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Ear Infection?
Just a few days ago, I got my ears pierced. Im fourteen and I had them done when I was seven but they got infected.
I have really thick earlobes, hah. So that makes it difficult to clean my ears, but I try.
But my ears still hurt and I cant tell if theyre swollen or not, because my ears are just...thick! You know? And my brother said they look red but Im always red so its hard to tell.
How do you tell if your ears are infected, and can you make it go away without having to take out the earrings? Thanks so much!
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Maybe give some free advice about: Health?
[EDITED TO ADD IN: When you rated me you added in that the reason they tell you to twist the ring is to keep the flesh from attaching to the metal ring. Just so you're aware, your flesh is completely unable to attach to the metal ring. I never twisted any of my piercings (ears included) because it is very damaging to the healing area. Your flesh will NOT attach to the ring, you do NOT have to worry about that. Plain and simple, they were told lies and they simply fed you what they were told.]
In reality ear piercings are the same as any other body piercings really. This being said, you want to treat it like any other piercing too. I've had MANY piercings (~12) so I'll try to pass along the information I know that really does help.
Piercings will naturally be swollen and red for a few days after occurring. The body goes through a lot of trauma, especially if you had the gun used on your ears. You should really never be "gunned" again for your own safety. I'll tell you why (I posted this on another question and really cannot reword it as it suits this question very well):
"The modern piercing gun cannot be 100% sanitized because it cannot be autoclaved. There are parts that the piercer cannot reach entirely to clean with alcohol even. This means bits of other flesh (even if it's your own, it's sat there for a little while and grown bacteria) will be jammed into the fresh wound.
If the gun is used on other people than yourself then you're subject to contracting Hepatitis or even HIV from it.
Also, the piercing gun does damage to the surrounding tissue of the puncture wound. They can cause excess scar tissue. This is because it punctures your body by blunt force instead of a sharp, clean, swift motion of a needle. This trauma to your flesh can cause more soreness and makes it more prone to infection.
Even a simple infection can leave your body deformed. You may have to see a doctor multiple times and may end up having the piercing lanced if a pocket of infection grows."
So, next time you're looking to get a piercing, try actually going for the needle. Believe it or not, the needle actually hurts LESS than the gun and is less likely to leave the piercing hurt for days after.
Next, the way to clean any other piercing is fairly simple. You need to purchase saline solution (you can buy this at wal-mart called Wound Wash Saline, or any pharmacy for super cheap--just ask about saline solution for puncture wounds). Pretty much all this is a good sea-salt wash for your skin.
Because the wash can dry out your skin easily, you need to only rinse off the area twice a day. When rinsing off with the solution, try not to twist the ring as suggested because it only damages the healing tissues. I have no idea for the life of me why they tell people to twist the earrings--it is damaging to your healing area and will leave you with more scar tissue than you need, for sure!
Never use alcohol or peroxide on an unhealed (or possible infected) piercing. Both of these solutions sound like a good choice; however, they tend to kill off the cells that are currently helping to health the area. These cells are what takes the infection away from the area to be dealt with and if you kill all of the good cells off, nothing can carry the dirty cells away.
Signs of infection usually include:
A noticeable warmness at the puncture area
Swelling
Yellow-to-green (not clear; clear is not bad) discharge
Discoloration of the area--usually bright red
Pain; usually throbbing
If your earring is too tight, you may need to switch them out with a long type. This usually is not recommended for an unhealed piercing because it allows more dirt to enter the piercing (removing the piercing) so you may need to see your local piercer on changing them out for you. This is usually a free service regardless if you had the piercing done there or not.
Do not remove the piercing if it is infected. You may be left with a pocket of infection in your ear that will never, ever heal properly. Trust me, you would hate going to the doctor to have them lance your ear to drain it while being on a course of antibiotics. So, if it is infected, try to let it rest while doing what I recommended above. If it doesn't get any better then see a doctor for antibiotics.
In short, rinse the earlobes off with the saline solution twice a day and do not mess with the piercing unless you absolutely need to.
I hope things go well and your piercing heals just fine. Give it some time. :)
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put hydrogen peroxide on your ear lobes to kill any infection that may be present.
-jessicamarie.
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Here I found this great website for you that answers all your questions: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
and also: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
^If you scroll down to the bottom, it tells you what and ear infection looks like. I'll copy and paste it here for you though:
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What if Your Ears Get Infected?
If you think one of your pierced ears may be infected, tell your mom or dad. An infected earlobe may be swollen, red, warm, and painful, and it may ooze a thick, yellow-white fluid called pus.
It's fairly common for pierced ears to get infected, but don't wait for it to get better by itself because the infection may spread and make you sick. Here are signs you need to tell your mom or dad about:
* Your earring gets stuck in your ear.
* The swelling or redness spreads beyond the hole.
* You get a fever.
Your mom or dad will probably want to call the doctor for advice on how to treat the infection. The doctor will probably suggest a routine of cleaning the ear and putting antibacterial ointment on it.
You'll need to have a parent check in with the doctor again if the infection doesn't start going away after 2 days. But if you take care of the infection, it probably will go away completely in 1 to 2 weeks. Then you can start enjoying your pierced ears again!
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Get it checked out anyways if you're unsure. =]
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