Needle Piercing Vs. Gun Piercing: What’s Better A Piercing Gun or Piercing Needle
Tyler Martina
Needle Piercing Vs. Gun Piercing: What’s Better A Piercing Gun or Piercing Needle
You are thinking about getting a piercing, and you know that there are two different ways piercings can be done:
The first way is the way everyone knows, the piercing gun. You see this method done at boutiques in malls across America.
The second way is less common, it is done with hollow point needles. This method is used in professional body piercing and tattoo shops.
You find yourself wondering, “What method is better for piercing, needles or guns?”
That is why we put this piercing guide together, so you can know once and for all what piercing method is better and why. In this needle vs. gun piercing guide we will put needles and guns toe toe in the ultimate showdown to decide which is best. We will cover things like, pain levels, precision, healing, cleanliness, affordability, and more!
So, let’s get started…
What are piercing needles
Piercing needles are needles designed for you guessed it, piercing! Unlike sewing needles, piercing needles are hollow point, sterile needles that are specifically designed for use in body piercings. This hollow point design means piercing needles cause far less trauma to the piercing location than forcing the blunt end of a traditional needle through the skin.
Piercing needles also come in a variety of sizes, or gauges, and lengths. The length and gauge of the piercing needle used is based on what is best for the piercing being performed. A professional piercer will know what size piercing needle will be best for you.
Piercing needles are also single-use items and should never, I repeat never be reused. It should also go without saying that piercing needles should never be used by untrained individuals, that is why most piercing supply shops require that you have a Body Art License to purchase them. If you are considering getting a piercing, it is very important to find a reputable piercer.
What are piercing guns
Piercing guns are what you see being used in your average mall piercing place, similar to the piercing gun pictured below. Piercing guns are generally a spring loaded, handheld, triggered device (hence the name “piercing gun”), that is loaded with a sharp stud. When the trigger is pulled the stud is forced through the skin and backing is forced on the opposite side.
In the past piercing guns were the standard for piercing, but they are no longer recommended by professional piercers and piercing shops due to the many issues we will cover below and in this article, including:
Increased Risk of Infection: Piercing guns are difficult to properly sterilize, especially between uses. This can increase the risk of infection.
Tissue Damage: The blunt force trauma caused by a piercing gun can damage delicate earlobe tissue, potentially leading to scarring and increased healing time.
Placement Inaccuracy: It can be difficult to accurately line up a piercing gun, which can result in uneven or misplaced piercings.
And more: This is why professional piercers prefer to use sterile needles and equipment that can be properly sanitized between uses to minimize the risk of infection and complications.
So, what’s better for a piercing, Piercing Guns or Piercing Needles?
Now the competition begins and we will find the one true piercing king to rule them all. We have broken it down into a few categories, and we will determine a winner for each category, and then at the end determine the overall winner. Let the piercing competition begin, and let the best method win.
What hurts more, a Piercing Gun or Piercing Needle?
A lot of people have heard that a piercing gun is less painful than a needle, however this is 100% not true. The truth is, a piercing needle is far less painful. This is because a piercing needle is designed to slide through skin like butter, the hollow point needle means less resistance, and in turn, less trauma and pain to your ear. Piercing guns use a blunt force to push a sharpened solid stud through your ear, while simultaneously clamping a backing on. This causes tons of trauma to the ear, and is significantly more painful than getting pierced with a needle.
Winner: Piercing Needle
What is more precise, a Piercing Gun or Piercing Needle?
When you get a piercing you want that piercing to be as precise as possible, and the best piercing tool for precision is… the piercing needle! Because of a piercing needle's relatively small size, and ability to pick from different needles depending on the piercing location, a piercing needle is able to pierce locations and angles that just are not possible with a piercing gun. The size of a piercing gun and clunkiness of operation also makes simple piercing locations impossible to pierce with precision.
Winner: Piercing Needle
What is safer and more hygienic, a Piercing Gun or Piercing Needle?
Piercing needles are all sterile and single use making them the safest most hygienic option for your new piercings. Piercing guns on the other hand are used for multiple clients and are impossible to properly sterilize, if sterilization is even attempted at all. This means that every time you are pierced with a piercing gun you are sharing bio waste with everyone else that was pierced before you (excuse me while I throw up in my mouth). This alone makes getting pierced with a piercing needle over a piercing gun a no brainer.
Winner: Piercing Needle
What causes the least amount of tissue trauma, a Piercing Gun or Piercing Needle?
We have already learned that a piercing needle is less painful than a piercing gun because needles are design with a hollow point design to ensure the least amount of pain and tissue damage. We also learned that a piercing gun uses blunt force to push a sharpened solid stud through your ear, while simultaneously clamping a backing on, thus causing far more tissue trauma than a piercing needle.
Winner: Piercing Needle
What heals better, a Piercing Gun or Piercing Needle?
Again, a piercing needle is designed to cause the least amount of tissue damage when piercing, this means the piercing will heal much better. This combined with the fact that piercing needles are far more precise than a piercing gun, and the fact that they are far more sanitary and hygienic means that healing a needle piercing is much quicker, easier, and better, than healing a piercing from a piercing gun.
When getting any piercing make sure it is done with a body safe metal, we suggest implant grade titanium and 14k gold. This can have a huge impact on healing time. To learn more about the most body safe piercing metals click here.
Winner: Piercing Needle
What costs the least to get pierced with, a Piercing Gun or Piercing Needle?
It is true, the initial cost of getting pierced with a piercing gun is less. The reason for this is also the reason you should avoid getting pierced with a piercing gun. Piercing needles are single use and need to be used by professional piercers. Piercing guns can be used over and over again, and anyone, even untrained people with a hand and the ability to pull a trigger can use them. This means for the most part, the cost of the piercing will be less when getting pierced with a piercing gun.
The lower cost comes with a lot more risk though including:
More painful
Not precise
Slower healing time
Risk of infection
And more…
It is just not worth it to save a couple bucks. A piercing, when done properly, will last a lifetime, so don’t choose where you get pierced based on price alone, choose based on quality, reputation, and everything else too.
Winner: Piercing Gun for intail cost, but with the risks involved it is probably cheaper to pay a higher intail cost and get pierced with a needle
And the winner is….
There you have it, the age old question of what is better to be piercing with, a Piercing Gun or Piercing Needle?, has now been answered. And the winner and undisputed champion is…
The Piercing Needle!
After nearly sweeping every category, we finally have a definitive winner, and you now know that piercing needles are the best thing to get pierced with. So, if you are planning to get a piercing for yourself, or your child , it is clear that the best choice is getting pierced with a piercing needle.
Piercing needles are not only less painful, more precise, better healing, less traumatic, but they are also much more hygienic and safer. And the most important thing is safety and health.
We hope this article answers all the questions you may have about getting pierced with a needle vs. a gun, if not, please post any additional questions in the comments below and we will answer them as soon as we can.
See you soon!
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