Needle of Gun, which is best?
“Needle or Gun?” is the question when it comes to the best method of ear piercing. Before providing an answer, it is essential to understand why we are asking the question and why we provide specific answers. At Call of Beauty, we offer both needle piercing and Studex 75 device piercings and never recommend one over the other since we have no financial reason to do so. Many people provide biased answers based on what they offer, leading to half-truths and exaggerated claims on the internet. Therefore, your specific requirements will be crucial in determining the best method for different clients.
Different areas of the ear have varying levels of accessibility, which must be considered. Earlobes are soft and fleshy, making them more comfortable to pierce, while cartilage like the upper helix is much harder. Some piercing locations such as the tragus or daith can only be accessed with a needle. It is also essential to consider the recipient of the piercing. Younger children tend to be more nervous and scared than someone getting their second or third earlobe piercing, which is also a consideration.
We have completed hundreds of peircings, both ear lobe and body peircings, and this assesment is to help you choose the right method for you (or your child). Often the claim is that the needle causes “less trauma” than the gun. Or that the gun is loud or messy. These claims are not entirely true. To a large extenet it depends on the type of gun being used and the make of the earrings used. At Call of Beauty we don’t use a spring loaded gun, but a cartidge system, with a FDA approved Medical instument that offers safe, gentle and sterile piercing.
Needle piercings - ear lobe
Needle piercing is completed using a 1.3 or 1.7mm cannula. Once it penetrates the skin, the needle is withdrawn, leaving the tube in place. The jewelry piece is then inserted inside the end of the tube, which is used to guide the jewelry through the hole. The piercing can be an earring, ring, scaffold, stud, or a labret depending on where the piercing is located on the body. The advantages of the needle include being easy to place accurately, its sharpness, particularly when piercing tougher areas such as the helix or snug, and its ability to easily penetrate the skin. The needle is the only tool suitable for all body piercings, apart form the lobe.
Studex 75 piercing instument - ear lobe
At Call of Beauty, we use the Studex 75 system, which is not a spring-loaded gun but a handheld instrument that allows us to use cartridge-held earrings. It comes sterile in a sealed packet, remaining untouched during the process, making it the most hygienic method.
The instrument that holds the cartridge is manually powered and doesn’t have a spring. It delivers the earring through the earlobe and secures the butterfly on the back in one motion. The butterfly is held in place on the end of the pillar and is not tight against the ear, protecting it from accidentally catching the sharp point on the neck when sleeping.
Unlike most guns, the Studex instrument has a pillar of only 1.2mm thick, whereas some guns may have a pillar up to 1.7mm. The point on the Studex earrings is sharp enough for piercing without causing excessive damage or trauma to the skin. Although ear piercing inevitably causes some damage, this damage is insignificant and will not delay healing. In our 15 years of ear piercing, we have never encountered any problems caused by the piercing itself.
Because this method allows for an extremely accurate, fast, and reliable placement of the earring, we can offer a service that does both ears simultaneously, reducing the stress and trauma of having to wait for the second ear to be done.