How To Know If An Ear Piercing Is Infected

When To See A Doctor

How To:Treat An Infected Ear Piercing

If you experience any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor:

Pain and swelling in the cartilage or earlobe
Discharge or yellow pus from the area of the piercing
Fever or chills
The area of the piercing is red and swollen
The earring or clasp is embedded in the ear or stuck in the earlobe
Swelling and redness has spread beyond the area of the earring

Protection From Ear Piercing Infection

There are two main things you can do to avoid piercing infection:;

Opt for a piercing method that will not cause unnecessary tissue damage and that will use sterile instruments

Protect your new piercings by keeping them clean and safe from accidental injury or touching

Opting for the right piercing method;is definitely a big step in the right direction to a safe and positive piercing experience. However, once the piercing is done, it will be your responsibility to ensure good hygiene of the area surrounding your piercing.

Always Wash Your Hands Before Touching Or Treating Your Piercing

Minor infections can often be treated at home, but it’s important to make sure you are doing so with clean hands. “Make sure you do not have a fever or swollen lymph nodes, which suggests you should seek a doctor for further evaluation,” notes Chang. “Avoid excessively touching or manipulating the infected site as this can worsen the irritation and inflammation. If touching the area, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly beforehand.” Soap and water, please!

If you don’t think the jewelry is the cause, then the source of the infection is probably bacterial. The way to fix that is to kill and/or clear the bacteria. The best way to accomplish this is to start cleaning the area twice a day and doing sea salt soaks twice a day; basically treating it like a brand new piercing. The heat and the salt both help to draw out pus and other fluids that may contain bacteria. Hopefully, following that regimen for a few days will clear up an infection in its early stages. You can do this with a q-tip and sterile saline or saltwater . Remember to clean both the front and back of the earlobe.;

“Avoid alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to the affected area, as these can further irritate the skin and slow down the healing process,” says Chang.

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Fever And High Temperature

When the infection is severe, your body will start to experience a warm feeling, or have very high temperatures.

The warm feeling and the high temperatures can be noted every time you try to touch the area surrounding the recently pierced cartilage using your fingers.

It is something that poses a serious concern, and should not be ignored. If you note this symptom, it will be important for you to get immediate medical help from a GP, to prevent the occurrence of an ear infection, which could mean more bad news for your ear.

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How To Treat An Infected Ear Piercing Dermatologist ...

If your childs illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.

Minor Infection in Newly Pierced Ear in Last 6 Weeks

What You Should Know About Infections in Newly Pierced Ears:

Minor pierced ear infections can be treated at home.

With proper care, most will clear up in 1 to 2 weeks.

Here is some care advice that should help.

Treating New Pierced Ear Infections :

Don’t take out the earring! Clean the infected area 3 times a day.

Wash hands with soap and water before touching the ear or earring.

Use cotton swab dipped in pierced ear solution .

Clean exposed earring . Also, clean the ear lobe.

Then turn the earring 3 times. Reason: To prevent the skin from sticking to the post.

Pierced Ear Solution:

Minor Infection in Ear Pierced More Than 6 Weeks Ago and Healed

What You Should Know About Infections in Well-Healed Pierced Ears:

Minor pierced ear infections can be treated at home.

With proper care, most will clear up in 1 to 2 weeks.

Here is some care advice that should help.

Clean Earring with Rubbing Alcohol:

Wash hands with soap and water.

Remove the earring from the ear.

Clean the earring and post with rubbing alcohol.

Do this 3 times per day.

Clean Earlobe with Rubbing Alcohol:

Then wash away any crusting from the earlobe with soap and water.

Use rubbing alcohol and some gauze to gently clean around the hole. Do this on both sides of the earlobe.

If the alcohol stings, use pierced ear solution instead.

Antibiotic Ointment:

Then put the earring back in.

What to Expect:

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Signs Of Infected Cartilage Piercing

img source: medicalnewstoday.com

Scared by the risks of piercings on your ear cartilage, you might be wondering how you would know if your;cartilage piercing;is;infected so as to be treated as early as possible. It is simple. Just look at some of the common cartilage piercing infection symptoms that will never miss. Some of the common signs and symptoms include the following:

Tenderness and pain on your cartilage
Redness of the skin around the piercing that lasts more than a few days in case of a new piercing.
Discharges from the piercing site on your cartilage that might include;pus;that might be green or yellowish in color.
The area around the piercing site feels hot
The color around the piercing site changes its color
Fever in severe cases, especially if you have been infected by Pseudomonas aeruginosa that cause Perichondritis.
Prolonged bleeding on your piercing.
Crust formation and scabbing

There are not the only sings of an infected cartilage piercing. There could be others depending on the cause of your infection.

