Pierced ears

[kaitlincd]

Hi Everyone

I am thinking of getting my ears pierced but, living where I live and working where I work, I need to find a way to "hide" the process. I have heard about using fishing line to keep the holes open and I suppose I could always do that and do a little makeup on top of it to cover the ends but does anyone have any other ideas?

Thanks

[janedoe311]

My family does not have pearced ears, My grandmother, mother and sister have french clip on earrings.

Seem to work for three generations.

[Lisa Golightly]

You really do not want to be putting makeup around what is in reality an open wound prone to infection.

[DonnaT]

I thought I might have had to use the fishing line thing when I got mine done, but no-one said a thing. And upon reflection, fishing line and makeup would probably have infected the ear.

You could get one ear done at a time, covering the process with a bandaid and feigning injury.

Or you could mention to those around you that you think so and so's (pick a celebrity, sports figure) earrings look cool. And then indicate you are thinking about getting yours done to look cool too.

[kaitlincd]

Good info - thanks everyone!

[Charolette time]

Hi Everyone

I am thinking of getting my ears pierced but, living where I live and working where I work, I need to find a way to "hide" the process. I have heard about using fishing line to keep the holes open and I suppose I could always do that and do a little makeup on top of it to cover the ends but does anyone have any other ideas?

Thanks

Seems like today every one is getting pierced ears, just look at all the sports stars, movie stars and ect,,, no one says a word any more, Myself I havent done it, just not had the urge, although Ive thunk about having the nipples done, I was at a flea market one time and a fellow, I THINK HE WAS A NATIVE AMERICAN iNDIAN, HE HAD HIS DONE WITH FEATHERS, IT LOOKED KIND OF SEXY, he had a deer skin vest on, so I guess its all a matter of ones own option, Go for it its not taboo any more, Love Charolette

[Daizy Chains]

i got my nipples pearced some time ago it was the most painful pearcing i have ever had .think twice!!

[kaitlincd]

"It's not taboo"

Unless you live in Utah :D

[MJ]

well when i got my first set done i had to keep them in for two months before taking then out.. and the same with my second set.. so just get studs and leave them in ... hugs

[ashlee chiffon]

if you do get them pierced, you need to leave sterile posts in for 6 weeks if you're wearing posts, or eight weeks for hanging earrings *so the holes line up in front and back evenly...any sooner and the weight stretches the holes before healing and you have stretched holes*. If you remove them sooner, you risk the holes closing. If you take them in and out and aren't sterile, the hole will get infected and will swell up red and hurt reallllll bad and everyone Will see it! Also, will have scar tissue built up inside the ear!
i've had both ears pierced...the second side many didn't notice for weeks...most people don't care and you can put in tiny black opal studs and be Real cool...do them one side at a time and i Bet no one will care and you'll get positive comments...
that's the way it worked for me!
ciao!

[Deidra Cowen]

I work in corp american so pierced ears are outta bounds! But clips on are so nice these days and there is a huge selection so thats what I do! The Steinmart stores here in Atlanta have one of those big display racks devoted to clipons. Thats where I get mine.

Now if I won the lottery or inherited a bunch of money...yeap would go get pierced, right after getting boobies, botox those wrinkles and lasor off all da hair! LOL

[linnea]

I got my ears pierced two years ago. I was very worried about how people would react, but for the most part no one cared. Because it was a change in my appearance, of course, some people commented. But I've worn studs in my ears almost every day since, and I haven't had any problems. Utah may be different though.

[Tedi]

I say pierce your ears.. what's the absolute worst thing that can happen? I did mine a few months ago and got little attention because of it. I didn't lose my job, my family didn't shun me and my friends didn't tell me to go away. Get 'em pierced, wear some not so flashy posts for 6 weeks or until they get healed. Then you'll be able to wear the earrings you want. I'm glad I did it.. everyone should!

[Scotty]

The best time of the year to do this is coming up!

Christmas season is always a great time, people on vacation, things are generally a bit more laid back.....that's when I did my right ear, something like 1996, new job at a major software company and I had both ears pierced, as did a LOT of people.

