What is the average age to get ears pierced

Toggle navigation. Win Listen back. The topic of getting ears pierced has surfaced once again in our household as our six year old is ve Share this article. Weekend Breakfast With Alison Curtis. Best Bits. Sport Jim Magilton departs sporting director role at Dundalk. Live: Title Now playing. Added to queue. Removed from queue.

Now playing Schedule On Air. Episode title. You currently have no podcasts in your queue. Go to podcasts. Another benefit of waiting until babies are older before piercing their ears is that they can, at that age, care for their piercings themselves, reducing the possibility of an infection. But as long as parents take on that responsibility for their infants, baby ear piercing is generally safe. Infant ear piercing at 2 months is arguably an ideal time because it coincides with the first round of vaccinations , including the tetanus vaccine.

Getting ears pierced early is also better for pain. Older babies, around 5 or 6 months old, however, can localize pain. They may be more apt to tug and pull at the earrings. And the older a child is, the more likely they will be stressed or frightened when it comes to ear piercing, even if they have made their own decision to have the procedure done. Sticking to these standard will help prevent infection and allergic reactions. Twenty-four-karat gold is pure gold. During that time, parents can prevent rare cases of infection by cleaning around the baby earrings with alcohol and rotating the studs in their holes twice daily.

Once you determine a piercing location, make sure the technician has had at least a year's experience doing several piercings each day. Most important, says Lisa Garner, M. After the ears are pierced, avoid infection by always keeping your daughter's earrings clean.

Wash your hands with a mild soap and then clean the front and back of the earrings twice a day by using a cotton ball or pad that's been dipped with a little rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or cleaning solution provided by the piercing locale. Allow the pierced hole to maintain its shape by gently rotating the earrings and sliding them back and forth a few times.

Make sure the earring is not too tight. Do not remove the first pair of earrings until at least six weeks have passed -- if you do, the hole will immediately start to close. After six weeks, remove the initial pair of earrings and replace them with another, but make sure your daughter wears earrings continuously for six months so that the holes will become permanent.

Redness, swelling, or drainage, or any pain, itching, or tenderness are signs you should contact your doctor to determine if it's an infection or a possible allergy, says Jenny Murase, M. If it's an allergy to the metal, choosing new posts will likely solve the problem. If it's an infection, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics to treat it. If there is a reaction, remove the earrings right away and wait at least six months or longer before you consider getting the ears pierced again.

Keep in mind that keloid tissue a thick scar tissue is more likely to develop when there's an infection or allergic reaction. Murase says. Brod says. When your little one is changing her clothes or brushing her hair, make sure she doesn't irritate her newly pierced ears. Put her hair back with a headband or up in a ponytail. Try to keep hairspray, shampoo, perfumes, and similar products away from the earrings. Will my child have to avoid certain sports or activities after getting her ears pierced?

Some experts say no; others warn that children should be extra careful, especially during the first two weeks after a piercing when the wound site is more prone to infection.

Garner suggests avoiding swimming in a lake or ocean, which might contain unknown bacteria, for those two weeks. As for sports, horseback riding and softball requires a helmet, which might rub against the ear. It's ideal to take earrings out before the sport, but if your child is playing during the first six months after piercing, consider putting small bandages over the earrings to protect them.

Or, before you pierce your daughter's ears, check with her team coach to see if earrings are allowed -- if they are not, you might have to wait until the season is over.

All content on this Web site, including medical opinion and any other health-related information, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered to be a specific diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual situation.

Use of this site and the information contained herein does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others. I am in my late 30s and had my ears pierced- two in each ear- since I was a teenager. In my mid thirties, I didn't wear earrings for a couple of years and the [filtered]s closed up. I am not sure if they never were truly healed, but I had the piercings over a decade.