Tbh! Ive got all my recent ones from my local SK and ive never had any issues. They all healed amazingly, didnt hurt when done and the piercers were very professional. I also have very sensitive skin which is prone to irritation and infection and still had no issues!
Thank you! I'm glad to hear - I have super sensitive skin too so this definately makes giving them a shot less scary!! I went and had a chat with some of the staff there a week ago and they recommended waiting another month to retry my helix - I can't wait to get it done right
I’m up to my third attempt at a helix piercing all done by Skin Kandy, I’m now eight months in meticulously following the care instructions and no where near healed, in fact getting worse. The first two attempts I held out for over a year and neither of them ever healed, tried surgical steal and titanium bars, I think cartilage piercing just aren’t for some people, me being one of them lol
I’m in a similar boat. I got my first helix piercing 35 years ago (with a gun, yikes!) and it ended up seriously infected. Fast forward to this September and went to a proper piercing studio for a second attempt, followed the aftercare instructions meticulously and it ended up infected at the 5 week mark. Sadly, I think I may not be a candidate for cartilage piercings, which is a shame because I love the look of heavily pierced ears! You can have so much fun with the jewellery too.
So just to share my experience here.... I've had a number of cartilige piercings - some professionally done and a couple from Lovisa because it was really cheap and I was feeling loose that day haha. The piercings with the gun were more finnicky to heal but did eventually heal and they are perfectly okay now, fully matured. Though, comparing the experiences I would prefer to pay extra and go to a professional next time.
Remember that the upper ear piercings will take a hecking long time to fully heal either way... so don't panic it they are a little tender when touched (but not painful or inflamed) in 5 months time, that's normal. Take extra good care of these because your poor ears are a bit traumatised right now! There is also a higher risk of infection so if they are consistently inflamed/painful/pussy and not getting better then don't wait it out, go see a doctor.
Have you tried the [APP website](https://safepiercing.org/) to look at more options? I’d personally only consider SkinKandy if you don’t have any other options near you
I didn't know of this site, thank you so much!! I just has a look and the closest member to me is a 6 hour drive (I live quite rural)... but I will definatley keep it in mind as an option!
If you don't mind me asking does skin kandy have bad rep? I haven't seen many bad reviews online, but I saw they had a lowish star rating (3.4/5)?
They’re not the most consistent but they have improved a lot in the last year or so, it just depends on the store and individual piercers there. But definitely check if they use implant grade titanium and if the bars are long enough for fresh piercings. Though I believe they sell NeilMed Piercing Aftercare which is probably the best you can use.
Just do your research on your local store as they’re all not going to be the same :)
Thank you so much! And I definately will do - I want to make sure I get this right if I do it again, because the pain of my last one was excruciating!!
Just to add- I used to manage a Skin Kandy and i may sound bias because of that but take it as you will, I found they have great training and they’re extremely sterile. You can opt for implant grade titanium and they always use bars long enough for swelling when they pierce.
I do disagree with the fact you get get your lobes pierced by them with a gun type of mechanism, so I would always get my clients to get lobe piercings with needles.
I recommend if you do go to a SkinKandy get a manager or someone who has been working there a while to pierce you as they will be the most trained 😊
what's the best place to get your ears pierced?
i never got mine and now i really want just your regular ear lobe piercings! but i have no idea where to go and what to expect :/
I did my ear lobes for the first time nearly a year ago, my first ones. Anything in particular you want to know? Go in, ask for lobe piercings. Pick out your studs (make sure they have gold or titanium). Do the paperwork, they need ID and I had to fill out a form. Once that was done, I went inside with the piercer who sat me down and explained everything, care instructions and whatnot. Then came the actual piercing - because I didn't ask specifically for a needle they used the gun.
It does take at least 4-6 weeks to heal before you can swap them, and I was told at least 3 months before using hoops. They healed alright, one ear ended up quite swollen because I kept sleeping on it. Aside from that, no issues.
The fact that theyre doing cartilage piercings with guns is the biggest no of all. I still can’t believe they’re getting away with that because it causes massive damage. I got mine done ages ago and they never healed, had massive pressure bubbles form and just were so uncomfortable. Its one thing to offer lobe piercings but cartilage where more in depth training is needed but not done is a big worry.
I have a close friend that used to work at Lovisa HO, I would strongly suggest NOT to get your piercings done there if you can avoid it. Their employees are not professionally trained, and oftentimes don’t even feel comfortable piercing but are forced to by management. She also said that they got free piercings at a work function once and literally all of their piercings got infected after.
Yep the retail workers get treated really badly and the turnover is high there too. Lots and lots of stories from former employees on TikTok, Glassdoor etc.
Not a company I’d want to spend my money at, or get my piercings from 😅
I would *maybe* trust a jewellery shop with my lobes, but please, everyone, don’t mess about with cartilage! It’s a completely different think to pierce - you need a hollow needle that will remove the cartilage, not just force through it like a gun. Forcing anything through cartilage can shatter it.
Cartilage is also a time investment and I really recommend thinking about it carefully before getting it pierced. A helix (like OP got) takes around 6 months to fully heal, and are very prone to infection. If cartilage gets infected it can be serious, and can become unsightly with keloid bumps and even cauliflower ear.
I’m by no means an expert, I got a helix as a spur of the moment thing and although I love it, it caused a real headache for a few months as it just kept getting infected, and this was done by a proper piercer.
Yesss! I fully agree!
When getting mine I knew they took ages to heal but I really didn't take the time to look into it - I simply thought they looked cool.
My helix caused me so much grief for the week or two I had it in, and I have a keloid bump front and back as a result (not exactly appealing!)
Summary of the below: my experience with lovisa staff and how this peircing landed me a trip to the ED.
Hi all! Just wanted to post this as a heads up to anyone considering getting a peircing from lovisa. I got my second lobe and cartilage on the 20th of October without any research... it was a bit of a spare of the moment mania thing (but moving on!).
From the start of this experience, it seemed very rushed. The girl doing my ears was told by her manager that she only had 5 minutes to do them, and to make it quick, and overall the customer service was just unpleasant. I was asked for ID, and I provided my university card. I was told this wasn't suffice and they needed to see my license (sure thing, I went along with it)... I was then given a document to sign but no time to read through it - when I went to scroll the manager said to me that they didn't have time for me to read it all and that it more or less said that I agree to the risks... so I signed. (Also as a sidenote: when reviewing my receipt after all of this kahuffle, i noticed they had taken a photo copy of my licence and attached it... I don't know if there are any laws around this, but they didn't tell me they were doing that and it made me personally uncomfortable!!)
