pierce your own ears

disclaimer: i am not responsible for any injuries or problems that occur

alright now that thats over with. this instructable will teach you how to pierce your own ears. this should only be used as a last resort. i did so because i am not allowed to have my ears pierced. which leads me to another thing i will teach you how to hide your piercing!

Step 1 Sanitization of your piercing utensil

alright infection is nasty so sanitizing is a must.

first hold your needle with pliers/tweezers whatever and hold it over a flame for about 2 minutes

than soak your needle in alcohol for about 5-10 minutes

Comments

[lemoyre]

You shouldn't ice your ear it makes the skin tighten and rougher to pierce. You should use tooth numbing gel or something like that.

[musicgirl]

I would really like to try this, but I'm scared lol

[Goodhart]

It's probably best to get someone that has done it numerous times before to do this.

[live4rocknroll]

why did you put the needle over fire first??

[newb]

to sanitize it

[lemonie]

Ice-cube, classic! Try this (nose):

[crapflinger]

done it before.....on my own....for no reason

[lemonie]

Safety-pin? L

[crapflinger]

10 penny nail actually.....stung a bit

[lemonie]

Ohh. How long did you leave it in there? My mate (pic) found that he couldn't get the safety pin out for quite a while, had to snip bits of that were making it hard to see. Eventually it went good and he replaced it with that bar. L

[crapflinger]

about 5 minutes....long enough to make the captain of the football team puke and pass out

[ScienceWiz]

YOU JUST F***ING WIN!!!

I WORSHIP AT YOUR FEET!

EPIC....

[crapflinger]

nah, i just have a ridiculously high pain tolerance and a willingness to risk bodily harm for a gag (in this instance...literally)

[lemonie]

Ha, OK - I'm both amused and impressed. L

[Soodime]

wow ur cool.

ha ha, in your dreams.

[Father Christmas]

wow. no offense, but this is the single worst idea as far as DIY piercings go. The flame puts a shitload of oxides on the needle, and most of those are not well tolerated by the body. And if you have to 'hide' a piercing, dont get it. Piercings should be done just so you can take them out, like you are just 'messing around'. I am not personally attacking the author, but i just despise people like that. the entire concept insults my belief system.

[Dr. LD]

"Hold it over a flame for about 2 minutes" and watch it sear to your flesh when you try to pierce your ear!

[andrewjette]

k than soak in alcohol for 5-10 minutes? finish reading before you jump to conclusions buddy

[Dr. LD]

Alcohol wouldn't sterilize a needle. You need to pass it through an autoclave. Better yet, just buy some piercing needles that are pre-autoclaved, they are really cheap.

[crapflinger]

actually....for HOME piercing...the flame/alcohol method will get it sterile (enough)....alcohol DOES sterilize things...no where near as well as an autoclave....BUT that's what holding it in a flame is for....burning and killing anything that's on it....putting it in alcohol after keeps it sanitary because alcohol is a sterile environment.. "find a skin tone broom ya know the old style ones" DO NOT DO THIS...you CANNOT sterilize straw...it's not possible...ALSO you SHOULD NEVER put porous material in a fresh wound (i.e. piercing) you WILL "grow very attatched" to your new jewelry (pun intended)....anything porous (i.e. straw, bone, plastic, etc..) used as the FIRST jewelry in a piercing will allow the skin to grow INTO the jewelry and it will have a good chance of becoming a permanent addition

[berky93]

I'd say if you really need to hide it, get some thick fishing wire, sanitize that, and pass it through the hole then tie it off. make the loop small enough that it lays against your ear, but not tight enough to pull on the hole. then put the knot behind your ear.

[monkeeeee001]

Not only does flame fail to kill all undesirable organisms, it adds chemical deposits which are even less desirable than bacteria.

[bluebeard80]

There is no "enough" when it comes to the word "sterile." Something is either sterile or it is not. Alcohol does not sterilize. It will kill some bacteria and fungus, but viruses often remain, notable hepatitis. A lighter will not sterilize. Flame-treated equipment will still have any number of organisms remaining on it. For home attempts at sterilization, the best you can do it boil your implement at 140F or higher for 30 minutes or more, but even this will not destroy staph. THE BEST THING TO DO IS WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH TO VISIT A PROPER PIERCING STUDIO. It doesn't matter how hardcore you are, how serious you are about your cute little earlobes, or how much you want to rebel against your horrible, demanding parents who won't let you OMG pierce your ears. WAIT AND GET IT DONE PROPERLY.

[crapflinger]

i'm not going to argue against going to a pro...it's always better/smarter/safer/etc....er ...HOWEVER....unless i'm completely wrong...the open flame from a bic lighter is somewhere in the thousand degree range...so heat being the killer here....i believe that that wins over water at 140 and you're correct you couldn't DIP the needle in alcohol and expect it to be sterile afterwards...HOWEVER IF you STORE the needle until it's used in alcohol it will retain it's sterility from the flaming and yes...there is such a thing as "sterile" enough....aseptic is generally good enough for home medical standards (i.e. self cathing etc..)...assuming you've not poked someone else with the needle in question then your chances of it having hepatitis on it are slim

[bluebeard80]

Wrong.

http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Sterilization

[crapflinger]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterilization_(microbiology)
flaming is WELL accepted to sterilize metal equipment and has been for eons....

again...

i'm not going to argue that if you walk into a piercing studio and you see the guy flame his needles before coming at your ear that you shouldn't get the hell out of there...anyone with access to professional equipment (i.e. autoclave) SHOULD be using it

HOWEVER

at home....you probably don't have an autoclave (i don't)...and when you're just planning on piercing your ears "for funsies" at your house then flaming the needle is PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE...assuming that you're not planning on doing a mass run of piercing your friends....why spend 30 minutes boiling a needle/straight pin to do 30 seconds of work...once...in your home?

i'm not arguing against the proper use of sterilization equipment in a commercial setting and/or when it's available/convenient...

[monkeeeee001]

Flame is hardly even acceptable in a Biology labratory when "funsies" are not involved.

[bluebeard80]

If boiling a pot of water -- a totally passive thing, you just turn it on and wait -- is too hard for you, you don't need to be messing with body piercings. A Bic is not a Bunsen burner. You can assert that it's "perfectly acceptable" all day long, but piercing yourself with Bic exhaust is just stupid.

[Warlrosity]

I want a Llama on the top

[bluebeard80]

Your cork, sponge or... sock? WTF, a sock? ... just completely ruined any attempt at home sterilization. Seriously? A sock? This is why you should wait until you can visit a proper studio. A SOCK?!!?!?!

[andrewjette]

it was a joke man.

[mspark400]

I personally have a pierced ear (im a guy and I had it done professionally). Just as a fellow 'ibler I just wanted to give you heads up that you will soon be receiving many many comments on the safety and sanitation issues presented as well as many other subjects. My own views are that self piercing is fine as long as you do it correctly and safely, but of course, my views are not necessarily those of everyone else. Just thought I should give you a friendly heads up, best of luck, Mspark400

[bluebeard80]

'as long as you do it correctly'

Which this guide will not tell you how to do.

[andrewjette]

yeah i had a feeling about that. i am in no way a sanitary expert. but i did exactly what i put in this instructable and my ears have been fine. thanks for the heads up man.

[bluebeard80]

What if you're black? GO TO A PROPER STUDIO AND GET PROPER RETAINERS.