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Ear Piercing F.A.Q.

We use the Blomdahl Ear Piercing system, a medical grade system available ONLY through medical professionals. Blomdahl earrings are not regular earrings. The earrings are specially designed for optimal healing. The piercings are housed in single use sterile cassettes, reducing the risk of infection and transmission of disease between patients. And all materials are made of medical grade plastics and titanium. This allows those with nickel and other contact allergies to comfortably wear earrings.

Where do we pierce?

We only pierce earlobes. We do not pierce ear cartilage, noses or belly buttons.

As physicians we often see patients with complications from piercings to the cartilage of the ear or the nose. These tissues have poor blood supply which increases the risk of infection.

How much does it cost?

We charge $80 to pierce 2 ears with our medical grade plastic earring, $100 for titanium. This price includes the piercing studs. Since this is a cosmetic procedure, it will not be filed to your insurance. Full payment is due when you check in for your ear piercing appointment.

Are there age restrictions?

Dr. Wicker-Brown will do ear piercing for infants age 2 months to 9 months and for children 5 years of age and older.

This ensures that infants have received their first set of vaccines, including the DTaP, and allows the ear to grow big enough for more accurate placement of the earring. After 9 months of age, children are more active making the actual piercing experience more difficult and less safe. After this age, they are also more prone to picking at the earrings making them more susceptible to infection. Infants are held in their parent’s arms during the procedure and the worst part for them is when their head must be held still, and most babies cry only briefly.

For children over 5 years of age, it is important that the child has requested to have their ears pierced and the Parent/Guardian has agreed. The child needs to be able to sit still during the procedure and has to allow or participate in responsible after-care to ensure a good outcome. The child will sit beside the parent and will lean against the parent’s shoulder. Teens will simply sit quietly on their own.

We will not hold an older child down for this procedure as it is an elective cosmetic procedure. The staff reserves the right to cancel a procedure if they feel for any reason that the situation may become unsafe due to the child’s inability to cooperate.

Do I need an appointment?

Ear piercing is done only during an appointment dedicated solely to ear piercing. We do not pierce ears as an add-on during other appointments. This allows adequate time to answer all questions, discus after care and perform the procedure.

How do I take care of the pierced ears afterwards?

• Never touch your ears with unclean hands.
• Wash your newly pierced ears (on both sides) thoroughly twice a day. Do not remove the earrings when cleansing.
• When showering/washing your hair, use liquid soap and rinse thoroughly with clean running water. Dry with a Kleenex or Q-tip.
• Supplementary cleansing is done with Blomdahl Piercing Aftercare cleansing swabs, which are gentle on the skin. The swabs make it possible to clean between your ears and the earrings/earring backs. Allow to air dry. Use a new cleansing swab for each ear, each time. Do not clean with alcohol.
• Make sure that the area around the holes are kept clean, dry and airy at all times.
• Cover your ears when applying make up, hair spray, spray perfume, hair-dye, etc.
• Take extra care when you are putting on/pulling off clothing over your head, in order to prevent the earrings from getting caught.
• Unlike conventional ear piercings, there is no need to rotate the Blomdahl medical-grade plastic or titanium studs to prevent them from adhering to the skin.

Read more about medical ear piercing after care on Blomdahl’s website.

Is swimming ok immediately after ear piercing?

We recommend avoiding swimming as long as possible after piercing. Chlorine from pools and bacteria in unchlorinated waters may irritate or contaminate the wound and delay healing.

How long do I keep the studs in place?

After 6 weeks, we recommend changing earrings. The Blomdahl ear piercings studs we use are little thicker (1.3 mm) than the standard earring post (1.0 mm). This creates a larger piercing hole which makes it easier to switch to normal earrings after the healing period and reduces the risk of repeatedly re-injuring the ear piercing site when replacing earrings, which should therefore reduce the risk of piercing site infection.

What about allergic reactions to my earrings?

Nickel is commonly used as a metal hardener and most metals used for ear piercing contain nickel. Nickel is one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis. Allergic contact dermatitis is an itchy rash that occurs when your skin comes in contact with a typically harmless substance. Fresh piercings allow direct and constant contact between a minor open wound and the metal, which contains nickel.

The Blomdahl system uses medical grade plastic and titanium in order to avoid nickel exposure during the ear piercing healing process and decrease the risk of allergy or reaction.

What are the risks of ear piercing?

• There is a risk of infection anytime the skin is broken. We reduce this risk significantly by using sterile technique, using sterile, single use piercing cassettes, and providing specific aftercare instructions.
• The pain is brief and similar to a vaccine. Ask us about using numbing cream.
• Keloids are large, raised scars. Keloids tend to run in families and are more likely to occur in patients with dark skin pigmentation. Keloids can often be seen at the site of ear piercing are three times more likely to occur when the piercing occurs after the age of 11.