (above), other than the stud holder and clasp holder are entirely disposable. In some parts of the world, e.g. most of Europe and Australia, this modification is either specifically required (eg in Scotland) or implied by Health And Safety legislation. The image shows a White Disposable Cartridge System, loaded with a with a blue cartridge and a gold stud.
The newer design uses a similar concept, however, instead of using potential energy stored in a spring to force the starter earring through the earlobe, energy is provided directly by the operator through a hand grip. This provides an additional level of control. Also, these models usually provide the starter earrings in special capsules that allow the pre-sterilized earrings to be loaded into the instrument without the operator touching them. A wider variety of jewelry shapes and designs are available for newer piercing instruments.
Ear piercing instruments are designed to pierce using 20- or 18-gauge earrings, normally made out of surgical steel, 24 kt. gold plated steel, 14 kt. gold, or titanium.
[edit] Controversy regarding the use of piercing instruments
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Most if not all traditional piercing guns are impossible to autoclave but can sometimes be sterilized by Cold Sterilization methods. All body piercing tools are often used by persons who lack training in related health areas such as cross contamination. The manufacturers of these devices dispute the need for complete autoclaving, claiming that, when used properly, contamination risks have been minimized in modern designs.
The use of disposable cartridge systems can make the chance of cross-infection negligible, however, the safety of this system is still dependent upon the competence and integrity of the operator. It is possible to accidentally contaminate the stud by touching it with instrument during the loading process.
Another issue is the amount of trauma caused by the use of piercing instruments. Although the jewelry may appear to be pointed and sharp to the naked eye, in comparison to the surgical needles used by professional body piercers, the initial piercing jewelry used in these instruments is more blunt. Brute force is used to drive the jewelry through tissue, causing far more trauma which could lead to extended healing times. Immediately following a piercing with a piercing gun the lobe will typically feel hot and burn for a while, this does not happen with a piercing needle.
These guns are not designed to pierce through the cartilage of the upper ear, or to do any piercings other than ear lobes.
The standard jewelry for earlobe piercing has been 1/4" studs with "butterfly backs". These studs are sometimes too short to allow for swelling during the healing process, swelling often caused by the additional trauma caused by the use of an ear piercing instrument, or they are shorter than the tissue they are intended to pierce entirely, which causes unneeded pressure on the healing piercing. The "butterfly back" is a natural collector for lymph, blood and bacteria, which can lead to or prolong infection.
Improper usage of piercing instruments upon areas of the body not intended for their use can lead to additional problems. Jewelry that is too short for the tissue, or inappropriately shaped, especially jewelry used in the mouth, can embed itself into the body, with the wound effectively healing over it. This can require the surgical removal of the jewelry in some cases and can lead to abscesses, infection and severe scarring. In many piercings, the narrow gauge of the jewelry used by piercing instruments can lead to tearing and other ongoing trauma that expose the body to infection and cause permanent scarring.
[edit] Advantages over traditional piercing methods
There are a number of advantages to using a mechanical piercing instrument over a piercing needle. The low cost of providing the piercing service (most mall shops that do piercing with instruments charge $10 for both ears, including jewelry) relative to the greater cost of professional piercing (piercings can cost $20-$40, not including jewelry) is one advantage. Another advantage is not having to train the employee to be able to pierce anything other than ear lobes.
- They have a long history of use with excellent results.
- There is no biohazard material to dispose of after the piercing is done.
- There is no chance of accidentally using a needle on two people.
- It is faster and easier for some people to use.
- The tip is not sharp enough to penetrate skin accidentally when it is not in the gun.
- Starter jewelry can only be purchased pre-sterilized making it faster and safer to use.
[edit] History and culture
Ear piercing instruments are of modern design. Until the rise of the professional body piercing industry in the early 1990s, most piercings were performed either with guns, or syringes.
Amongst some body modification and body piercing enthusiasts and professionals there is a bias against the use of mechanical piercing instruments. Body piercers who use needles usually have about the same experience and/or training as users of automated piercing instruments. Piercer certification typically requires no experience or practical examination beyond one hour of bloodborne pathogen training conducted by the local department of health (often free of charge). Most piercers report either being self-taught, by watching videos or (less often) reading a book, most experience is gained on the job, often with oversight by a more experienced artist. A sometimes seen sticker in body piercing circles is a red circle with a line crossing out the silhouette of a piercing gun. A very commonly seen sign in shops that use piercing guns is "Free Piercing", this sign for better or worse seems more effective than the anti piercing gun sticker body piercers sometimes use to confuse clients. See Yellow journalism.
When legal regulation is placed upon the body piercing industry, exemptions are usually made for these devices or the businesses that use them. If an increased risk from the use of either a piercing needle or automated piercing instrument ever comes to light then the industry would likely be forced to shift one way or the other by the health department; all arguments so far have been from the piercing needle group trying to discredit the piercing gun group, and failing.