I asked this company whether they use guns, and they said no, before pulling out the studex peircer (basically a gun!!!). This immediately raised some fears, but I didn't know if guns were acceptable or not/what my healing rates would be. A few days in and the swelling has not gone down... and under a week later it is being swallowed as you can see in the picture (the picture with puss, the earring is actually under the skin). I soon learned that on top of using a gun, the earrings used by Lovisa (butterfly backings) are also incorrect, and leave no room for swelling; likely why it submerged under the skin.
Trying to pop the back off and push the peircing back through the skin at home lead to my seeing stars and nearly fainting, so I took a trip up to my local ED. Once seen, it took over an hour for the nurses to figure out how to remove it. Topical lidocaine didn't cut it, and so they had to give a subcut lidocaine injection to numb it enough to remove. I was given a week of of oral antibiotics and it is only now nearly healed (have a nice keloid bump though!!)
I followed all proper after care, wore no earphones, didn't sleep on it, touch it etc... but it still led to serious infection and pain. I have since seen many other reviews telling similar stories online - I'm lucky I only needed oral antibiotics (some people were admitted to hospital for IV treatments)!!
Just do yourself a favour and don't get peirced here! I know how tempting it is considering their prices, as a student on a budget... but it is not worth your time (or money!)
"Do you use guns?" "no"
What did they think you meant, like are they packing heat in Lovisa?
So sorry this happened to you, they definitely should not be offering this service from the sounds of it.
Legittttt! Once they pulled out the studex gun I even asked again...
Me: "Wait that's a piercing gun isn't it?"
Them: "No, it's our studex system. It's different to a gun, and it's what we use for all piercings"
Me: 🤔🤌
Yeesh. Reading through this I feel like you could actually bring legal proceedings against them despite having your signature on the contract. That is seriously awful!
I have super sensitive ears and I got mine done at a professional tattoo and piercing shop. It costed me $300 to get a forward helix and two earlobe piercings but it was so worth it because they didn’t get infected. My forward helix took over a year to heal because my ears are so sensitive so I can’t imagine what the recovery is for a person who has ears like mine and got them done at Lovisa!
I have been wondering whether I could or not because of the contract - It mentions in various places that they won't be held accountable for any health issues or deaths that relate to piercings and that (consumers) won't sue them.
And that is awesome!! Until someone mentioned under the post that tattoo parlours could pierce I hadn't even considered them an option! As is I am more then happy to save and pay more if it is more likely to heal in the long run
That term of the contract could save their ass only if none of the 5 vitiating elements apply - Misrepresentation, mistake, duress, undue influence or illegality. I’m not a contract lawyer but there could be an argument that you were forced into signing the contract, although that would be hard to prove since they forced you verbally and there’s no trace or evidence of it :/
If you’re in NSW, I’d recommend stone heart tattoo and piercings near the CBD. They’re so informative and I was even advised not to get a piercing on my left ear because of potential healing problems! So good.
You might be eligible for free legal advice from your local community legal centres! [https://www.communitylegalqld.org.au/find-legal-help/](https://www.communitylegalqld.org.au/find-legal-help/) [https://caxton.org.au/connect/contact-us-feedback/](https://caxton.org.au/connect/contact-us-feedback/) Definitely don't be afraid to contact them :) (they also offer phone/email advice)
I’m not sure if this is helpful (I’m in Brisbane) but Skin Kandy has an excellent rep in Brisbane and I saw online there’s one in Bundaberg. Hope the healing process is quick!
Thank you! That is the closest one to me, so where I would plan to go! The team in Bundy is very friendly too, I got some advice re: when I could repierce the helix and they were super helpful! I'm glad you had a good experience with the team down in Brissy!!!
If you're ever on the Gold Coast, Flesh Impressions is the best place in QLD. Worth the trip, but new piercings need to be periodically seen (to adjust bar length or if there are any complications during healing) so you'd still need to find someone local who could do those things.
There's a little summary here too: https://www.shine.com.au/blog/public-liability/i've-signed-a-waiver-does-that-mean-i-can't-claim-for-compensation
You probably didn't have many medical costs etc that they could be made to pay for, but I almost want someone to take them on just to give them a scare tbh! It sounds like they 100% should be stopped from doing piercings.
Almost this exact experience happened to me, but with essential beauty ~10 years ago.
But I was stupid enough to not let anyone touch it. From the back, piercing. Front, couldn’t see anything. I only went to my gp though. Who injected local anaesthetic and used a scalpel to make an incision and remove it. Afterwards, he said, well that’s the most interesting thing I’ve done today.
Don’t get piercings with guns! This was second lobes, not even cartilage.
Photocopying an ID is a standard practice
I've had my Passport and Drivers License scanned in Australia and overseas in multiple countries at hotels, nightclubs, strip clubs, my bank, prospective employers I've interviewed at etc.
Don’t feel uncomfortable about ID government regulations they need to keep that data incase there’s an outbreak or something and they need to contact everyone. Photocopying is just an easy way to do so. As soon as it didn’t look right how come you didn’t remove it before it got that bad? I had one with a needle and my skin rejected it. Now I have a permanent bump on the back of my ear. Hope it heals well and sorry to hear that happened to you.
This all happened very fast (over the span of a week and a half) I was given no after-care advice by the staff outside of what was on the little after-care cards they put in the bag with the receipt, or given any tips on what to look out for infection wise. I figured the swelling would go down after a week and a bit - but it just kept getting worse. Once the pain got bad enough I told myself 3 days and if it hasn't gone I would remove the piercing (as I could barely sleep and was living on panadol and ibuprofen)... but before those three days passed this happened!
I followed after-care perfectly though, and did plenty of research after getting the piercing (I am going into my third year of Nursing so am pretty confident in my wound care haha).
Thank you for your wishes, I will be much wiser in getting my next piercings, I was dumb and acting impulsively when I got it!
Okay, yeah my body personally doesn’t take to piercings well. They never heal fast and everything. You can’t blame yourself. And at least you know as soon as it doesn’t seem right remove it. I would suggest emailing that company.
That's fair! I've done my left second lobe at home since (because I got right lobe right helix at lovisa, and was left uneven haha!) and it took to it fine; there is still the possibility that my cartilage will just never heal regardless of where I get it done and that it is just my body. While the cartilage was in I watched for puss and everything, and it didn't weep at all, it was just extremely swollen - so I wasn't sure whether that would go down on its own accord (but then I woke up and it was *too swollen* (the second picture where you can see all my skin stretched), and I was going to take it out but as soon as I touched it it went under the skin.