[Glenda58]

Get them done during holidays then go to work and tell them you did it with your niece or on a bid that you have to keep them for month to win. After a while no one will care. No one cares about mine after 9 months. And most days I don't wear them at work just at home or going out.

[S. Lisa Smith]

I did mine one at a time. Covered them with a small bandaid, took some grief until they healed. After they healed I put the ear protectors from Claire's in the holes and not many people noticed. I told anyone who asked that I did it on a bet. No big deal. Now people don't even notice. Having pierced ears is soooo great. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

[Stephenie S]

Oh for goodness sake, pierce your ears. Stop obsessing about it. No one will care. It's none of their business anyway.

And don't make up some silly story about a bet. The proper explanation to anyone so impolite as to insist on knowing why you did it is to tell them that you WANTED to do it. You can put in small gold studs that look quite dignified. (This is what I wear to work). You can also wear small crosses (religious), small Harleys (biker), sports equipment (athlete), the posiblities are endless. The fact remains that there are many, many, earings made just for guys available. So asert your masculinity, don't be a wimp, and pierce you ears.

You will love the selection of girly ones too. And the girly ones FEEL so nice swinging from your ears. It's MUCH better than clip ons.

Lovies,
Stephenie

[Tedi]

Oh for goodness sake, peirce your ears. Stop obsessing about it. No one will care. It's none of their business anyway.

And don't make up some silly story about a bet. The proper explanation to anyone so impolite as to insist on knowing why you did it is to tell them that you WANTED to do it. You can put in small gold studs that look quite dignified. (This is what I wear to work). You can also wear small crosses (religious), small Harleys (biker), sports equipment (athlete), the posiblities are endless. The fact remains that there are many, many, earings made just for guys available. So asert your masculinity, don't be a wimp, and pierce you ears.

You will love the selection of girly ones too. And the girly ones FEEL so nice swinging from your ears. It's MUCH better than clip ons.

Lovies,
Stephenie

Right on!!

[Missy Anne]

I used the bandage idea in conjunction with a story about having a growth removed.

Only one person said "it is really odd that you had growths on both earlobes at the same time" but he said nothing further. Everybody knows that the sun can do a lot of skin damage.

I have nothing in them during the day and sleep with small posts to keep them open.

I love having them pierced!

Missy Anne

[trannie T]

While I still was working we had very strict grooming standards; no long hair, no beards, no earrings. As soon as I retired my ears got pierced and I quit going to the barber. I now have several piercings in each ear, some were even done in Utah. A few people have mentioned them but everyone appears to have accepted my piercings.
If the only reason you haven't had your ears done is your fear of peer pressure quit worrying, just do it.

[Charleen]

Got mine done in June and nothing has been said. I wear filigree hoops all the time. The only time anything has been said was by a fourth grader at work. I dress in colonial clothing to interpret history, and have been called a pirate on many an occasion. This time when asked why they(the class) called mr a pirate, it was the usual- my clothing, my ponytail, the skull rings I wear, and then this girl says because of the gold rings in your pierced ears! I explained that back then the ears were pierced to allow evil thoughts to get out of the head, true, and the earring were how some kept and displayed their wealth. She said "Cool" and that was that. Noone I've come across in allthese months has said boo about my earrings. In udder werds-get 'em pierced if that's want you want!
Love and xxxx, Lily

[Carol Elizabeth]

Pirates (sailors in general) used to wear a gold earing in the ear in case they died away from home. The gold was to pay for the cost of a funeral etc.

CE

[janedoe311]

One was in a fight with a SO. The other by accident it got caught on something. Knew lots that had many infections and one lady that was allergic to every metal posts but 100% gold posts, all other posts caused problems.

Piercing your ears is not without its problems.

