Harsh Shah

23 September 2010

Explanation:
The article I chose teaches you how to pierce your own ear! These descriptive directions do a
great job telling the reader what exactly to do so the reader makes no mistakes. For example,
“sterilize the needle with an open flame,” (wiki article) tells the audience what to do, and gives
the reader the knowledge on how to do disinfect the needle. It almost makes the reader
visualize what he/she should use to sterilize the needle. Overall, this article does a great job
telling the audience how to pierce their ear(s), and seems to know exactly, step by step, how to
personally pierce an ear.

Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Pierce-Your-Ear

How to Pierce Your Own Ear!

. 1Think twice. Piercing your ear should be used as a last resort. Home piercing is difficult to do
properly and you would be better off seeking the aid of a professional. Please think
about your choice carefully before you proceed.
. 2Get an ice pack, and place it on your ear for about 30-40 seconds (or until it feels numb).
This step is optional and you can skip it if you like. Ear piercing pain is minimal anyway.
. 3Get a sterile piercing needle. Do not share needles with other people due to infection risk.
Piercing needles can be cheaply obtained at many online vendors, as well as many
piercing studios.
. 4If the needle did not come in a sterile package, sterilize the needle with an open flame. Then
put 10%+ rubbing alcohol on the needle. Be sure to remove any soot or detritus. Be
forewarned, this will only be a partial sterilization and will not kill all microbes. The only
way to completely sterilize piercing utensils is by using an autoclave.
. 5Wash your hands. This will decrease any chance of bacteria of spreading. Put on sterile latex
gloves, if possible.
. 6Clean your earring, and your ear with 70%+ alcohol. As mentioned before, this will only be a
partial sterilization.
. 7Put something sturdy on the back of your ear like a piercing cork. This is so when you push
the needle in, you have something to push against, rather than tugging the skin.
. 8Stick the piercing needle smoothly through your ear until all the way through. Wiggle the
needle, keep it bent. If you are using a hollow piercing needle, thread the jewelry
through. Leave the jewelry you chose in your ears for at least 5 minutes with ice. Wipe
the little bits.
. 9Remove the piercing tool. If you used ice in the above step your ear should be numb and
you can now slowly remove the needle from your ear.
. 10leave a stud earring in for 6 weeks washing around the stud each night with 70% alcohol.
. After you pierce your ear, you can choose different styles and colors of earrings, put the
earring through the hole and then the backing right after you wipe up the blood.