30/07/2026
Ok, I gotta talk about it….. “STUD GUNS”!!!!
What a hot & controversial topic this is!!!
The best practices for a helix (anything cartilage or even nose for that matter) is not A STUD GUN OR a single use CARTRIDGE!!
Before i knew any better; I myself have been guilty of using stud guns for lobes (& only lobes - even on my own self) - i mean who the heck hasn’t had lobes done with them in the past - it was the norm back in ‘the day’.
But - those earrings have chunky butterfly backs that dig into us when we sleep & the posts are quite often way to short to accommodate for any swelling!!! They are also quite blunt in comparison to a needle.

& Honestly 9 times out of 10, if people do come to me with embedded earrings / healing issues with even just their lobe piercings; it’s because; they were done with a stud gun. So really why are stud guns still being used when we all know as professional piercers that there’s such a better way…..?? I get people want quick, and convient, & both lobes done at the same time etc….
But - There is many reasons as to why - I’ve had to “SAY NO TO STUD GUNS” in my studio!!!
As a professional body piercer - i have to!!!
I know better!!
We all have had to draw a line in the sand at some point - and in doing so i haven’t looked back!!
Pro-NEEDLE ALL THE WAY!!
I advocate for that, so I cant be contradictive.
A client came to me yesterday after being in Launceston last weekend… client decided to do a spur of the moment piercing - client went to a reputable place who has a reputable name….for a double helix - But instead of walking out happy she walked out unhappy with this monstrosity!! and yes i am going to call it that………. Cause that’s exactly what it is…..
Initially the client was given options of jewellery and once picked was asked to pay for the jewellery & piercings before even having them done!!
(& quite expensively priced to mind you)….
Client sat in the chair and before she even realised - she was sadly pierced with a stud gun in her cartilage…. She then refused the second helix (luckily) after realising this was not done in the correct & proper way.
My client contacted me & decided she wanted to try to at least save this piercing - we actually had to taper / stretch it to the proper standard gauge jewellery that a helix requires - creating excess trauma to the fresh piercing site…. This was very painful for my client due to the fact that not only was it done with a gun and had to be removed fresh, it was done with jewellery so thin that even standard gauge jewellery would not fit!!!!!! (Note* Using thinner gauge jewellery carries risks like the "cheese-wire" effect, piercing shrinkage, and structural bending).
Good thing the client had no major swelling or no major dramas for the short time it was in - but seriously - this is a recipe for disaster!!!
Stud guns can shatter cartilage permanently……..
Creating scarring that will last a lifetime…..
I fully get that we all have to start somewhere as a piercer and as the person getting the piercings - but in this day and age with information so readily accessible & available; people offering piercing services - should at the very least maintain their knowledge towards best and current practices for the clients own safety, we should all strive to continually get better with our practices & knowledge - especially when the client puts their trust in our hands & expects to get what their money should have paid for… and yes we all make mistakes & we have to own them…
But repeatedly using outdated methods when knowing there is better available is exactly that - simply outdated!!
When you pay for a service and you go to a reputable “piercing” place or studio - you think what you’re getting is good but sometimes it truly pays to do your research, even look at a piercers portfolio!!!
Your body will truly thank you for it! 🪡💎💕
