I say go for it... as long as it is done professionally and HE is paying for it with his own money!!
I have to say I laughed when I seen you say you wonder if it will make him appear punky! If the longer skater hair with blonde tips and red in it doesnt already then the earrings wont either!
My son, who turned 19 today, had the punky hair, the earrings, baggy clothes with his rear end and boxers hanging out...what was in style then. He was a good kid for the most part besides the typical childhood pranks and trouble- nothing very serious though! Thank God!!!!
This started at 6 years old. First it was the earring, then a year later the tiedyed hair.... yes we had EVERY color possible smeared in there at one time! Then weird hairstyles and then came the baggy clothes. At 12 he got the other ear pierced and then at 15 he wanted his eyebrow pierced. He did that one on his own... with a nail (so he says, but I do not doubt it)!!!!! Somewhere between 12 and 16 he also pierced his cartlidge.
When he was 16 he asked for his tongue... I said no and he then told me he would just use a nailgun and do it on his own again.... I flipped out and talked to one of his friends Moms. We agreed to take them both to get it professionally done when THEY saved up the money! Christmas Eve they both had enough money and they both missed out on great dinners... we took them and they got baby food as a gift from us after. lol
Like I said my son is 19 today, and he is very respectable and extremely funny. He graduated high school- with some help from us (he had a traumatic brain injury at 17) he works full time plus some! I figued the holes would always close up if he did not want them anymore... I always hoped he would grow out of it but it never happened and I figured I would rather have it done professionally than to hear him and his friend used the nail gun or un-sterile needles or shared needles. The day he turned 18 after getting his motorcycle license we both went and got tattoos together and he even convinced me to get my nose pierced... held my hand through that one too! lol
I figure as long as he is a good person on the inside, what is on the outside to make him feel confident does not matter to me!
I wish you luck in finding something to make you comfortable with whatever you decide!
Many blessings to you and yours!