Piercing Gun vs Needle: What’s the Difference & Which is Better?
Piercings have been around for centuries, serving as one of the most popular forms of body modification. Professional piercers have come to a comprehensive decision in the debate of needle vs. gun piercing debate. When comparing the difference between gun piercing and needle piercing, professional piercers are aligned in complete agreement: needles are safer than guns.
Using a needle to create a piercing is generally considered safer and more precise than using a gun. According to experts, piercing guns have several problems, including tissue damage and scarring, which can affect the final result.
Piercing guns are impossible to sterilize, increasing the risk of infection further. Piercing needles come pre-sterilized and single-use. This means the risk of complications is significantly lower than with a piercing gun. When comparing piercing guns vs needle piercings, needles are more precise, lowering the risk of uneven or crooked placements.
While piercing guns may seem enticing as a quick fix, professional piercers recommend using a needle for a safer, more precise piercing experience.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Piercing Method for Your Shop
When it comes to body piercing, choosing the correct method is crucial for the safety and well-being of your clients. The central debate of piercing methods comes down to the choice between piercing guns vs. needles. However, there are significant differences between the two methods, and it is essential to understand these differences before choosing the right method for your shop.
Read onwards for an in-depth look at the difference between gun piercing and needle piercing!
How Gun Piercing Works
Guns use a spring-loaded mechanism that shoots the piercing through the earlobe or other body parts. The gun method is considered a quick and easy method. However, when comparing ear piercing guns vs needle piercing for ears, the speed increase may cost you in the long run.
The piercer will first clean the area to be pierced and mark the spot where the piercing will be made. They will then load sterilized jewelry into the piercing gun and place it against the skin. The spring-loaded gun rapidly pushes the earring through the skin and into place. However, it is essential to note that piercing guns are less precise than needles and may cause more tissue damage, increasing pain and the risk of complications for clients. Most piercers using gun piercing are untrained, as professional piercers have universally adopted needles as the preferred method.
How Needle Piercing Works
Needles are a more traditional and safer method for piercing. Needles are sharp, hollow tubes that penetrate the skin, creating a clean hole for the jewelry.
The needle piercing process begins with selecting a single-use sterilized needle that is of an appropriate size for the location. You will then clean the area to be pierced with an antiseptic solution and mark the spot where the piercing will be made. After this step, you will use the needle to quickly pierce through the skin, creating a hole for the jewelry to be inserted. From there, simply insert the jewelry into the piercing and secure it in place.
When contrasting ear piercing guns vs needles, you may have an additional question arise. What hurts more, needle or gun piercing for ear lobes and other body parts? Needles are a smoother method, causing less blunt force trauma than guns, lowering the pain clients experience.
Piercing Gun vs Needle: Which Should You Rely on for Your Clientele?
The decision between ear piercing guns vs needles is an important one for your shop. The wrong decision could lead to poor outcomes for clients, including infections or scarring. For more details on the difference between piercing guns and needles, read on!
The Piercing Process Varies Depending on the Tool Used
When it comes to body piercing, the tool used can make a big difference in the piercing process. Piercing guns use a spring-loaded mechanism to force a stud through the skin, while needles are hollow and create a clean puncture. Needle piercing is the preferred method for most professionals due to a cleaner, more accurate puncture and less harsh skin trauma.
What Hurts More Needle or Gun Piercing for Ear Lobes & Other Body Parts?
One of the most common questions you will hear from a client is: what hurts more, needle or gun piercing for ears? While the pain levels can vary from person to person, professionals and clients alike tend to agree that needle piercing is less painful than gun piercing. When comparing the differences in the process for needle vs gun piercing, it is clear gun piercings cause more trauma due to the harsh method used. Conversely, needles contribute to a precise penetration that lowers the aggravation to the piercing site.
Which Offers a Quicker Healing Process With Lower Risk of Complications?
Regarding healing time and risk of complications, needle piercing is again the preferred method. The smaller hole created by needle piercing helps to reduce the risk of infection and other complications. Additionally, the smaller hole produced by needles speeds up the healing process, making the experience much quicker for clients when compared to gun piercings.