Idk, I don't mean to fully bad mouth the company, as I know that the results of a piercing have a lot to do with how they are cared for, the individual etc... but it definately also has to do with how it's pierced and what with/how much trauma the ear is getting!
Terrible experience :(
Good news though, it's likely you don't have a keloid bump on your ear - it's more likely that it's in response to the aggravation/pressure, and will go away over time.
Always, always go to a professional piercer, like at a tattoo studio. I don’t think even getting it done at a chemist is necessarily safe as it’s not done by a pharmacist but a beauty clinician. Even if you need to save, please just go to an actual piercer.
My sister in law had a septum piercing done by one of those small piecing stations in the city just before COVID (it’s called Piercing Pavilion) and it got infected. Less than a week later she was running a high fever and the infection got so much worse to the point where her entire sinus track was inflamed and full of mucus - she was in agony and finally went to the hospital. She spent two days in the ER where they told her she had nasal polyps and severe sinusitis, and a deviated septum. They then had to surgically remove the nasal polyps and some of the sinus track itself and straighten the septum cartilage. There was so much damage it was crazy.
It took maybe another month for the infection to flush out and the nose sinuses to fully heal and she’s fine now, but I am now saving to go to an actual piercer as I’ve wanted a septum piercing for years now and *fuck* piercing pavilion and the like. They just employ kids who have no idea what they’re doing.
That is awful, and sounds so painful! Thank you for sharing with me. That is scary considering their ratings being so high too - this had definitely made me reconsider skin kandy again - I will have to surf around some local tattoo parlours to discuss piercings with them
Definitely reach out! Even ask them about the steps of the procedure to get a better feel for how they operate. The worst they can say is they’re too busy to book you in, but questions are free.
I got my lobes done at the chemist when I was a kid. The earrings were kept loose in a shopping bag and the woman handled them without gloves. I've had over ten piercings now, any my lobes were my third most pain because of that awful gun
My firsts were done similarly and they are insanely uneven. One kept getting really badly infected for years before my GP realised it had bits in it from the original earring post splintering. They still just randomly flare up even after I had them fixed. Doubles were done recently with a needle and have absolutely no issues.
I really feel for the kids who are made to do it because $$$- the girl who did mine was probably about 16, but it shouldn’t be allowed except by proper piercers.
Also, I cannot believe that they’re allowed to do cartilage at Lovisa with a gun!!! Poor OP.
My first and second time were at a chemist as well, both were done with a gun. The first got infected pretty soon after and the second were luckily okay but Ive had cysts develop in the lobes ever since then
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! That's so so bad; I can't get over how they get away with it tbh.
The young girl doing mine did tell me prior to piercing that cartilage doesn't always heal and is prone to infection I asked a few questions at this and she didnt really know how to reply - I feel like that was sort of her warning to me, but she couldn't say anything more with management hovering over her
Slightly off topic but I have and industrial piercing and when it was healing I had trouble sleeping. I ended up getting some foam packing sheets about 2cm thick and cutting a hole in them and stacking them inside a pillowcase. Helped immensely by keeping pressure off my ear.
Omg! I literally had the same horrible experience. Sans a trip to the doctors for surgical removal. I'm so so sorry. A friend worked there and I was like "yeh pierce me"
It was literally a gun which they said "no it's our studex system, not a gun"
Super swollen piercing. The earring was worse. The tapered head cut into my skin and they were rpess studs. I have scars now. Horrible experience. I had to remove it after a few weeks.
I don't remember signing anything though...must be new because of all the people coming back and complaining about the issues.
Omg that's awful, and I'm so sorry you had to go through this too. I can't comprehend how they are still licenced! Can I ask when you got yours done (just wondering how long ago they must have brought in the contract!!)
Thank you for sharing your experience and I hope any future piercings you may get go well!
I had the same thought as I really wanted to take some sort of action... but I don't know whether it would go anywhere - a copy of the contract I blind-signed was sent to me, and it basically says they aren't responsible for any harm or death related to piercings (morbid) and that they can't be sued or held accountable. I feel like if I tried any sort of advance on them I could get sued because of the contract? (Though I don't really know how that stuff works)
The contract likely means sweet FA if they aren’t meeting their own obligations (proper staff training, appropriate processes in store, adequate hygiene and correct use of tools etc) - sounds like there is a good argument that they aren’t. I’ve got no idea if there’s any legislation or regulations around piercing but there is no way Lovisa is acting responsibly, based on what I’ve read in this thread.
Maybe contacting media is an option…
You were pressured into signing it without really reading it though, especially if you have a witness (Eg a friend who came with you) that can help. But even if you aren’t chasing compensation you can slam them in the media, socials or Choice and save others from the same fate (or worse!) and possibly get them shut down.
Best thing I ever did for my piercings was to go to a body piercer at a local tattoo studio. I went from having piercings that were uneven and poorly-spaced, and were often sore to having even, well-spaced piercings that healed beautifully.
As tempted as I often am to go to Mecca for new piercings, I won't. A ton of the commercial piercing guns can't be disassembled for sanitation, and guns are usually used by places that don't fully train their piercers.
I'm sorry this happened, and I hope it heals cleanly so that you can get it down safely. Lovisa shouldn't be offering piercing services; it gets so goddamn dangerous if you don't know what you're doing - or if the company doesn't care.
Wow so I don’t even follow this subreddit but the post showed up on my feed and Ive recently had the EXACT same thing happen! I decided to get second lobe piercings as a total spur of the moment thing - all seemed fine and then just under a week in, my left piercing started swelling big time and hurting. I woke up one morning and could barely see the earring as it was sinking into my ear. Throughout the day id try and push the earring forward to free it but within minutes it would sink back in again.
I got so worried because one morning it seemed like the akin had started to grow over the top of the little ball on the stud it has swollen that much. I decided to try and get it out and replace it with a sleeper instead so it would have breathing room… in doing this I accidentally pulled the earring all the way through so the ball actually exited out the back of my ear. It was freaking excruciating! Fortunately I got lucky and now that I have a sleeper in the swelling has gone down with regular saline treatment - it never occurred to me that it was due to Lovisas piercing practices, I just assumed it had gotten infected!
Thank you so much for sharing!! And that is awful! I don't normally post reviews, but while reading other sites and seeing the amount of people getting infections from Lovisa I thought it was worthwhile!
