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Advice regarding 1 year old ear piercing

Hi I was wondering if anyone can give me a bit of advice?
I had my ears pierced a year ago at Claires accessories and from the word go it was a disaster :mad: One of the girls had pierced the ear far too low to the point the earring was just barely on the lobe. I then paid and left the shop as when she showed me in the mirror I couldn't see anything wrong until my OH pointed out just how low it was and to go back and get it fixed. Off I went back for the girl at the tills to tell me she knew it was badly done and that she was going to say but didn't :mad: So they took the earring out and re-done it again. I contacted Claires for them to tell me they would refund the cost by cheque for what I had paid. I have not cashed this cheque as tbh I was quite offended as I don't think the girl who had messed up should have been piercing ears as she was still getting trained up to do so.
Just tonight has my OH noticed that at the back of both my ears there is long slits the best way to describe them is that the girls have dragged the gun when they were piercing and have left the slits at the back but at the front it is just a hole. I have also been having quite a lot of problems with my ears with pus and have to clean them every day and night still a year later and still have to wear the studs I was issued with.
I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice on what to do about this because I am actually really angry at this and find it unacceptable.
TIA
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Comments

  • pinkshoes
    pinkshoes Posts: 20,396 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    If after a year you're still having to clean your ears/earings and are regularly getting pus, it may indicate you're allergic to the studs!!

    Some people just don't react well to piercing, as their body constantly sees it as a foreign body, and thus tries to defend itself and rejects it.

    Personally I would just take them out and let them heal for a year.

    Clairs Accessories shouldn't have tried to re-pierce the ear straight away after doing it too low!
    Should've = Should HAVE (not 'of')
    Would've = Would HAVE (not 'of')

    No, I am not perfect, but yes I do judge people on their use of basic English language. If you didn't know the above, then learn it! (If English is your second language, then you are forgiven!)
  • alwaysonthego_2
    alwaysonthego_2 Posts: 8,447 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I would not recommend going to somewhere like Claires where they get teenagers doing the piercing. A piercing parlour that have people who have been doing it for years and know what they are doing, a bit late for the op though!
  • WolfSong2000
    WolfSong2000 Posts: 1,736 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    I used to work in a jewelers, and Claire's are notorious for their appalling standards of hygiene and service...I'd never recommend anyone get their ears done there, indeed I'd actively discourage it!

    As it stands, I had the same problem with my ears (despite getting them pierced at a reputable jeweler - not the one I worked for, as we didn't have the facilities to do so). They never healed and actually went black, so I just ended up taking earrings out...since then I've become allergic to silver (although studs were gold plate). Not sure if that's linked...

    Anyhow, take out the studs you've been given and replace them with the highest karat gold you can find (ideally 18k), if not, 9 will do. Don't use gold plate, as if your ears are sensitive they can still react. Also use aloe vera gel to help the ears heal. If after all this, your ears are still infected, just take the earrings out and accept that your body doesn't accept piercings. As pinkshoes pointed out, some people's bodies don't react well :)
  • pulliptears
    pulliptears Posts: 14,583 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Personally, Id recommend either titanium, surgical steel or if you can get them bioplast.

    Nip into your local body piercer and ask for their advice, reputable shops are usually more than willing to help, will take a look and offer you genuine advice.
  • Hailz86
    Hailz86 Posts: 340 Forumite
    I was trained some years ago on ear piercing and it sounds like you had a terrible piercing!! Did the girl clean your ears properly? By law if she was not fully trained you are meant to be made aware of this before hand, and if you agreed to her then doing your ears, you would have been asked to sign a release form so that if something went wrong they could not be held liable. Did you get anything like to sign??

