Dr. Komarovsky about when you can pierce the ears of a child

All parents want to see their children more mature, more beautiful, and therefore there is nothing surprising in the fact that moms and dads girls (and sometimes boys!) The question arises at what age you can safely pierce the child's ears.

This question is often addressed to Dr. Komarovsky, a pediatrician of the highest category and a TV presenter.

Dr. Komarovsky argues that medicine in general does not impose any strict restrictions on the timing of ear piercing. But most doctors still do not consider it reasonable to pierce a child’s ears for up to a year.

Thus, the question of when to pierce a girl's ears should be decided solely in the family circle. In different families, their perceptions of the permissible. Some pierce the daughter's ears in a few months after her birth, believing that in this way they relieve the child from unnecessary stress, because at a conscious age children are afraid of such manipulations. Others postpone this moment to adolescence, where the girl deliberately makes the choice herself and asks to pierce her ears.

Quite often you can hear the opinion that the younger the child, the less psychological trauma he will receive. To some extent this is true. But there is also an impressive "army" of medical specialists who say that it is best to pierce their ears after 3 years.

The arguments are as follows:

• after three years of age, local and general immunity becomes stronger, and therefore healing proceeds faster;
• up to the age of three, it is difficult for the child to control his own actions - the baby will cling to the earrings, touch them with clothes and toys, which can lead to injury to the earlobe;
• earrings can unfasten, the child is able to drag them into his mouth and choke; after 3 years, children are less inclined to try everything on a tooth;
• the younger the child, the stronger the allergic negative reaction may be to the materials from which the jewelry is made.

When making a decision, Komarovsky advises to adhere to the principles of rationality. Unfortunately, more often than not, the mother is led not by the desire to make the child healthier and better, but by the need to conform to the norms of society. If a neighbor girl has ears pierced from the first months, then why not pierce her own daughter?

The puncture technique is the same at any age, the piercing master doesn’t have any difference at all how many years or months a child whose parents have decided to pierce their ears.

Yevgeny O. indicates that there are some scientific studies that indicate that the puncture of the daughter’s ears after the age of ten is fraught with the formation of ugly scars on the earlobe. Sometimes parents try to accelerate events only because they also heard about similar effects of late piercing.In practice, the studies are not confirmed - and the girls, who had their ears pierced during adolescence, and the girls, who decided on this after the age of majority, do not complain about the scars on the lobes.

If, in matters of age, pediatricians are not advisers, pediatricians do not stand aside and make recommendations regarding the choice of a suitable day and place for the procedure. These are child safety issues, and Komarovsky advises him very seriously.

To avoid negative consequences, adherence to simple recommendations will help.

• At the time of the manipulation of the child must be completely healthy. If teeth are cut, there is a runny nose, cough, there are signs of diathesis, you first need to solve these problems so as not to overload children's immunity with another task.
• It is better if the important day is scheduled for the beginning of autumn or the second half of spring. In winter, the child wears hats, scarves that can cling to jewelry, which increases the risk of injury to the earlobe. In summer, hot and dusty, there will be a chance of infection and adherence to the wound infection.
• Do not pierce the girl's ears at home on their own. It is best to contact the special rooms or clinics that provide piercing services. Parents should make sure that the clinic or the office is clean, the instruments are sterile, that the specialist is able to give detailed and detailed recommendations on how to care for the lobes after the puncture. If, besides the price list for services, the office cannot provide anything, it’s worth finding another, Yevgeny Komarovsky is sure.

Modern children are spared from the torment when piercing the ear lobes with a thick gypsy needle, as it happened with the grandmothers during their youth. Today, the puncture is a very quick and almost painless procedure, in some cases bloodless.

To date, there are three main ways to get your ears pierced:

• You can use the silent device - “stapler” STUDEX SYSTEM 75 (which is optimal for young children who do not even have time to get scared);
• use the so-called gun, noisier, but also quite fast and safe;
• in the old manner, agree to a manual puncture with the help of special piercing needles.

Care after a puncture Komarovsky recommends that special attention be paid. Not always manipulations will be pleasant for the child, but follow the recommendations of the mother are required to prevent complications.

It is necessary to bathe the child no sooner than 3-4 days after the puncture, so that bacteria or viruses do not get into the wound with water. You can wash the girl, but you need to make sure that during this water treatment the water does not get into the wounds on the earlobes. Swimming in the river or the sea is prohibited in the public swimming pool for the entire first month after the piercing.

The girl should be gently combed, her hair can not come into contact with the injured lobes. It is best to collect them in a tail or a bundle. It is allowed to change the earrings, which were installed at the time of a puncture for others, after about a month and a half - the edges of the wound should stretch, heal completely.

Treat baby earlobes three times a day. The usual hydrogen peroxide, which is in every home first-aid kit, is quite suitable for home processing.Do not use alcohol-containing compounds. Peroxide is enough to drop in front of and behind the inlet and turn the earring back and forth several times (if the earrings are “carnations,” then clockwise and back). If there is no peroxide, fitMiramistinAnd Chlorhexidine. If the wound begins to inflame and fester, it can be treated with antibiotic ointment, for example, "Levomekolem».

If everything was carried out correctly, and vigilant monitoring and care was provided for the lobes, then complications are highly unlikely. But if something went wrong, parents should know how to act in this or that situation:

• purulent inflammation has begun - you need to show the child to the doctor and start treatment with local antibacterial drugs;
• the wounds do not heal - it is possible that the child has immune rejection of the foreign body in the ears, you need to consult a doctor and most likely have to remove the earrings;
• there were signs of allergies, fever, red ear lobes, rashes on the neck, chest - again, you need to visit a doctor and start treatment for allergies.

Consider some additional recommendations for parents:

• Do not purchase the first nickel earrings;
• Before piercing, make sure that the packing of the needle or staple is punctured and sterile;
• if possible, use additional physiotherapy services - UV treatments, for example, during the first week after the puncture will help to heal the wound more quickly.

See the next video for more tips on piercing children’s ears.