We've all seen those signs at the mall that say “free piercing" at Claire's, Piercing Pagoda, or some other store. All you have to do is buy the jewelry and you'll get pierced for free. Sounds nice, right? Unfortunately, most of those places pierce with guns. Piercing guns can actually cause many problems. If you're thinking about getting pierced, do not get pierced by a piercing gun for these reasons.

1. They are really unsanitary.

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According to the Association of Professional Piercers, piercing guns can't be completely sterilized. They can't be cleaned by an autoclave. An autoclave is used to medically sterilize equipment. This means reusable guns can hold bacteria and blood from past clients. How gross is that?

2. They cause many healing complications.

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Healing complications are common with gun piercings. Other than a risk of infection, the gun can have a malfunction. This happened to me when I got pierced by a gun. Once it pierced my ear, it wouldn't retract back and it got stuck. It was super painful and bloody. I've also experienced keloids (small bump of tissue around piercing) and other problems with my gun piercings to the point where I had to take some of them out. Piercing guns are also way too fast and cause a lot of pressure on flesh. Overall, it isn't good for your skin.

3. They use the jewelry to pierce you.

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Piercing guns hold a "piercing earring" and use that to pierce you and lock the earring in. This means the earring is just pushing the skin away instead of making an actual hole. Most of the time the jewelry used isn't the best. Titanium, surgical stainless steel, and gold are the best types of jewelry to have in a fresh piercing.

4. The lack of professionalism.

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Many stores that use piercing guns lack the knowledge and experience to pierce a person. There is barely any training for these employees. After talking to a professional piercer at a tattoo/piercing shop, I've realized that those other "piercers" at those shops know nothing! They give you an estimated time of healing but really no other advice. They also let you pick out whatever jewelry you want and even though your choice isn't the best, they won't steer you in the right direction.

5. Getting pierced by hallow needles is the solution.

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After many piercings, I have learned that getting pierced by hallow needles is the BEST solution. Unlike piercing guns, hallow needles take the skin away instead of pushing it out of the way. Hallow needles can also be sterilized with an autoclave so there won't be leftover bacteria on it. All of my piercings by hallow needles have healed perfectly.

If you want to have a good piercing experience, get pierced with a hallow needle. Also, do research and read reviews about piercers in your area. If you follow this advice, you'll have a great piercing experience!