“Still a baby how come have your ears pierced? No pity?" Ear piercing in babies has long been applied in Indonesia, even today. However, there's nothing wrong withpnote the following points before doing ear piercing on your baby.
Ear piercing in baby girls is usually done a few days after he was born, of course at the request of the parents. Newborn ear piercing may be done for cultural reasons or to beautify the baby. In addition, there are also benefits of ear piercing in babies from a medical point of view.
Benefits of Baby Ear Piercing
Ears that are pierced at an early age will definitely get more attention or care. Parents will certainly try to make sure the baby's ears are not infected. In addition, the younger the age of the child, the less likely the appearance of scar tissue or keloids on the pierced ear.
According to an article from Journal of Pediatrics, keloids or thick scars more often appear on the ears of children who are pierced when they are over 11 years old. Keloids can be difficult to treat, often requiring injections and surgery to remove them.
What You Must Pay Attention To When Do Ear Piercing on Baby
If you want to do ear piercing on your newborn baby, it is advisable to first pay attention to the following things:
- baby ageAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends getting an ear piercing done when the child is old enough to take care of the piercing himself.
Another opinion suggests that ear piercing is done as a baby, but need to wait until he reaches 2-6 months. Although rare, infections can occur if the baby is less than two months old, especially skin infections.
Whatever the age of the child, ear piercing has its risks. However, the risk can be minimized by doing ear piercing carefully, as well as doing good wound care and cleaning.
- People who do ear piercingEar piercing in babies is recommended to be done by a doctor. The doctor will use a sterile piercing made of surgical steel hypoallergenic.
- Piercing NeedlesIt is recommended to use piercing needles made of gold, silver, platinum, titanium, or stainless steel. These ingredients can minimize the risk of infection, rash, and allergies. Avoid metals that contain nickel and cobalt, because metals with a mixture of these two materials often cause allergies.
- Shape earrings
Also, it is not recommended to put dangling earrings on babies, because babies can pull the earrings off and injure themselves, or put them in their mouth and choke. Dangle earrings or hoop earringshoops earring) that are too large can also get caught in adult clothing, jewelry and hair, or be pulled out by other children.
- PainEven if it is done in just seconds, the baby will definitely feel pain if the ear piercing is done without anesthesia (anaesthesia). If you don't have the heart, you can ask the doctor if the baby's ear skin can be anesthetized before the piercing is done.
Ear Care Baby Pierced
After your baby's ears are pierced, do not remove the earrings for six weeks or until the wound is dry. Apply rubbing alcohol or a doctor-recommended cleaning solution around the earlobe twice daily, and twist the earring at least once a day. After each child has finished bathing, dry the area around the piercing so it doesn't get damp. After six weeks, the piercing will usually dry out and you can change your child's earrings to keep the hole from closing.
If after ear piercing there are symptoms of infection, allergies, bleeding, pus, and inflamed ears, or if the ear is torn because the earring is detached, immediately consult a doctor or take him to the nearest hospital.
Ear piercing in babies is not prohibited, but don't forget to pay attention to safety and cleanliness. In addition, baby ear piercing should be done by a doctor or midwife, to minimize the risk of infection or other complications.