Bad Or Poor Quality Earrings

Thirdly, new ear piercing may get infected on condition that the first pair of earrings cause irritation that will result to itching. Continued itching perforates the skin for easy microorganisms. Consequently, According to Simple Remedies, microorganisms act as antigens, which triggers the bodys immune system, leading to the formation of pus after inflammation. An example of poor material is Nickel.

Cheap earrings, too tight earrings can as well lead to inflammation. Heavy metal bars from earlobes can leave earring hole stretched.

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Recognizing Signs Of Infection

1Look for worsening redness. Its normal for a fresh piercing to be pink; you just received a puncture wound, after all. However, redness that get worse or spreads to a larger area is a sign of possible infection.XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world’s leading hospitalsGo to source Keep an eye on your piercing or take photos of it and make a note about whether your redness is improving or worsening over a day or two.

2Notice any swelling. The area around your new piercing will likely swell for about 48 hours as your body adjusts to what it perceives as an injury. After that time, swelling should start to go down. Worsening swelling, swelling that appears after a time of being normal, and swelling accompanied by redness and pain are symptoms of infection.XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world’s leading hospitalsGo to source

Swelling can cause loss of function, like if your tongue gets swollen and doesnt move easily. If the area around your piercing is too painful or swollen to move, you could have an infection.

Of course, if you accidentally irritate your new piercing youll probably experience some pain. Its pain that gets worse or doesnt go away that you want to watch out for.

Any thick, milky, or colored discharge should be considered a likely sign of infection. See your doctor if your piercing has pus around it.

What’s Normal For A New Piercing

Infected Piercings: What YOU Need To Know!

For the first few weeks a new piercing might:

be tender, itchy, and the surrounding area may look slightly red on white skin, or a little darker than usual on dark skin
produce a pale fluid that forms a crust

If you’ve had an ear or nose cartilage piercing, small lumps can sometimes form around the piercing.

The lumps, called granulomas, are trapped fluid. You can treat them by soaking a pad in warm water then holding the pad against them once a day.

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How To Treat An Infected Cartilage Piercing Heal Fix What To Do Treatments

img source: flushinghospital.org

With a clear knowledge on causes and symptoms of an infected pierced cartilage, it is worthwhile looking at some of the ways on how to treat an infected cartilage piercing. These ways to fix a pierced cartilage will both be home remedies as well as the use of medications.

Follow A Practical Aftercare Guide

You need to gently rinse your new piercing with the proper saline solution and clean up the area. If you dont follow a routine when you clean your ears, you invite bacteria– and they multiply fast. Keep in mind that a new ear piercing is basically an open wound, and it requires the same steady care.

Cartilage Piercing Cleaning And Aftercare Tips

It is often common to find people asking how they should go about treating a cartilage that has recently been pierced

When you get your ear pierced, you will often be satisfied when you see this piercing begin to heal quickly, and without having to endure much pain, or swelling.

When a professional has done the piercing, the aftercare procedure should be straightforward

You should follow these when it comes to dealing with a cartilage piercing

What Causes A Pierced Ear Infection

Whether you just got your ears pierced or are a piercing veteran, there are a number of reasons you might end up with an earring hole infection. Fresh piercings, especially, are pretty vulnerable, and can actually take up to six weeks to heal. An earlobe piercing is essentially an open wound until it fully heals, so during this time, like any other wound, it is susceptible to infection, Shah said.

That means simple acts like handling your earrings with dirty hands or forgetting to clean them can accidentally introduce unwanted bacteria into your earring hole. When bacteria gets trapped in the piercing hole, it can have a hard time finding its way out. It can then multiply and create an infection, said dermatologist Marina Peredo.

Once your piercing heals fully, its less likely to get infected, but that doesnt mean youre totally in the clear. You still need to clean your earrings frequently to prevent an infection.

Earrings can accumulate buildup from soap and shampoo, and sometimes hair products. Its a good idea to clean your earrings once a week, Peredo said.

Taking your earrings out every night will give your ears a much-needed break, and you should also sanitize them before sharing them with friends or before trying on a new pair at the mall.

If you take good care of your earrings but still end up with an earring hole infection, the type of earrings youre wearing could be to blame.

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What Causes A Cartilage Piercing Bump

One of the primary reasons why the infected cartilage piercing has developed a bubble is because it was handled in a rough manner, and no aftercare was practiced at all.

Additional causes may include wearing jewelry made from incorrect materials, using materials that have not been sterilized, or incorrect handling by the professional performing the piercing.

The formation of a bump is often viewed as part of the healing process associated with cartilage piercings. When you practice proper aftercare, it may be possible for you to avoid it all together.

What Are The Symptoms Of Infected Ear Piercings

Some pain and redness are part of the normal healing process for pierced ears. It can be easy to confuse those with signs of infection. Symptoms that may indicate an infection include:

Discharge coming out of the piercing.
Redness, warmth or swelling around the piercing.
Tenderness in the pierced earlobe or cartilage.