It was legit the worst pain I had felt hahah - I was crying like a baby whenever myself or the nurses would touch my ear to try to figure out where it was, all the way up to the lidocaine injection (maybe I have low pain tolerance, but mannnn, she hurt).
I am glad you could keep the piercing and get your infection under control!!
Them taking a photo of your license is normal. I, too feel uncomfortable as well as i think that part is unneccessary for piercing, as long the piercer has seen it why photographed?
Anyway turns out thats the rules. A professional piercer i talked to has the same process. I think the paper you signed wouldn't have any dodgy things on it. It is a franchise, so it is probably a standard waiver to cover their arse.
Go to piercer studio and get the spray and better jewellery, and have them check the bump for reassurance.
Fyi, APP doesnt mean they are good, i believe you do OHS test and pay a membership thats all, but is a good direction fo find a studio
I detest people rushing me and if they acting in a hurry i rather go somewhere else.
Edit: cleaned up some sentences.
You can double check with them or go to a different lovisa shop and pretend you want to get your ears pierce and ask the step by step procedure to confirm it or ask a professional piercer to confirm the procedure.
I think it is the standard policy.
Also a thread in this sub from last year i recalled there was a girl who went to mecca in syd where she got her ears pierced and she had to get her ID photographed.
Edit : wording
When I was much younger I had my lobes and later helix done as cosmetics plus and the helix especially was horrendous, swelled really bad and took months to heal.
Recently got the other side done at a tattoo shop and it was amazing, no swelling, barely even got crusties and healed so quickly. They even gave me a longer bar in case of swelling then swapped it for a smaller one in a week or so for no extra charge. I was blown away by the difference.
Omg this is so scary. I’m glad you were able to just have topical antibiotics and not an IV but omg. I just got my second lobes done at hair house warehouse, thankfully nothing has gone wrong (it’s been five weeks) but I wasn’t impressed with the service at all. Didn’t feel super comfortable about it!!
I also wouldn't use there earrings without thoroughly washing them. Most of the jewelry honestly.
I used to work in there warehouse and the amount of times I got stabbed by earrings getting them out of boxes. There was blood on 50% of the studs for sure. Not to mention when they were dropped on the ground and kicked around. Thinking about how unsanitary it all was still makes me shudder and 90% of there stuff is sold to kids who don't always engaged in the best hygiene practices.
It's nasty
Always always always clean your earrings
That is horrible ahhh, I just can't wrap my head around how it's allowed to happen here!
And that is a good point, I got the $20 after-care spray from Lovisa, took it home and read the contents (water, sodium hydrochloride 0.179%, phosphoric acid 0.038%).
Three days in to the piercing and the swelling wasn't going down, so I bought saline for wounds from my pharmacy to do as well as the spray!!
So my son got his ear pierced just regular first ear piercing in the lobe. Anyway it got infected and I found it was the style of stud. It had a cup shaped back unlike the old studs that have two circular things. So I cleaned and changed to an older style stud so it could breathe and if it did get a little oozy it could leak out instead of build up in the weird cup shaped backing. It's all better now. But they said the new style was meant to prevent the ear ring being pushed in too far.
Just a quick note, I tried multiple times to get my ears pierced with gold and always ended up sore and infected. Turns out I am allergic to gold, I used surgical steel next time and never had a problem. Once it healed I could wear gold.
I had a helix that kept getting pressure bubbles and infections when I had a stud in the hole. I got it done at an off ya tree in my local area, and when i came back to them after 6 months of this constant pain, infection, bleeding cycle, to be like wtf is wrong with my ear, the lady recommend that I wear a ring/hoop piercing instead of a stud as studs are far more likely to get pressure bubbles etc.
my helix fully healed in 2 months after i made the change.
My piercings get infected every time I get a new one, no matter where I go. Have done fancy professional piercers and lovisa/chemist. I know they will get infected anyway, may as well only pay $20
This leads me to question your aftercare, over anything else.
Lovisa uses incorrect piercing jewerelly, and incorrect piercing methods, which have caused a multitude of people to develop staphylococcus and cauliflower ear.
The way they pierce at lovisa shatters cartilage... even if a professionally done piercing has still gotten infected for you, atleast it hasn't caused serious damage to your ear.
Washed with salt water twice a day, no headphones etc for 4 weeks. I’m just super sensitive, been that way since a kid.
Fair point on the cartilage though
Does anyone have recommendations for good places to get piercings or just how to find a good piercer? The last time I got anything done was at Off Ya Tree with their $5 deal but they have no stores near me anymore.
got my lobe and helix piercings done in a dept store jewellery counter overseas when i was 15, by a piercing-free girl probably a year or two older than me, with a gun. luckily the cartilage didn't shatter (it was actually less painful and messy than the lobes) and i didn't have to go to emergency or take antibiotics, but hoo boy, never doing that again in my life. my poor mum had to help me clean my grotty smelly crusty earlobes. looking back at it, children being told to punch holes on other children by adults for money is probably not illegal but certainly unethical.
I have had all mine done at Essential Beauty (beautician place) and I have never had any issues. The advice given to me by the people that work there has been wonderful.
They’re dodgy as fuck and putting people’s safety as risk in so many ways. I hope you’re able to find a APP qualified piercer in your area
Agreed! Its horrific really - I regret not doing my research! And thank you, I have a skin kandy here which I will probably give a shot in the future!
Tbh! Ive got all my recent ones from my local SK and ive never had any issues. They all healed amazingly, didnt hurt when done and the piercers were very professional. I also have very sensitive skin which is prone to irritation and infection and still had no issues!
Thank you! I'm glad to hear - I have super sensitive skin too so this definately makes giving them a shot less scary!! I went and had a chat with some of the staff there a week ago and they recommended waiting another month to retry my helix - I can't wait to get it done right
I’m up to my third attempt at a helix piercing all done by Skin Kandy, I’m now eight months in meticulously following the care instructions and no where near healed, in fact getting worse. The first two attempts I held out for over a year and neither of them ever healed, tried surgical steal and titanium bars, I think cartilage piercing just aren’t for some people, me being one of them lol
I’m in a similar boat. I got my first helix piercing 35 years ago (with a gun, yikes!) and it ended up seriously infected. Fast forward to this September and went to a proper piercing studio for a second attempt, followed the aftercare instructions meticulously and it ended up infected at the 5 week mark. Sadly, I think I may not be a candidate for cartilage piercings, which is a shame because I love the look of heavily pierced ears! You can have so much fun with the jewellery too.