[Marcie Sexton]

I say do it, I started with one ear at a time, with a small unisex post...when teased by my co-workers, I told the #1, it was none of their business, #2, I did it to prove to my son, who is into piercings that there was nothing to it at the time, < little did i know he would eventually get in to it :rolleyes: >

Now I have more ear rings than my wife and as a matter of fact she even went out today with a pair of mine on...:heehee:

So you go girl...but practice good habits and go to a piercing shop, they'll give you some liquid that will promote healing and stop infection...:2c:

Good Luck

[Lexi]

I am 43 and I have had bother ears pierced for about 20 years. I had one ear pierced back in 1982. That was radical back then. I know have my ears,naval,nipples,labret and penis pierced. Since the only obvious piercings are the ears and the labret, those are the only ones commented on. I think one person has asked me if I am a pirate and I told them I was. Besides that, NOBODY CARES. I also have ten tattoos and nobody cares about them either. It's your body, do with it whatever makes you happy. Life is too short to care what others think about you.

[JeanneF]

When I first got my ears pierced, I had a pair of silver captive ball hoops in until the holes healed. When on of my friends saw it, he told me I looked like a gay pirate. :)

I've never had problems with my piercings. Occasionally someone who hasn't seen me for a while will comment on them when they first see them. I usually respond with a joke like "I'm trying to look like a badass", "I'm having a quarter-life crisis" or something along those lines. Pretty much everyone has told me that they look really good on me.

I work in the corporate world, but I've never had problems with clients or whatnot. It kind of fits the image that I cultivate at work...I wear aggressive "librarian" glasses, have highlighted and longish hair, pierced ears, wear Italian suits, etc. It sets me apart from a lot of my colleagues my age, who dress like Young Republicans.

[Scotty]

I have my navel pierced too but that's where it stops :D
I enjoy naval jewelry!! There's some pretty stuff out there!!

[Stlalice]

I posted this awhile back in the Transexual forum - got my ears done while I was off work recovering from surgery - you need 6 to 8 weekks to have the piercings heal enough to take the studs out for 8 to 10 hours - but it takes up to a year for the piercings to totally heal. There were times during the first few weeks back at work when I thought I'd never get those damn studs back in after I took them out for work !!!

Dealing with pierced ears...
As you are finding out it takes a lot longer than you might expect for ear piercings to fully heal. If it is not too late to do so have your wife put a pair of plain studs/posts in and leave them in. Buy several large bottles of something like bactine and apply it liberally several times a day while gentley rotating the studs and moving them back and forth in the pierces. It can take up to a year for pierces to fully heal and in the interim they will occasionally bleed a bit when you change ear rings and miss getting them absolutely straight in the holes! As long as there is no sign of infection or swelling/soreness/redness you should be OK. Even when the pierces ARE fully healed you generally have to wear studs 8 to 12 hours a day to keep the pierces open. I have several pairs of studs just for this purpose that when I'm not wearing them they live in a medicine bottle with some alcohol so that they are sterile when inserted. Pierced ears allow a wonderful choice of ear rings but you have to make a commitment to caring for and maintaining the piercings

:2c:

[Michelia]

I ordered some earrings from this site and have been very happy. They are great quality, pretty and inexpensive. They are working on expanding their offerings and a new website. I came to the conclusion that I would not be dressing every day, so why bother. Then again, when I see some of those beautiful earrrings I cannot wear....

Michelia

[DAVIDA]

I pierced my own ears 25 years ago. I have two holes in both ears.If anybody had comments about them, I have no idea.
The only time anything was ever said was by my best friend. I had red lipstick on that morning and apparently I didn't get it off very good. While driving, he asked me if I had lipstick on. I asked him if he was surprised and he said "I wondered what two earrings meant". Nothing has ever been said about it again, and that was over 10 years ago!

[CutieJulie]

Get em done, WhenI got mine done. I got flack for a week then no one cares.. I mean what are they gonna do..

Sticks and stones and all that.

[Patti Jordon]

Get it done I should have it done 20 yrs ago but happy with 6 .more styles to chosse from and more comforfable.Get the smallest studs possable and then use Band Aide or Curad round spots in side an out.Make sure she uses a marker first so that you are happy.don"t wear heavy earning for 3 or 4 months.No one has said a word about it to me in all that time. just start small and light.Happy pierceing

[hjt101]

And don't make up some silly story about a bet.

