Many people who have gotten an ear piercing probably got it done at the mall.
Likely at a kiosk stand or jewelry store.
And most of us don’t think twice about it. Regardless of how old the piercee is.
But mom Suzie Nisbet is wishing that she had thought twice before bringing her 7-year-old daughter Lily Nisbet to get her ears pierced at Claire’s Accessories store in Harlow, Essex.
Suzie says her daughter had to be hospitalized after receiving an ear piercing.
Suzie says her daughter was pierced by store staff on Aug. 1 and given its three-week Rapid After Care Cleanser which is supposed to ear the piercing in less than a month.
“She was very proud of them and loved showing them off,” Suzie told People. “I was told that with this particular solution they would be healed within three weeks. I did think it was quick, but I didn’t question it as Claire’s is a reputable store and I trusted them. We regularly cleaned it as we’d been told to and it looked absolutely fine, no sign of infection at all.”
After the three week period, Lily switched out earrings as Claire’s advised that she could.
Suzie said Lily’s ears looked health with no sign of irritation or infection.
However, Lily’s ears started to produce a discharge about a week after that.
“I woke up one morning and my ear started to feel like it was vibrating, it felt really sore and yucky. It was really painful. It was hot and sore,” Lily recalled.
Suzie noticed that the back of Lily’s earring was missing.
“We didn’t think it was possible for the back to get stuck in her ear due to the size of it and searched her bed to try and find it. I couldn’t push the earring back or forwards, it was absolutely horrible,” Suzie recalled. “She was screaming every time I tried to remove [the earring] at this point I didn’t realize the back was still in there, I thought the lump was an infection.”
Lily was eventually taken to Princess Alexandria Hospital.
“At that point they said it was too embedded and that she would need to use a scalpel. Those 20 minutes felt like four hours, it was so traumatizing for us all,” Suzie recalled. “When the needle went into her ear it obviously really hurt her as it was so sensitive and she screamed out. She was then properly crying too, it was horrendous.”
Suzie was horrified to see her daughter go through such pain. Suzie doesn’t want to see anyone else go through what her daughter did.
She is calling on Claire’s to reform their piercing protocols.
Experts say that the initial piercing earrings should be removed for at least six weeks instead of three as removing it sooner could cause the hold to close, according to Parents.
“This was bad advice given by a name I trusted. I don’t know why they are pushing the three-week healing process guidelines. A piercing is a wound and needs at least six weeks to heal,” she said. “I feel very disappointed in Claire’s Accessories – we were such good customers but not anymore,” Suzy said.
Claire’s, however, says that their procedures are fine and their lotion is dermatologist and pediatrician tested.
“Three weeks of use is an appropriate and approved length of time. The Rapid lotion is safe and allergy tested and its soothing formula is skin friendly. If undue pain, swelling, redness occurs at any time, seek medical advice immediately. Do not remove studs before the relevant medical advice,” a company spokesman told media outlets.
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