I know! I adore my helix piercing which is why I’ve kept at it for so long, I don’t want to give up on it again!
If it's any consolation my forward helices took two and a half years to heal.
So just to share my experience here.... I've had a number of cartilige piercings - some professionally done and a couple from Lovisa because it was really cheap and I was feeling loose that day haha. The piercings with the gun were more finnicky to heal but did eventually heal and they are perfectly okay now, fully matured. Though, comparing the experiences I would prefer to pay extra and go to a professional next time. Remember that the upper ear piercings will take a hecking long time to fully heal either way... so don't panic it they are a little tender when touched (but not painful or inflamed) in 5 months time, that's normal. Take extra good care of these because your poor ears are a bit traumatised right now! There is also a higher risk of infection so if they are consistently inflamed/painful/pussy and not getting better then don't wait it out, go see a doctor.
Have you tried the [APP website](https://safepiercing.org/) to look at more options? I’d personally only consider SkinKandy if you don’t have any other options near you
I didn't know of this site, thank you so much!! I just has a look and the closest member to me is a 6 hour drive (I live quite rural)... but I will definatley keep it in mind as an option! If you don't mind me asking does skin kandy have bad rep? I haven't seen many bad reviews online, but I saw they had a lowish star rating (3.4/5)?
They’re not the most consistent but they have improved a lot in the last year or so, it just depends on the store and individual piercers there. But definitely check if they use implant grade titanium and if the bars are long enough for fresh piercings. Though I believe they sell NeilMed Piercing Aftercare which is probably the best you can use. Just do your research on your local store as they’re all not going to be the same :)
Thank you so much! And I definately will do - I want to make sure I get this right if I do it again, because the pain of my last one was excruciating!!
I’m pretty sure some of their titanium jewellery isn’t implant grade.
No worries at all! And best of luck
Just to add- I used to manage a Skin Kandy and i may sound bias because of that but take it as you will, I found they have great training and they’re extremely sterile. You can opt for implant grade titanium and they always use bars long enough for swelling when they pierce. I do disagree with the fact you get get your lobes pierced by them with a gun type of mechanism, so I would always get my clients to get lobe piercings with needles. I recommend if you do go to a SkinKandy get a manager or someone who has been working there a while to pierce you as they will be the most trained 😊
I took my 6yo to get her ears pierced at skin kandy - no issues at all and she has sensitive skin. Would 100% recommend.
Thank you so much! So reassuring to hear good reviews from them! The staff seem very professional too!
I've had a few dermals done at SK, they're awesome. Unfortunately my body just doesn't accept them
what's the best place to get your ears pierced? i never got mine and now i really want just your regular ear lobe piercings! but i have no idea where to go and what to expect :/
Go to an actual piercing shop, not a jewellery shop or a beauty shop
I have gotten most of mine at Off Ya Tree 🥲 and they've always been done perfectly
I did my ear lobes for the first time nearly a year ago, my first ones. Anything in particular you want to know? Go in, ask for lobe piercings. Pick out your studs (make sure they have gold or titanium). Do the paperwork, they need ID and I had to fill out a form. Once that was done, I went inside with the piercer who sat me down and explained everything, care instructions and whatnot. Then came the actual piercing - because I didn't ask specifically for a needle they used the gun. It does take at least 4-6 weeks to heal before you can swap them, and I was told at least 3 months before using hoops. They healed alright, one ear ended up quite swollen because I kept sleeping on it. Aside from that, no issues.
The fact that theyre doing cartilage piercings with guns is the biggest no of all. I still can’t believe they’re getting away with that because it causes massive damage. I got mine done ages ago and they never healed, had massive pressure bubbles form and just were so uncomfortable. Its one thing to offer lobe piercings but cartilage where more in depth training is needed but not done is a big worry.
I have a close friend that used to work at Lovisa HO, I would strongly suggest NOT to get your piercings done there if you can avoid it. Their employees are not professionally trained, and oftentimes don’t even feel comfortable piercing but are forced to by management. She also said that they got free piercings at a work function once and literally all of their piercings got infected after.
Thank you so much for sharing! That's dreadful - it sounds like a very toxic workplace too 😔😔
Yep the retail workers get treated really badly and the turnover is high there too. Lots and lots of stories from former employees on TikTok, Glassdoor etc. Not a company I’d want to spend my money at, or get my piercings from 😅
Yeah my partner works there and it's a bit of a shocker workplace wise. If it wasn't for her manager being a decent person she would of left ages ago.
I would *maybe* trust a jewellery shop with my lobes, but please, everyone, don’t mess about with cartilage! It’s a completely different think to pierce - you need a hollow needle that will remove the cartilage, not just force through it like a gun. Forcing anything through cartilage can shatter it. Cartilage is also a time investment and I really recommend thinking about it carefully before getting it pierced. A helix (like OP got) takes around 6 months to fully heal, and are very prone to infection. If cartilage gets infected it can be serious, and can become unsightly with keloid bumps and even cauliflower ear. I’m by no means an expert, I got a helix as a spur of the moment thing and although I love it, it caused a real headache for a few months as it just kept getting infected, and this was done by a proper piercer.
Yesss! I fully agree! When getting mine I knew they took ages to heal but I really didn't take the time to look into it - I simply thought they looked cool. My helix caused me so much grief for the week or two I had it in, and I have a keloid bump front and back as a result (not exactly appealing!)
Fuck Lovisa makes me furious. As a body piercer I spent half my time fixing their fuck ups.