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Consider The Jewelry Material

If you have a nickel sensitivity, you may not be able to handle jewelry made of nickel-laden metals. “Its best to see your dermatologist or other health care provider as an infection can be mistaken for an allergic reaction and vice versa,” says Zalka. “Some people react to the metal in the piercing object. This can happen to those with a nickel allergy.” Silver, gold, and steel still have small amounts of nickel in them; enough to bother someone who’s very sensitive. In this case, niobium or titanium jewelry may be necessary. You can also have allergic reactions to other kinds of metals, even if they don’t contain nickel. Always consider the jewelry first if you’re having a problem, and have it changed to a high-quality metal if you think that could be the cause.

An infection does not necessarily mean that you need to remove the jewelry and jump ship from your new piercing. Many infections will clear up with some extra care, and you can keep your new jewelry. “Minor infections can be managed conservatively with saltwater or sterile saline soaks, and it is not necessary to remove the jewelry,” says Chang.

How Are Infected Ear Piercings Treated

How to Treat an Infected Ear Piercing

Your healthcare provider may recommend a variety of treatments to help an infected ear piercing heal. These may include:

Applying a warm compress to the infected earlobe or cartilage.
Rinsing the infected earlobe with sterile saline.
Using antibiotic ointment on the affected area.
Taking oral antibiotics for more severe infections.

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Always Wash Your Hands

Although this is common knowledge when dealing with piercings on the body, many people rarely follow this advice.

When you fiddle with the cartilage piercing without having washed your hands, you increase the chances of transmitting germs that can cause an infection to the piercing.

You, therefore need to ensure that you always wash your hands using a liquid antibacterial soap, accompanied by hot water to ensure that you will not get an infected cartilage piercing.

How To Treat An Infected Industrial Piercing

While it may not be a piercing for everybody, getting an industrial piercing is a growing trend among fans of body modification. Industrial piercing refers to any type of piercing which involves two wholes joined by a straight piece of jewelry. However, it is most commonly referred to this type of piercing when it is done on the top of the ear. How well this piercing will heal depends on many factors. The immunity of the individual is one, but most important is the level of hygiene involved during and after the piercing is performed.

Unfortunately, even when we are careful, it is possible for any piercing to become infected. For this oneHOWTO provides the tips you need to know how to treat and infected industrial piercing.

Industrial piercing aftercare

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Keep Calm And Carry On

The three main tenants of ear care are Dont Panic, Clean Daily, and Wash Your Hands, Now that you know what to look for, you can monitor your ear piercings health and ensure that it completely heals with proper care.

Have further concerns about a piercing or looking forward to getting another? Reach out to us today or stop by one of our locations in either Newmarket or Mississauga. Wed love to find out how we can help.

Note: this article is meant for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute the advice of a licensed medical practitioner. If you feel like your piercing has become infected please seek out advice from your physician who may suggest antibiotics.

What About A Rejected Or Migrating Piercinghow Do You Treat That Issue

Ear Piercing Infection Causes, Symptoms, Pictures, Bump ...

Foreign objects like piercings can be seen as threats by your body, which can causes a negative response at the piercing site, explains Dr. Nichols. “Generally when this happens, the body tries to fight the piercing by pushing it out and healing over it,” she says.

If it looks like your jewelry is moving away from the original piercing site, it could be migrating and your body may be rejecting it. Rejection can also be caused by infections or metal allergies.

The best thing to do when a piercing starts to migrate or get rejected is make an appointment with a medical professional or board-certified dermatologist. They will remove it immediately. Leaving it in will only further irritate the piercing site. “If youd like to re-pierce, keep the jewelry and bring it back to your piercer to ask about a different jewelry option,” Dr. Nichols advises.

Then make sure to follow all post-piercing care instructions and avoid touching or sleeping on the new piercing. Hopefully, with a different metal and proper care, the piercing will fully heal the second time around.

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Apply A Topical Antibiotic Ointment

Applying a topical antibiotic ointment recommended by a dermatologist can be a great way to help heal the infected area . After cleaning, gently pat the area dry and pat a small amount of the ointment over the infected area.

If the piercing is hot to the touch and painful, you can cleanse by applying a warm-water compress. You can do this right at home by taking a washcloth, running it under warm water, and then applying directly to the infected site. Just make sure that the cloth is not burning hot. Keep the compress on for 20-30 minutes and repeat as necessary. “Its healed when the skin returns to normal color and is no longer painful or swollen and there is no longer any yellow discharge,” says Zalka.

Neilmed Neilcleanse Piercing Aftercare

NeilMed Neilcleanse Piercing Aftercare saline spray helps in healing piercings. It is an isotonic, drug-free, preservative-free solution for cleaning your piercing during the healing period with no burning or stinging to irritate the pierced area. The sterile saline solution can be used as part of your healing process with any fresh piercing, including ear piercings, nostril piercings and belly button piercings. Neilcleanse sprays in any direction for easy use without touching your piercing.