Which is Easier to Sterilize for Client Safety?
Sterilization is a crucial aspect of body piercing, and needle piercing offers a sterilized experience, unlike gun piercing. Piercing guns cannot be sterilized due to the presence of small parts which are impossible to reach, while needles are single-use and can be disposed of after each use. This dynamic also reduces the risk of infection, making needle piercing the safer option for clients.
Needles Cover Every Location on the Body
Piercing needles are incredibly versatile, as you can find a needle for any piercing location on the body. While some amateur piercers believe piercing guns can be used on ear lobes and cartilage, this is a dangerous misconception. Piercing guns can cause massive trauma to cartilage, potentially requiring surgical intervention to fix.
Despite a few misinformed holdouts believing piercing guns can be used across the body, needle piercing is the safer, less painful, and quicker-healing option. Needle piercing also has a much lower risk of infection, thanks to the ability of needles to be sterilized, unlike guns.
You must also consider the gauge size before piercing when working with needles. Needles can be adapted to fit any desired piercing, so long as you prepare your shop in advance with multiple gauge sizes.
So, Which is Better: Piercing Needle vs Gun Piercing?
There is a clear winner in the debate between needle vs gun piercings. Professionals and clients alike agree piercing needles are the cream of the crop. Piercing guns have many drawbacks, making them less safe and ineffective compared to piercing needles.
Piercing needles are significantly more precise than piercing guns. With a needle, the piercer can control the exact depth and angle of the piercing, ensuring that the piercing is done correctly and safely. In contrast, piercing guns are much less precise and may cause unnecessary trauma to the skin and tissue around the piercing.
Piercing needles are also much less painful than piercing guns. Needles are designed to be as sharp as possible, passing through the skin quickly and with minimal discomfort. Piercing guns, however, use a blunt force to push the earring through the earlobe, which can be much more painful and traumatic.
Considering the difference between gun piercing and needle piercing, needles do not cause any damage to the tissue, making them a safer and more hygienic option.
Needles are versatile and can pierce various body parts, such as the nose, lips, and belly button. Needles are also famous for their accuracy and precision, allowing for a customized and comfortable piercing experience, especially when contrasted with piercing guns. Piercing guns can only be used on ear lobes; even then, they deliver inadequate and dangerous results compared to piercing needles.
Piercing needles are a universal favorite of professional piercers, and the few holdouts still using piercing guns routinely deliver traumatic and dangerous results for their clients.
Get Your Piercing Needles & Other Body Art Essentials at FYT Supplies!
If you are ready to revolutionize the way you perform piercings but aren’t sure where to procure needles, FYT Supplies is your one-stop shop! We offer pre-sterilized piercing needles that are a true game-changer for your shop. We also carry pre-sterilized piercing tapers that serve as the perfect transition piece for swapping out jewelry.
We are based out of Canada and offer international shipping no matter where your shop may be. Suppose your shop is already full to the brim with needles. In that case, we also sell disposable piercing tools and piercing aftercare products that will keep your shelves stocked so you can put your complete focus on delivering excellent results for your clients.
We also offer the best tattoo needle cartridges and the best tattoo machines in the business. The right tools are an extension of your skills, so keep us in mind for all your body art needs!
Wrapping Up Our Piercing Gun vs Needle Conversation
For professional piercers, the choice is clear. Needles offer a whole host of benefits when compared to piercing guns. While some amateurs tout piercing guns as a convenient option, they have several dangerous drawbacks that make them less safe and less effective than piercing needles. With a piercing needle, you can ensure that your piercings are entirely safe, with minimal discomfort and trauma and a lower risk of complications for your clients.
On the hunt for a reliable supplier for your piercing or tattoo shop? Here at FYT Supplies, we carry everything for your body art shop under one roof. From piercing supplies to tattoo supplies and permanent makeup supplies, our selection is precisely what your shop needs. Shop our selection today to take your needle-piercing game to the next level!