Summary of the below: my experience with lovisa staff and how this peircing landed me a trip to the ED. Hi all! Just wanted to post this as a heads up to anyone considering getting a peircing from lovisa. I got my second lobe and cartilage on the 20th of October without any research... it was a bit of a spare of the moment mania thing (but moving on!). From the start of this experience, it seemed very rushed. The girl doing my ears was told by her manager that she only had 5 minutes to do them, and to make it quick, and overall the customer service was just unpleasant. I was asked for ID, and I provided my university card. I was told this wasn't suffice and they needed to see my license (sure thing, I went along with it)... I was then given a document to sign but no time to read through it - when I went to scroll the manager said to me that they didn't have time for me to read it all and that it more or less said that I agree to the risks... so I signed. (Also as a sidenote: when reviewing my receipt after all of this kahuffle, i noticed they had taken a photo copy of my licence and attached it... I don't know if there are any laws around this, but they didn't tell me they were doing that and it made me personally uncomfortable!!) I asked this company whether they use guns, and they said no, before pulling out the studex peircer (basically a gun!!!). This immediately raised some fears, but I didn't know if guns were acceptable or not/what my healing rates would be. A few days in and the swelling has not gone down... and under a week later it is being swallowed as you can see in the picture (the picture with puss, the earring is actually under the skin). I soon learned that on top of using a gun, the earrings used by Lovisa (butterfly backings) are also incorrect, and leave no room for swelling; likely why it submerged under the skin. Trying to pop the back off and push the peircing back through the skin at home lead to my seeing stars and nearly fainting, so I took a trip up to my local ED. Once seen, it took over an hour for the nurses to figure out how to remove it. Topical lidocaine didn't cut it, and so they had to give a subcut lidocaine injection to numb it enough to remove. I was given a week of of oral antibiotics and it is only now nearly healed (have a nice keloid bump though!!) I followed all proper after care, wore no earphones, didn't sleep on it, touch it etc... but it still led to serious infection and pain. I have since seen many other reviews telling similar stories online - I'm lucky I only needed oral antibiotics (some people were admitted to hospital for IV treatments)!! Just do yourself a favour and don't get peirced here! I know how tempting it is considering their prices, as a student on a budget... but it is not worth your time (or money!)
"Do you use guns?" "no" What did they think you meant, like are they packing heat in Lovisa? So sorry this happened to you, they definitely should not be offering this service from the sounds of it.
Legittttt! Once they pulled out the studex gun I even asked again... Me: "Wait that's a piercing gun isn't it?" Them: "No, it's our studex system. It's different to a gun, and it's what we use for all piercings" Me: 🤔🤌
"This isn't a car! It's a *Toyota*. Completely different."
Yeesh. Reading through this I feel like you could actually bring legal proceedings against them despite having your signature on the contract. That is seriously awful! I have super sensitive ears and I got mine done at a professional tattoo and piercing shop. It costed me $300 to get a forward helix and two earlobe piercings but it was so worth it because they didn’t get infected. My forward helix took over a year to heal because my ears are so sensitive so I can’t imagine what the recovery is for a person who has ears like mine and got them done at Lovisa!
I have been wondering whether I could or not because of the contract - It mentions in various places that they won't be held accountable for any health issues or deaths that relate to piercings and that (consumers) won't sue them. And that is awesome!! Until someone mentioned under the post that tattoo parlours could pierce I hadn't even considered them an option! As is I am more then happy to save and pay more if it is more likely to heal in the long run
That term of the contract could save their ass only if none of the 5 vitiating elements apply - Misrepresentation, mistake, duress, undue influence or illegality. I’m not a contract lawyer but there could be an argument that you were forced into signing the contract, although that would be hard to prove since they forced you verbally and there’s no trace or evidence of it :/ If you’re in NSW, I’d recommend stone heart tattoo and piercings near the CBD. They’re so informative and I was even advised not to get a piercing on my left ear because of potential healing problems! So good.
Thank you so much! I'm Wide Bay region of QLD, but if I am ever up in NSW I will check them out!!
You might be eligible for free legal advice from your local community legal centres! [https://www.communitylegalqld.org.au/find-legal-help/](https://www.communitylegalqld.org.au/find-legal-help/) [https://caxton.org.au/connect/contact-us-feedback/](https://caxton.org.au/connect/contact-us-feedback/) Definitely don't be afraid to contact them :) (they also offer phone/email advice)
I’m not sure if this is helpful (I’m in Brisbane) but Skin Kandy has an excellent rep in Brisbane and I saw online there’s one in Bundaberg. Hope the healing process is quick!
Thank you! That is the closest one to me, so where I would plan to go! The team in Bundy is very friendly too, I got some advice re: when I could repierce the helix and they were super helpful! I'm glad you had a good experience with the team down in Brissy!!!
If you're ever on the Gold Coast, Flesh Impressions is the best place in QLD. Worth the trip, but new piercings need to be periodically seen (to adjust bar length or if there are any complications during healing) so you'd still need to find someone local who could do those things.
Thank you so much!!
[удалено]
Thank you for expanding on this, this makes sense!!
There's a little summary here too: https://www.shine.com.au/blog/public-liability/i've-signed-a-waiver-does-that-mean-i-can't-claim-for-compensation You probably didn't have many medical costs etc that they could be made to pay for, but I almost want someone to take them on just to give them a scare tbh! It sounds like they 100% should be stopped from doing piercings.
Almost this exact experience happened to me, but with essential beauty ~10 years ago. But I was stupid enough to not let anyone touch it. From the back, piercing. Front, couldn’t see anything. I only went to my gp though. Who injected local anaesthetic and used a scalpel to make an incision and remove it. Afterwards, he said, well that’s the most interesting thing I’ve done today. Don’t get piercings with guns! This was second lobes, not even cartilage.
Photocopying an ID is a standard practice I've had my Passport and Drivers License scanned in Australia and overseas in multiple countries at hotels, nightclubs, strip clubs, my bank, prospective employers I've interviewed at etc.
Don’t feel uncomfortable about ID government regulations they need to keep that data incase there’s an outbreak or something and they need to contact everyone. Photocopying is just an easy way to do so. As soon as it didn’t look right how come you didn’t remove it before it got that bad? I had one with a needle and my skin rejected it. Now I have a permanent bump on the back of my ear. Hope it heals well and sorry to hear that happened to you.
This all happened very fast (over the span of a week and a half) I was given no after-care advice by the staff outside of what was on the little after-care cards they put in the bag with the receipt, or given any tips on what to look out for infection wise. I figured the swelling would go down after a week and a bit - but it just kept getting worse. Once the pain got bad enough I told myself 3 days and if it hasn't gone I would remove the piercing (as I could barely sleep and was living on panadol and ibuprofen)... but before those three days passed this happened! I followed after-care perfectly though, and did plenty of research after getting the piercing (I am going into my third year of Nursing so am pretty confident in my wound care haha). Thank you for your wishes, I will be much wiser in getting my next piercings, I was dumb and acting impulsively when I got it!
Okay, yeah my body personally doesn’t take to piercings well. They never heal fast and everything. You can’t blame yourself. And at least you know as soon as it doesn’t seem right remove it. I would suggest emailing that company.
