How safe is ear piercing nowdays? I was just asking because I had my daughter's ears pierced in a mall boutique, and after I got it done, I read stories about hiv being spread through ear piercing guns.Im really scared for my daughter's health. The person doing the piercing used sterile earring studs,wore gloves, & wiped down the piercing gun with alcohol. The earrings were in a bubble wrapped cartridge that was inserted in the gun and from what I see there is no contact with the gun and her ear. The only thing concerning me was the ear piercer wiped the gun down and then did the piercing and touched the back of my daughters ear to make sure the clasp was locked(while wearing the same gloves)Should I have my daughter tested to ease my mind or am I overreacting? Thanks in advance.

There is no evidence of HIV being transmitted through ear piercing. Leaving aside the fact that sterilization should protect ear piercing clients, transmission through this method is improbably for many reasons. The odds of having your ear pierced after an HIV infected person are low (at least in a mall in the U.S.) and the fragility of the virus when exposed to the environment makes transmission through contact of this sort unlikely (see Survival...).

HIV testing for your daughter is not necessary.

RMK