    xx
    2012 Wins - Danepak Fridge Magnet, £20 Just Eat Voucher, iTunes Song Download, Yellow Toaster and Kettle, Thorntons Bunny, 6 Months Gym Membership, £250 Multipower Products, 3 X Dalepak Vouchers, 10 minute sunbed session, Lucozade Sport, 2 X BMI Flights, Android Zeemote,
  • cheekyd192
    cheekyd192 Posts: 74 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    edited 10 April 2009 at 12:05AM
    Thank you all for replying
    Hailz regarding the form I didn't sign a form for her to do this as I thought if she was doing piercings she must have been qualified to do so :mad:
    There were two girls who done an ear each and there was a wee girl waiting to get hers done but wanted to watch me get mine done first and the one who done it wrong just as she was about to pull the triiger on the gun her wee neddy pal came in and shouted "Gonny hurry up" and at that I freaked out and shouted "No she won't hurry up she is piercing my ear" before I had even finished I felt as if she had ripped the earring right down my lobe as she panicked the other girl panicked and the two of them were fighting with the gun to get it off my ear :mad: I felt like screaming with pain but the small girl was staring right at me and asking me how it was and her mother quickly rushed her out the shop white as a sheet as soon as they got the gun off my ear. The earring was so far down that it was literally hanging on my ear. I asked my OH what they looked like and he said they are okay looking but by this point I was absolutely fuming as I was in agony :mad: I was walking past a jewellers and my OH said they had a mirror and to go and look and see what they had done to my ear. As soon as I walked in the lady in the jewellers said "OMG have you just had your ears done that is terrible go back and get them to fix it that is terrible and why did I leave". Tbh I had to get out of the shop as I was in agony and was really upset and angry as it was my birthday and the lack of care from the girls in Claire's was totally unnacceptable and to let me leave the shop looking like that I felt such an idiot :o
    The girl who did it wrong had to be told by my OH that she had to clean my ears first before she marked them up and she looked at the other girl for reassurance and was told yes and to get a clean wipe :eek: as she had picked up one that had been left at the desk opened and out of its packet :eek:
    When I phone up customer services at Claire's they really weren't to fussed and got a snooty we will refund what you paid and will phone you back when we decide what we are going to do about this :rolleyes: I never did find out what had happened and just hope no little kiddies went in when she was on as she didn't have a clue what she was doing.
    I don't want to take the earrings out after going through all that to have to go and get them done again as I now have damage to the backs of my ears that looks like they have been cut with a razor a few mms wide :mad:
    I paid for gold earrings also and am definetely not allergic to gold so I know thats not what is causing the pus. I am now just really upset that I have been bought loads of earrings since and can't wear any of them :mad:
    Thanks again
  • mandi
    mandi Posts: 11,932 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Stoptober Survivor
    If you have " pus " thats a clear sign of infection . An antibiotic cream from your doctor , would soon clear that up .

    I would reccommend taking out the studs also, are you sure they are Gold ? Have you treid another pair ?

    You dont always get what you pay for , unfortunately
  • cheekyd192
    cheekyd192 Posts: 74 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    edited 10 April 2009 at 12:25AM
    mandi wrote: »
    If you have " pus " thats a clear sign of infection . An antibiotic cream from your doctor , would soon clear that up .

    I would reccommend taking out the studs also, are you sure they are Gold ? Have you treid another pair ?

    You dont always get what you pay for , unfortunately

    Thanks for replying mandi
    I bought a pair of handbag earrings out the jewellers the same day that are definetely 9ct gold as they have the hallmarks on them and briefly tried to put them in for a night out and it was a no go as my ears started bleeding. Its hard to explain but when putting them through it was as if I was re-piercing and as if it had not healed properly but I left the studs in for 9 weeks before I tried to do this as I found it too sore to put other earrings in and the studs were the only ones that felt comfy iyswim.
    The ones I got in Claire's should be 9ct gold as thats what I paid for and shows on my receipt.
    Thanks again.
  • weegie.geek
    weegie.geek Posts: 3,432 Forumite
    You should never get piercings done in a place that isn't a piercing shop, and you should never get piercings done with a gun, always a needle.

    If someone's going to put a hole in me I want them to be trained. I don't want them to stop selling sparkly bracelets for ten minutes to ram a blunt piece of gold-plated tat through my ear with a gun that hasn't been cleaned properly since the last customer bled over it.
    They say it's genetic, they say he can't help it, they say you can catch it - but sometimes you're born with it
  • mandi
    mandi Posts: 11,932 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Stoptober Survivor
    cheekyd192 wrote: »
    Thanks for replying mandi
    I bought a pair of handbag earrings out the jewellers the same day that are definetely 9ct gold as they have the hallmarks on them and briefly tried to put them in for a night out and it was a no go as my ears started bleeding. Its hard to explain but when putting them through it was as if I was re-piercing and as if it had not healed properly but I left the studs in for 9 weeks before I tried to do this as I found it too sore to put other earrings in and the studs were the only ones that felt comfy iyswim

    I Honestly think you should let your Doc have a quick look , some Fucidin cream , might just do the job :)

    Fingers crossed :)
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