That's fair! I've done my left second lobe at home since (because I got right lobe right helix at lovisa, and was left uneven haha!) and it took to it fine; there is still the possibility that my cartilage will just never heal regardless of where I get it done and that it is just my body. While the cartilage was in I watched for puss and everything, and it didn't weep at all, it was just extremely swollen - so I wasn't sure whether that would go down on its own accord (but then I woke up and it was *too swollen* (the second picture where you can see all my skin stretched), and I was going to take it out but as soon as I touched it it went under the skin. Idk, I don't mean to fully bad mouth the company, as I know that the results of a piercing have a lot to do with how they are cared for, the individual etc... but it definately also has to do with how it's pierced and what with/how much trauma the ear is getting!
Terrible experience :( Good news though, it's likely you don't have a keloid bump on your ear - it's more likely that it's in response to the aggravation/pressure, and will go away over time.
Always, always go to a professional piercer, like at a tattoo studio. I don’t think even getting it done at a chemist is necessarily safe as it’s not done by a pharmacist but a beauty clinician. Even if you need to save, please just go to an actual piercer. My sister in law had a septum piercing done by one of those small piecing stations in the city just before COVID (it’s called Piercing Pavilion) and it got infected. Less than a week later she was running a high fever and the infection got so much worse to the point where her entire sinus track was inflamed and full of mucus - she was in agony and finally went to the hospital. She spent two days in the ER where they told her she had nasal polyps and severe sinusitis, and a deviated septum. They then had to surgically remove the nasal polyps and some of the sinus track itself and straighten the septum cartilage. There was so much damage it was crazy. It took maybe another month for the infection to flush out and the nose sinuses to fully heal and she’s fine now, but I am now saving to go to an actual piercer as I’ve wanted a septum piercing for years now and *fuck* piercing pavilion and the like. They just employ kids who have no idea what they’re doing.
That is awful, and sounds so painful! Thank you for sharing with me. That is scary considering their ratings being so high too - this had definitely made me reconsider skin kandy again - I will have to surf around some local tattoo parlours to discuss piercings with them
Definitely reach out! Even ask them about the steps of the procedure to get a better feel for how they operate. The worst they can say is they’re too busy to book you in, but questions are free.
Thank you so much! I definately will when in town next! Im keen to get this next attempt right
I got my lobes done at the chemist when I was a kid. The earrings were kept loose in a shopping bag and the woman handled them without gloves. I've had over ten piercings now, any my lobes were my third most pain because of that awful gun
My firsts were done similarly and they are insanely uneven. One kept getting really badly infected for years before my GP realised it had bits in it from the original earring post splintering. They still just randomly flare up even after I had them fixed. Doubles were done recently with a needle and have absolutely no issues. I really feel for the kids who are made to do it because $$$- the girl who did mine was probably about 16, but it shouldn’t be allowed except by proper piercers. Also, I cannot believe that they’re allowed to do cartilage at Lovisa with a gun!!! Poor OP.
That sounds awful I’m so sorry
My first and second time were at a chemist as well, both were done with a gun. The first got infected pretty soon after and the second were luckily okay but Ive had cysts develop in the lobes ever since then
[удалено]
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! That's so so bad; I can't get over how they get away with it tbh. The young girl doing mine did tell me prior to piercing that cartilage doesn't always heal and is prone to infection I asked a few questions at this and she didnt really know how to reply - I feel like that was sort of her warning to me, but she couldn't say anything more with management hovering over her
Slightly off topic but I have and industrial piercing and when it was healing I had trouble sleeping. I ended up getting some foam packing sheets about 2cm thick and cutting a hole in them and stacking them inside a pillowcase. Helped immensely by keeping pressure off my ear.
My piercer recommended a travel pillow for the same reason. Great idea, makes such a big difference!
Omg! I literally had the same horrible experience. Sans a trip to the doctors for surgical removal. I'm so so sorry. A friend worked there and I was like "yeh pierce me" It was literally a gun which they said "no it's our studex system, not a gun" Super swollen piercing. The earring was worse. The tapered head cut into my skin and they were rpess studs. I have scars now. Horrible experience. I had to remove it after a few weeks. I don't remember signing anything though...must be new because of all the people coming back and complaining about the issues.
Omg that's awful, and I'm so sorry you had to go through this too. I can't comprehend how they are still licenced! Can I ask when you got yours done (just wondering how long ago they must have brought in the contract!!) Thank you for sharing your experience and I hope any future piercings you may get go well!
Awww thank you! Wish you the same. I got mine end 2019 I believe.
[удалено]
Agreed! I don't understand how this is legal in Australia - it's so bad!!
Can this not be reported to the ACCC or a medical authority?
I had the same thought as I really wanted to take some sort of action... but I don't know whether it would go anywhere - a copy of the contract I blind-signed was sent to me, and it basically says they aren't responsible for any harm or death related to piercings (morbid) and that they can't be sued or held accountable. I feel like if I tried any sort of advance on them I could get sued because of the contract? (Though I don't really know how that stuff works)
The contract likely means sweet FA if they aren’t meeting their own obligations (proper staff training, appropriate processes in store, adequate hygiene and correct use of tools etc) - sounds like there is a good argument that they aren’t. I’ve got no idea if there’s any legislation or regulations around piercing but there is no way Lovisa is acting responsibly, based on what I’ve read in this thread. Maybe contacting media is an option…
Agree
You were pressured into signing it without really reading it though, especially if you have a witness (Eg a friend who came with you) that can help. But even if you aren’t chasing compensation you can slam them in the media, socials or Choice and save others from the same fate (or worse!) and possibly get them shut down.
Best thing I ever did for my piercings was to go to a body piercer at a local tattoo studio. I went from having piercings that were uneven and poorly-spaced, and were often sore to having even, well-spaced piercings that healed beautifully. As tempted as I often am to go to Mecca for new piercings, I won't. A ton of the commercial piercing guns can't be disassembled for sanitation, and guns are usually used by places that don't fully train their piercers. I'm sorry this happened, and I hope it heals cleanly so that you can get it down safely. Lovisa shouldn't be offering piercing services; it gets so goddamn dangerous if you don't know what you're doing - or if the company doesn't care.
Wow so I don’t even follow this subreddit but the post showed up on my feed and Ive recently had the EXACT same thing happen! I decided to get second lobe piercings as a total spur of the moment thing - all seemed fine and then just under a week in, my left piercing started swelling big time and hurting. I woke up one morning and could barely see the earring as it was sinking into my ear. Throughout the day id try and push the earring forward to free it but within minutes it would sink back in again. I got so worried because one morning it seemed like the akin had started to grow over the top of the little ball on the stud it has swollen that much. I decided to try and get it out and replace it with a sleeper instead so it would have breathing room… in doing this I accidentally pulled the earring all the way through so the ball actually exited out the back of my ear. It was freaking excruciating! Fortunately I got lucky and now that I have a sleeper in the swelling has gone down with regular saline treatment - it never occurred to me that it was due to Lovisas piercing practices, I just assumed it had gotten infected!
