EAR LOBES

Earlobes are by far the most common piercing in the world and are one of the oldest forms of body modification. Historically, pierced ears (at least in Western society) have been considered a feminine adornment—with the exception of the occasional sailor. More recently, pierced ears for men started to become fashionable with hippies and gay men in the 60s, punks and artists in the 70s, and musicians and actors in the the 80s. By the 90s and the new millennium they became commonplace in the culture (or counterculture) for both men and women.

The process of how earlobes are pierced has evolved just as much as who wears earrings has. In the the not-so-distant past, ear piercing was commonly done at home with ice and a sewing needle. Ear piercing guns were later developed (originally for use by doctors), but soon they found their way into retail stores and piercing kiosks at malls across the world. Thankfully, this method is becoming more recognised for the damage they do, and the huge rejection rates and healing problems by getting pierced with piericng guns. It is generally agreed by educated professionals that the cleanest, quickest, and safest way to pierce ears is the same way we perform all of our piercings: with a sterile, single-use, disposable needle and aseptic technique.

While the jewelry choices that can be worn after healing are almost infinite, jewellery choices for initial piercings are a little more limited. We will usually suggest either a 1.2mm or 1.6mm titanium flat back labret. These have a wide variety of “fronts,” from plain silver balls to faceted stones and even gold with diamonds. If you are planning on stretching later, earlobes can initially be pierced as large as 2mm—or, in some cases, even larger.

Come in and talk to one of our piercers about larger-gauge piercing options.