Lovies,
Stephenie

I'll help make this easy. I'll bet you can't go out and get them pierced this month. There's the bet you were looking for.

(I know you can do it)

H

[Joanne_'jojo']

I got all three of mine done at the same time, actually around this time last year, now I want a second set in the lobes :)

I just blamed them on a mid-life crisis and the fact that I wanted to do it. I got a few comments because I come across as a conservative kind of person. After everyone made the "Oh you got your ears pierced" comment, everything else was positive, even got a few really nice compliments.

Nobody really seems to care these days, there are too many guys with ears pierced for it to be all that "different".

I'd say just do it, was the best thing I ever did... except getting some proper breast forms :)

Joanne.

[Stephenie S]

And please don't worry about those scare stories. No earing made is strong enough to rip out your piercing. These things are really quite flimsy. If you were to pull hard enough they would just bend. I think it would hurt quite a bit, but your ears are much stronger than the thin metal most decorative earings are made of. I have seen some studs from body peircing studios that look pretty strong but most of us want to wear pretty earings, not body peircing studs from the tatoo parlor. Basic hygiene will keep infection at bay. Alcohol or the cleaning fluid you are given when you get your piercing done will do quite well. Keep your hands clean and wipe the site clean in the morning and before you go to bed. Bleeding? Very unlikely. There is just not that much blood flow in the lobes of our ears. They tell you it will heal in 6-8 weeks. Mine took a bit longer. The biggest problem I had was learning to put them in and out by myself. For the first few times I had to ask for help. Once when I was at work (that was embarrassing!). My wife told me it would get easier and she was right. Now it is easy, but for a while it was VERY difficult.

I think that unless you have a specific prohibition from work about earings (and that would amount to sex discimination), you should just do it if you want to. Earings on guys are getting just so common these days.

Lovies,
Stephenie

[Rachel Morley]

I had my left ear done (by myself) when I was 16 years old for a bet. But it wasn't until I was in my mid 30's that I decided I wanted the second one done for girly reasons. I was very nervous about what people would think if they saw me with a stud in each ear. I did this one myself too one drunken evening :eek:

Anyway, I want to tell you that I got over the problem of being seen by my co-workers by first removing my existing earring, and wearing my new one as long as possible each day. I would take it out just before I got out of my car in the parking lot before going into work and then I always took my lunch off site so that I could put it back in for an hour. Then as soon as it was time to go home (I never did any overtime) I would put it straight back in and leave it there until I was getting out of my car again for the start of the next work day.

I started doing this after I had "done the deed" on the Friday night of a holiday weekend so that I got 3 days of healing before I first took it out. I had no problems and it healed ok.

As far as being a guy having both ears pierced is concerned, the only time I ever had a "moment" was when I was in a spa pool at my local health club with one of my buddies and his young son, and his son said to me "how come you have got both your ears pierced?.....I thought only girls do that?". Fortunately for me his Dad piped up with "well, these days it doesn't matter what people do". IMO for guys to have both ears pierced…. it’s not for everyone…. but it is “normal” these days.

[shawnaraylynn]

I dont knkow where in Utah you are but in '89 in a small town I peirced mine and it took all of 5 minutes for everybody to cross the street! Guess they didnt want any style cooties on them.:devil:

[Joy Carter]

Yeah the Mom In law asked my wife if I was in a "midlife crisis", LOL. Whats funny is that one of my customers a GG and young though I looked rather cool for a man at the age if fifty seven to have both his ears pierced.:D And she has been the only one to say anything. Now I gotta get that sports car and look for a GG friend,LOL. Car yes:D girl friend no.:(

[carolinebrookes]

I'd say go get it done. When all said and done, no one cares, apart from you! We are all too afraid of what people think of us. Many guys have both ears done and nothing is said. It's called Fashion!
I had both mines done as a teenager. The New romantic period helped a lot. Not to mention that I was looked upon as "cool" at school and strangely enough, just about had my pick of girls too. From piercings I moved on to makeup with the girls help! Ah the New romantics!