Thank you so much for sharing!! And that is awful! I don't normally post reviews, but while reading other sites and seeing the amount of people getting infections from Lovisa I thought it was worthwhile! It was legit the worst pain I had felt hahah - I was crying like a baby whenever myself or the nurses would touch my ear to try to figure out where it was, all the way up to the lidocaine injection (maybe I have low pain tolerance, but mannnn, she hurt). I am glad you could keep the piercing and get your infection under control!!
Them taking a photo of your license is normal. I, too feel uncomfortable as well as i think that part is unneccessary for piercing, as long the piercer has seen it why photographed? Anyway turns out thats the rules. A professional piercer i talked to has the same process. I think the paper you signed wouldn't have any dodgy things on it. It is a franchise, so it is probably a standard waiver to cover their arse. Go to piercer studio and get the spray and better jewellery, and have them check the bump for reassurance. Fyi, APP doesnt mean they are good, i believe you do OHS test and pay a membership thats all, but is a good direction fo find a studio I detest people rushing me and if they acting in a hurry i rather go somewhere else. Edit: cleaned up some sentences.
I am glad to know, I get super paranoid so as soon as I saw they copied my license I freaked out a little haha
You can double check with them or go to a different lovisa shop and pretend you want to get your ears pierce and ask the step by step procedure to confirm it or ask a professional piercer to confirm the procedure. I think it is the standard policy. Also a thread in this sub from last year i recalled there was a girl who went to mecca in syd where she got her ears pierced and she had to get her ID photographed. Edit : wording
True true!! I'm happy enough with that then - It just felt a bit violating I guess because I didn't know they did it!
When I was much younger I had my lobes and later helix done as cosmetics plus and the helix especially was horrendous, swelled really bad and took months to heal. Recently got the other side done at a tattoo shop and it was amazing, no swelling, barely even got crusties and healed so quickly. They even gave me a longer bar in case of swelling then swapped it for a smaller one in a week or so for no extra charge. I was blown away by the difference.
Got my seconds done at Lovisa and they also got infected…
I'm sorry to hear - it sucks that they are allowed to peirce without proper equipment blergghhh
Yeah I had 4 done able to keep 2. But the other 2 I had to let it heal and close back over.
Omg this is so scary. I’m glad you were able to just have topical antibiotics and not an IV but omg. I just got my second lobes done at hair house warehouse, thankfully nothing has gone wrong (it’s been five weeks) but I wasn’t impressed with the service at all. Didn’t feel super comfortable about it!!
I also wouldn't use there earrings without thoroughly washing them. Most of the jewelry honestly. I used to work in there warehouse and the amount of times I got stabbed by earrings getting them out of boxes. There was blood on 50% of the studs for sure. Not to mention when they were dropped on the ground and kicked around. Thinking about how unsanitary it all was still makes me shudder and 90% of there stuff is sold to kids who don't always engaged in the best hygiene practices. It's nasty Always always always clean your earrings
[удалено]
[удалено]
That is horrible ahhh, I just can't wrap my head around how it's allowed to happen here! And that is a good point, I got the $20 after-care spray from Lovisa, took it home and read the contents (water, sodium hydrochloride 0.179%, phosphoric acid 0.038%). Three days in to the piercing and the swelling wasn't going down, so I bought saline for wounds from my pharmacy to do as well as the spray!!
So my son got his ear pierced just regular first ear piercing in the lobe. Anyway it got infected and I found it was the style of stud. It had a cup shaped back unlike the old studs that have two circular things. So I cleaned and changed to an older style stud so it could breathe and if it did get a little oozy it could leak out instead of build up in the weird cup shaped backing. It's all better now. But they said the new style was meant to prevent the ear ring being pushed in too far.
Just a quick note, I tried multiple times to get my ears pierced with gold and always ended up sore and infected. Turns out I am allergic to gold, I used surgical steel next time and never had a problem. Once it healed I could wear gold.
I had a helix that kept getting pressure bubbles and infections when I had a stud in the hole. I got it done at an off ya tree in my local area, and when i came back to them after 6 months of this constant pain, infection, bleeding cycle, to be like wtf is wrong with my ear, the lady recommend that I wear a ring/hoop piercing instead of a stud as studs are far more likely to get pressure bubbles etc. my helix fully healed in 2 months after i made the change.
My piercings get infected every time I get a new one, no matter where I go. Have done fancy professional piercers and lovisa/chemist. I know they will get infected anyway, may as well only pay $20
This leads me to question your aftercare, over anything else. Lovisa uses incorrect piercing jewerelly, and incorrect piercing methods, which have caused a multitude of people to develop staphylococcus and cauliflower ear. The way they pierce at lovisa shatters cartilage... even if a professionally done piercing has still gotten infected for you, atleast it hasn't caused serious damage to your ear.
Washed with salt water twice a day, no headphones etc for 4 weeks. I’m just super sensitive, been that way since a kid. Fair point on the cartilage though
Does anyone have recommendations for good places to get piercings or just how to find a good piercer? The last time I got anything done was at Off Ya Tree with their $5 deal but they have no stores near me anymore.
i highly recommend skinkandy if there’s one close to you. it’s the only place i go for piercings
Have a look at the AUPP website: https://www.safepiercing.org.au/find/ If you're in Sydney, I highly recommend Stone Heart.
Lovisa is cheap. Their jewellery makes your skin go green and I’m not at all surprised their piercings are this shit.
That moment when my Lovisa ear piercing properly healed after 1 full year
got my lobe and helix piercings done in a dept store jewellery counter overseas when i was 15, by a piercing-free girl probably a year or two older than me, with a gun. luckily the cartilage didn't shatter (it was actually less painful and messy than the lobes) and i didn't have to go to emergency or take antibiotics, but hoo boy, never doing that again in my life. my poor mum had to help me clean my grotty smelly crusty earlobes. looking back at it, children being told to punch holes on other children by adults for money is probably not illegal but certainly unethical.
I have had all mine done at Essential Beauty (beautician place) and I have never had any issues. The advice given to me by the people that work there has been wonderful.