Ear piercing regulation

[top_drawer]

hi,

Can anyone tell me who is responsible for regulating places which offer ear piercing?

Thanks

Jen

[Nicolefury]

I'm not sure what sort of regulation exists, if there was any proper regulation, ear piercing guns would have been banned years ago for being frankly, disgustingly full of bacteria!!

[top_drawer]

Exactly!!! a well known girls accessories shop pierced my ear cartlidge over a year ago with a gun and it was very badly done. I was in a lot of pain with it and a few weeks ago finally give it up.

I want to complain and Im sure I saw something in the paper about someone who was charged for not keeping her equipment clean.

Jen

[lynseydee]

I googled ear piercing regulations and these were the first two websites that came up. I haven't had a proper read but hopefully one or both will give you the information you need.

http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/licensing/pdf/skinpearcing_cop_ear_piercing.pdf

http://www.hse.gov.uk/lau/lacs/76-2.htm

[top_drawer]

thanks!!

I will give them a look over and ring the relavant person on Monday.

Jen

[Nicolefury]

Exactly!!! a well known girls accessories shop pierced my ear cartlidge over a year ago with a gun and it was very badly done. I was in a lot of pain with it and a few weeks ago finally give it up.

I want to complain and Im sure I saw something in the paper about someone who was charged for not keeping her equipment clean.

Jen

Sorry to tell you this, but every single piercing gun will be filled with gunk because they cannot be steralised in a proper way, because the plastic parts would melt. Cartlidge piercings with a gun can go very very wrong, wrong to the extent where you lose part of the cartlidge. Count yourself very lucky that it didn't happen to you.

[Toothsmith]

I don't think there is any specific regulation, but I would guess that local trading standards or environmental health, or heath and safety executive would be a good port of call for any complaints.

[HelenYorkshire]

I think it's the local council - similar to licensing of tattoo and body piercing parlours? :confused:

[angel]

I'm sure that there was a council licence in the place where I had my tragus done.

[cheapskate101]

Took my daughter to Claire's and the assistant asked me to sign a form saying that the work had been done BEFORE it had. She told me it was company policy.

That is to say I watched her do it in a sterile way. A bit tricky as she continued serving customers in the gloves, while I was reading the form.

I would not advise anyone to have their child's ears pierced on this basis because it is signing away your legal rights if anything goes amiss or if the assistant does not use clean gloves etc.

Tracked down their MD - who is David Rostron, Claire's accessories UK Lts, Unit 4, Bromford Gate, Bromford Lane. Britmigham B24 8DW, which took me about three weeks as apparently his name is top secret and he doesn't like to have anything to do with customers (had to ask the USA branch before I got his name) and although I wasn't allowed to speak to the great man - his response by letter - to my question is why does Claire's have this policy was 'No Comment'.

[vegankris]

Agreed with the others- piercing guns are a really bad idea, go to a properly trained body piercer to get your ears pierced, not a shop which uses a gun! The jewellery they provide- usually barbells, labret studs or ball closure rings- is also far easier to clean and therefore more hygeinic than the traditional butterfly-backed earrings.

[littlepinkstars44]

It's the local council, i worked in Claires for 3 years, and all i will say is don't go for the cheaper earrings, as those work with the guns that cannot be cleaned! Where as the real gold ones work with a different gun, the gun itself will never touch an ear, as the earring comes pre-packed in a cartriage, the cartriage then slots into the gun an it's only the earring and cartriage that touches the ear, never the gun.

Where as the cheaper one, you have to handle the earring and butterfly to get them into the gun, plus it always sticks and is just horrible.
We used to refuse using the cheaper ones for babies ears as it was just cruel.