[Cami_wi]

Honey, Just DO IT !
We all worry way too much about what " Others Think" since when do we as Adults need permission or Approval from others to do things We want to Do ? If you were thinking of doing it to your Lip or tounge, that would cause more stares than wanted. Your ears are FINE to do and they are YOURS

Start with small post earrings, nothing to flashy. DO NOT Cover them or put Make-up Near them, you will be asking for infections.


WE as CD's TS's etc all have the same issue of worry and I would say from experience and going thru what I did and Many others to get where we want to go about 95% of the FEAR is in Out Own Heads and Created by Ourselves. It really makes no difference to others if our Ears are pierced or not. Of coarse you will be sensible After they heal and you can wear different earrings, such as Hoops and Dangley ones, you won't be wearing these to work anyways. I had a male Hairstylist once that wore Diamond Studs in both ears, His MOTHER bought them for him. He was NOT Gay either.

[Jammie Lyann]

Just had my right ear done left has been done for about 19 yrs about 2 weeks ago, I work in a very Macho enviroment,
have had some jokeing around with me about it, but over all no one as been nasty to me about it , those that do not like it (tell by the looks on their faces.) dont say anything. get some masculine hoops or studs an wear them you dont want the holes to close up or for them to get inffected,
as long as there is no company rules being broke there is not much anyone can say or do about you wearing earrings (other than a few dirty looks)
the people you get along with at work may rib you alittle but eventully they will get past it an forget all about it, dont let it get to you an joke back with them, works for me anyhow.

I pierced my own ears hehe cheaper that way however I did pay about 100$ for the stud that I pierce with an I take out my earrings an clean them in rubbing alcohol once a week, stick them back in wet stings a little but that also cleans the hole. my left ear as I said have had pierced (twice) for about 19 yrs an I have went with out wearing earring for as long as 6 months an never had them close up but that is me.

anyhow good luck on what ever you decide :hugs:

[krisinpink]

A friend pierced my left ear 20 some years ago as a rebellious college thing...within the last two months, my SO pireced my other ear. I can't wait to begin wearing earrings in pairs.

In our society today (generally speaking) there is not much of a taboo or stigma assoiated with guys having both ears pierced. If I may offer a suggestion to you should someone ask about your ears it would be to simply say something like "I've seen it more and more on guys, and I think it can be really cool." Also- just wear some mild and simple studs during the healing time, and get excited about all the great earrings you'll be wearing in the future!

Have fun!

[Andrea Nicole]

Hi,
I wear a lot of really large hoops, and long dangling earrings. Nice ones are so hard to find in clip-ons, so about 6 yrs ago...I had both my ears pierced. I love it.
Take Care.

[Cheryl T]

I got mine pierced about 16 months ago. I have 2 in each ear and wear studs in the uppers and hoops in the lowers and I wear them all the time.
The comments lasted about 2 days (except from the ladies who kept asking where I got them) and now no one even seems to notice.
As for pain...it was a pinch and over in a split second. Now it's such a pleasure to be able to wear any style I please and not be limited in selection.

[fionasboots]

"It's not taboo"

Unless you live in Utah :D

Surely pierced ears are the least of your worries then ... I would have thought the tiny matter of wearing interesting clothing would be more of a concern out there!

Hey, I wish I'd known you were out in deepest darkest Utah, I've spent the best part of the year out there and tips from a local would have been really handy!

Oh well, best of luck with the pierced ears ... for the record I will be VERY jealous if you actually do get them done, I would love to be able to to the same :D

[Mistress_Thorny]

If you are in a position to lose your job over it or if you know you might be job hunting then these things need to be considered.

But if you know you have the time to let them heal without being a problem and you know you want to do it then go for it.

You know the people you deal with better than any one else and you know the tolerence of grief you might take if you do it. Just wiegh it carefully

MT