If there was something my young daughter begged for every birthday or Christmas, it was to get her earlobes pierced.
All her friends wore earrings, and she adored all the jewelry that she could attach on her ears.
These piercings are quite common. I had my first earlobe piercing when I was a baby, so I eventually agreed and we went to Claire's to get it done.
My daughter was six years old at the time, and while she was nervous, she was more excited by what was to come later (finally being able to attach on her favorite earrings).
A few weeks after she got her ears pierced, and was finally able to wear the earrings she bought, the hole became infected.
She was so traumatized by all the pain and puss that she decided she would rather let the hole close up.
I'm sure many people have had similar experiences with their child's ear piercing getting infected, but it's rare to have to rush your child to hospital for it.
Suzie Nesbet will never be able to forget the pain her daughter, Lily, experienced after getting her ears pierced at Claire's Accessories.
The seven-year-old had the piercing done in the UK at the Harlow, North London branch.
Several weeks after Lily got her ears pierced, Nesbet said she waited three weeks, cleaning her daughter's ear with the cleaning liquid, as she was directed, before she tried to change the earring.
The mother couldn't take the earring out, and a friend of her told her that the butterfly back of the earring may have embedded itself underneath Lily's skin.
"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," she said. "I couldn't push the earring back or forwards, it was absolutely horrible."
To get it removed, Lily was taken to hospital and had to be given a local anesthetic.
"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," the mother 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. When the anesthetic kicked in the nurse got the scalpel and had to re-open the wound and pop it out. It was horrific watching her go through such agony," she added.
The concerned mother is hoping her story will change the retailer's guidelines on hygiene.
She told local reporters that she wasn't given enough information and direction by Claire's Accessories.
"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."
A spokesperson for Claire's Accessories responded to the mother's concerns:
"Our piercing procedure and all of our piercing instruments, supplies and earrings are designed to promote the safest and most hygienic piercing experience. The rapid after care lotion is dermatologist and pediatrician tested for the effective care of the pierced ear. 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."
[H/T: Ladbible / Morning Press]
