Many people remember getting their first ear piercings. You went to Claire's or Wal-Mart and hopped up in the chair. The worker marked two dots on your ears and you checked to see how they will look, then they brought out the gun and punched through your ears with the posts of your starter earrings and you were SO excited- But what they didn't tell you...
Is that shoving the posts through your flesh is not healthy for piercings. They have no way of disinfecting that gun that is used on every person that walks in. The formula they give you afterwards to clean your new piercings dries out the piercings and makes the healing process take even longer! And this is just with lobe piercings. Places like Claire's often try to pierce through the thick cartilage of the ear with this gun as well, which ends up even more disastrous!
Please, for your own sanitary safety, visit a piercing shop to get your piercings or to get your children's piercings as it is much safer than visiting a commercial place.