Minors – Piercing
Children under the age of 12 are NOT ALLOWED to enter the studioo
Currently, there are no legal regulations in Croatia regarding age limits for piercings, so each studio sets its own policy in accordance with its ethical standards.
At Octopus Piercing Studio, the following rules apply:
- Under 12 years old – we do not pierce any position (including earlobes). No exceptions.
- From age 12 – we pierce earlobes only.
- From age 14 – we pierce earlobes, ear cartilage (except industrial), eyebrow, nostril, lip, and smiley.
- From age 15 – we cover all positions except: industrial, bridge, high nostrils, cheeks, tongue, tongue venoms, surface, microdermal, nipple, genital.
- From age 16 – we pierce all positions except: industrial, bridge, high nostrils, cheeks, surface, microdermal, nipple, and genital piercings.
- From age 18 – no limits! ♥
A MINOR MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY ONE PARENT
(not the entire family!)
Both the minor and the parent must have valid ID cards or passports. If the addresses and/or surnames on the documents differ, please also bring a birth certificate or another document showing matching information to confirm the relationship. All documents must include full name, date of birth, and address.
If the parent is unable to come to the studio in person, they can contact us by email at octopuspiercing@gmail.com to arrange an alternative.
Siblings or other relatives cannot give consent for piercing in place of a parent.
If the minor has a legal guardian who is not a biological parent, in addition to ID cards or passports, it is necessary to provide documentation proving guardianship.
In exceptional cases where a parent cannot come to the studio, they may sign a Parental Consent Form for Piercing allowing their son or daughter to get pierced at Octopus. This statement must be notarized at the notary’s office, otherwise, it will not be accepted.
If you want to pierce the ears of your child (under 12 years of age), please read the text related to the use of the so-called ‘piercing gun‘ used in jewelry stores.
FOR PARENTS
If your child wants a piercing and you forbid it, they may end up getting pierced on their own or by someone at school, often in completely unhygienic conditions. Unfortunately, there’s an increasing number of people who perform piercings and tattoos without proper training, believing it’s easy and that they “know enough.” You are always welcome to visit our piercing studio, with or without your child, to learn about our working conditions, equipment, jewelry, the health aspects of piercings etc.
If your child gets pierced at Octopus, you are welcome to stay with them and observe the entire procedure, so you can be sure everything used is sterile and safe.
Please discuss and agree on the piercing placement and jewelry choice before coming to the studio to avoid uncomfortable disagreements in front of other clients or staff.
Reasons for which we do not perform piercings on children younger than 12
ALL BODY PARTS ARE STILL DEVELOPING INCLUDING EARS
Piercings made during early childhood often end up too low (“piercing guns” have a limited depth for inserting the stud) and/or asymmetrical, which can later leave the person unhappy as they’re unable to achieve a neat, aligned row of earrings when they decide to add more piercings to the lobe.
Piercing holes that are 10 years old or more will very likely never close completely, making it almost impossible to create a balanced line of earrings on lobes that were not pierced correctly in the first place.
If the lobes were pierced too low, the holes can stretch over the years from wearing earrings, sometimes resulting in a torn earlobe.
SMALL CHILDREN ARE NOT AWARE OF POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS
A piercing is a wound with a foreign object (jewelry) inserted into it, around which the tissue must heal. Every piercing temporarily weakens the immune system.
Children are not aware of the potential complications that can occur due to sleeping on the piercing, touching it with unwashed hands, playing with jewelry, accidental snagging, bumping, and similar situations.
Some of the possible issues include inflammation, infection, hypertrophic tissue growth, swelling, or jewelry embedding into the skin.
If the idea of taking your 5-year-old child for a tongue piercing makes you uncomfortable, think twice about piercing their ears. A tongue piercing actually heals faster (around 4 weeks) and with fewer complications than an earlobe piercing (which takes 2-3 months to heal).
(This is just a comparison, we absolutely do not advocate tongue piercings for small children, even if it might mean a few days of silence for the parents) 🙂
PIERCING HURTS
There is no such thing as “painless ear piercing” regardless of what you see advertised in jewelry stores.
Every piercing, no matter the body part, involves a certain level of discomfort. Because piercing requires a high degree of precision and concentration, we cannot properly perform our work if a child is crying or screaming in the same room.
It also wouldn’t be fair to other clients, who deserve a calm and professional environment during their own piercing experience.
We kindly ask for your understanding and respect for our studio policy because we cannot make exceptions just because “the child really wants it”, “everyone in their class already has pierced ears” or because a parent simply doesn’t know how to say no.
We also do not make exceptions when it comes to age limits. If we were to “bend the rules” for someone who is, for example, 7 days below the required age, it would be unfair to refuse someone who is 14 days below it, which would make the rule meaningless.
‘Tradition’ is peer pressure from the dead.