Piercing an infant or child’s ears is a topic of debate within the Professional Body Piercing industry. It has also become a topic of debate within society in general as new education and information has been shared. We do understand that this is a common practice in some cultures and religions, but in this article we will go over a few main reasons why many Professional Body Piercer’s have age requirements for Ear Lobe piercings.
Informed Consent: Infants cannot provide informed consent for ear piercing. They are unable to understand the procedure and what it entails, the potential risks, or express their preferences. Decisions about body modification should ideally be made by the person receiving the modification when they are old enough to provide informed consent, and truly understand what this all means.
Pain and Trauma: The ear-piercing process can be painful and traumatic for infants and young children. Not just in the initial act of having it pierced, but for the duration of the healing period, as ear lobes take up to 6 months to fully heal. They swell off and on for the first few weeks and can potentially be sore/uncomfortable after the piercing is done. Infants may not have the capacity to understand or cope with this pain, or have the ability to tell you what it is causing them pain, which can lead to distress.
Infection Risk: Infants and young children have delicate immune systems that are still developing. Body piercings create open wounds, making them susceptible to infection. Infants may be less capable of warding off infections compared to older individuals with more developed immune systems. We should also take into consideration that a new piercing is a wound, it is very important not to touch or play with the jewelry- which can be very difficult for young children to understand.
Difficult Healing: Ear piercings may take longer to heal in infants due to the increased potential for movement, touching, exposure to contaminants, and delicate immune systems.
Limited Control: As mentioned above, infants specifically cannot control or communicate their discomfort. They may inadvertently tug on the earrings, potentially causing complications like tearing or infection.
Potential for Asymmetry in later years: Infants' ears are still growing well through their childhood years and piercing their ears at a very young age often results in unevenly placed piercings as the child's ears continue to develop. Oftentimes when people have been pierced at a younger age, by the time they are entering their teen years (or sometimes sooner) the placement of the piercings can become crooked, angled or uneven. Unfortunately, there is no way to correct this other than removing the piercings and having them completely re-pierced.
If parents or caregivers choose to have an infant's ears pierced, it's crucial to prioritize safety and hygiene, but also consider the later risks of these piercings becoming uneven as the child’s ears continue to grow through the years. Seek a professional Body Piercer who uses single-use sterilized needles and practices proper hygiene standards. Additionally, consider waiting until the child is older and able to express their own preferences and consent regarding ear piercing. Ultimately, the decision to pierce an infant's ears should be made after careful consideration of the child's well-being and the potential physical and emotional impact of the procedure in the present, and future tense.