Ear Piercing

Though many retailers offer ear piercing, Germantown Pediatric and Family Medicine LLC provides medical-grade ear piercing. Ear piercing at the practice isn’t covered by insurance. 

There are many benefits to choosing medical-grade ear piercing at Germantown Pediatric and Family Medicine LLC over traditional ear piercing.

Traditional ear-piercing guns are a potential health hazard, increasing the risk of infection. Additionally, many people are allergic or sensitive to nickel, triggering a reaction to the earring placed in the hole.

For medical-grade ear piercing, the providers at Germantown Pediatric and Family Medicine LLC use the Blomdahl® medical ear piercing system. This medical ear-piercing gun eliminates the chances of an infection.

Additionally, with medical-grade ear piercing, your provider places a metal-free stud in your ear. This earring stud is plastic, reducing your risk of developing a skin sensitivity or allergic reaction following your piercing.

Germantown Pediatric and Family Medicine LLC provides specific instructions on caring for your ears following your ear piercing. Your ear piercing is a small wound that takes up to 12 weeks to heal.

During the healing process, you need to thoroughly wash your ears on both sides of the hole twice a day and never touch your ears with unclean hands.

Germantown Pediatric and Family Medicine LLC offers Blomdahl aftercare cleansing swabs to help you keep your wound clean.

You also need to make sure the area around the piercing stays dry at all times. Unlike traditional ear piercing, there’s no need to rotate your Blomdahl medical-grade plastic studs.

Your risk of developing a skin reaction to earrings is most significant during the first year following your ear piercing. Germantown Pediatric and Family Medicine LLC recommends you wear skin-friendly earrings during this time.

To schedule an ear piercing appointment at Germantown Pediatric and Family Medicine LLC, call the office or click the book an appointment button.

• Eliminates transmission of blood-borne viruses
  Traditional ear-piercing guns present a genuine health hazard. They can easily transmit blood-borne viruses. The danger is so real that most European countries have banned these instruments. Unfortunately, they are still legal and widely available in the USA. Our system uses single-use, disposable cassettes that eliminate the chance of transmission. 
• Nickel allergy and skin sensitivity
  3-4% of the population is born with nickel sensitivity, and 20-25% of people with pieced ears develop some level of nickel allergy/sensitivity. Ear piercing and earrings can cause this condition. The Blomdahl system eliminates this risk by using medical-grade ear piercing studs. We also carry a complete line of hypoallergenic earrings. 
• Skin-friendly earrings
  Medical Grade Titanium is the safest of all metals because it binds what little nickel there is extremely well. In other words, little or no nickel is released into the skin and underlying tissue. Titanium is accepted extremely well by the body and is therefore used more and more in implants and other medical applications, often replacing stainless (surgical) steel.
• Safe medical grade plastic earrings
  Medical Plastic contains no nickel, which ensures zero nickel exposure. This eliminates the risk of developing a nickel allergy. Medical Plastic is recommended for anyone who wants to avoid developing a nickel allergy or for anyone that already has a nickel sensitivity.

An ear piercing is, in fact, a small wound. It is important to take proper care of it throughout the healing period (approx. 6–12 weeks) in order to avoid it getting infected. By following the aftercare instructions, you can minimize the risk of infection.

In the written aftercare instructions, you are advised to clean the hole thoroughly twice a day, using soap and water or Blomdahl Piercing Aftercare cleansing swabs, which are gentle on the skin and easy to use. Watch our video on how to clean a newly pierced ear.

• 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’ back. 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 is kept clean, dry, and airy at all times. 
• Cover your ears when applying makeup, hair spray, spray perfume, hair dye, etc. 
• Take extra care when putting on/pulling off clothing over your head to prevent the earrings from getting caught. 

Unlike conventional ear piercings, there is no need to rotate the Blomdahl medical­grade plastic studs to prevent them from adhering to the skin.

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

A common misconception is that, if you do not rotate the piercing earring, the skin will get stuck to it. This is not true. What is true is that rotating the piercing earring without first having cleaned your ear, earring, and hands thoroughly can infect the ear piercing.

Watch our video or follow the instructions below: To remove the piercing earring: Wash your hands and ears thoroughly. A good time to remove the piercing earring is right after a shower/hair wash. With one hand, take hold of the jewelry part (front) of the piercing earring. With the other hand, take hold of the earring back and wiggle it back and forth until you feel it loosens. Carefully remove the piercing earring and insert a clean earring. Piercing earrings are only intended to be used during the healing period.

If you have had an earlobe pierced, you can remove and replace the piercing earring after 6 weeks, at the earliest. It takes longer for a hole in the cartilage to heal, so if you have had your cartilage pierced, we recommend that you leave the piercing earring for at least 12 weeks.

Video: How to remove the ear piercing earrings, instruction film in English.

It takes up to a year before the holes are completely healed. Hence consider the following:

• Always wear earrings. The holes can shrink and close entirely if you go without them. 
• Take extra care when changing earrings. The skin that has grown within the holes is still thin and delicate and can easily tear, which may cause an infection. Therefore, always make sure to wash your earrings and your hands before the change, and make sure that the area around the holes is kept clean, dry and airy. If you use earrings with earring backs, these should not be pressed tightly against the back of the ear.
• The risk of developing a contact allergy is at its greatest during the first year. This is why wearing safe earrings during this time is extra important. In consultation with skin specialists, Blomdahl has developed skin-friendly jewelry suitable for everybody, especially those who have just pierced their ears.