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EAR PIERCING INSTRUMENT DESIGNS The traditional design is built around a Spring that stores Potential Energy when the ear piercing instrument is pulled into the cocked position. Pre-sterilized starter earrings of the ''stud earring'' design, are typically provided in pairs by the manufacturer in sealed plastic containers. One starter earring is loaded into a receiving tube in the cocked portion of the instrument, and its matching friction back is loaded into a holder closer to the main part of the instrument. The earlobe is inserted between these two parts of the instrument, and the Trigger is squeezed, releasing the spring, and causing the instrument to close with considerable pressure, forcing the sharpened stud earring through the earlobe, engaging it into a friction back. The newer design uses a similar concept, however, instead of using potential energy stored in a spring to force the starter earring through the earlobe, Energy is provided directly by the operator through a hand grip. This provides an additional level of control. Also, these models usually provide the starter earrings in special capsules that allow the pre-sterilized earrings to be loaded into the instrument without the operator touching them. There is a home version of this design intended for persons piercing their own ears. A wider variety of jewelery shapes and designs are available for newer piercing instruments. Ear piercing instruments are designed to pierce using 20- or 18- Gauge earrings, normally made out of Stainless Steel (not considered an appropriate piercing metal by most professionals), 24 kt. gold plated steel, 14 kt. Gold , or Titanium . CONTROVERSY REGARDING THE USE OF PIERCING INSTRUMENTS The primary issue with piercing instrument use is the difficulty or impossibility of proper sterilization. Added to this issue is the detail that these devices are not generally used by professional body piercers or medical professionals, they are almost always used by the employees of stores that also sell earrings and other fashion items, who have no medical training (especially in regard to Cross Contamination ), and in many cases only minimal training in using the piercing instrument itself. These instruments cannot be autoclaved, and the businesses that use them do not have facilities for proper sterilization. Usually no client medical data is kept on file, so in theory an Outbreak of disease or infection related to piercing instrument use would be difficult to track. A secondary, but not less important issue, is the amount of trauma caused by the use of piercing instruments. Although the jewelry may appear to be pointed and sharp to the naked eye, in comparison to the surgical needles used by professional body piercers, the initial piercing jewelry used in these instruments is effectively blunt. Brute force is used to drive the jewelry through tissue, causing far more trauma which can lead to extended healing times or scarring. The amount of force required to drive the gun in newer models is tremendous, relative to the ease with which professional piercers penetrate tissue with medical needles. Piercing cartilage with these instruments can also lead to Ear Collapse or Cauliflower Ear two potentially disfiguring conditions. Barbell Style Jewelry used in newer models has External Threads that may cause additional trauma, in addition to the trauma caused by use of the instrument itself. Mechanical failure can occur when operating a piercing instrument. While the new design is possibly less inclined to failure than the older, Spring driven, design, mechanical failure can often be incredibly painful, leaving the instrument attached to the ear, or the jewelry may not penetrate the tissue fully, requiring its removal. Staff at the businesses that employ piercing instruments are usually not prepared to deal with these situations. Blood loss from the wound created during the failure can be significant, and massively increase the risk of cross contamination. The low quality and improper design of jewelry is another reason the body piercing industry shuns these instruments. The standard jewelry for earlobe piercing has been 1/4" studs with "butterfly backs". These studs are often too short to allow for swelling during the healing process, swelling often caused by the additional trauma caused by the use of an ear piercing instrument, or they are shorter than the tissue they are intended to pierce entirely, which causes unneeded pressure on the healing piercing. The "butterfly back" is a natural collector for Lymph , Blood and bacteria, which can lead to or prolong infection. The quality of the material used in piercing instruments is often of much lower quality than would be used by professional body piercers, with potential for Nickel Allergy and skin discoloration caused by using improper materials for unhealed piercings. Improper usage of piercing instruments upon areas of the body not normally intended for their use can lead to a number of unpleasant additional situations. Jewelry that is too short for the tissue, or inappropriately shaped, especially jewelry used in the mouth, can embed itself into the body, with the wound effectively healing over it. This can require the surgical removal of the jewelry in many cases and can lead to Abscess es, Infection and severe Scar ring. In many piercings, the narrow gauge of the jewelry used by piercing instruments can lead to tearing and other ongoing trauma that expose the body to infection and cause permanent scarring. Many of the guns of the newer type are intended to pierce many more body parts than their predecessors. Given the tremendous variations in human Anatomy , the wisdom of having "one tool for all seasons" is debatable. While the newer guns can install jewelry of varying lengths and styles, possibly reducing some of the dangers associated with piercing instrument use in the past, there is are no training programs or regulations to control the quality of the piercer. Earlobes are a relatively forgiving part of the body, other tissue is more complex and there is no indication that the potential users of the newer systems will have training that informs them of the proper use of these instruments in areas other than the ear. ADVANTAGES OVER TRADITIONAL PIERCING METHODS There are two advantages to using a mechanical piercing instrument over professional contemporary body piercing. The low cost of providing the piercing service (most mall shops that do piercing with instruments charge $10 for both ears, including jewelry) relative to the greater cost of professional piercing (piercings can cost $20-$40, not including jewelry) is one advantage. The other advantage is not having to train the employee to the same degree. A piercing instrument can be used with minimal instruction, where an Apprentice piercer at a body piercing studio takes a minimum of one year of on the job training, and may be required to take college level courses in anatomy, cross contamination and other health issues. HISTORY AND CULTURE Ear piercing instruments are of modern design. Until the rise of the professional body piercing industry in the early 1990s, most piercings were performed either with guns, at home or by medical professionals. Before the advent of piercing instruments most piercings have always been done using a sharp implement, such as a Needle or a Blade , to make an entry through which jewelry is placed. In Western culture, visiting a Mall store to get an ear piercing is a common Coming Of Age experience for both girls and boys. Amongst Body Modification and Body Piercing enthusiasts and professionals there is a large Bias against the use of mechanical piercing instruments. Body piercers generally operate their businesses to much higher standards of sterility and have vastly more experience than the intended users of piercing instruments. A commonly seen sticker in body piercing circles is a red circle with a line crossing out the Silhouette of a piercing gun. When legal Regulation is placed upon the body piercing industry, exemptions are usually made for these devices or the businesses that use them. This may either be the result of a social stigma against body piercing, or due to the Lobbying pressures of industry groups. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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