Infected earrings, please help

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

So I have recently gotten my 2nd earring holes pierced as well as my cartilage. I'm 99% sure one of my 2nd hole piercings is infected. I'm 50% sure my other one is, and I think my cartilage is too because last night there was some "stuff" on the q-tip that I used to clean it (bloody, orangey, yellowy stuff).

What do I do? I think I asked this question a while back when I first got my 2nd hole piercings but I can't find the thread.

My 2nd hole earrings are sterling silver and my cartilage earring is white gold.

I remember someone (beanie?) saying that I should use a certain type of back for my earrings that aren't as prone to bacteria or something?? Also I remember something about salt wash or salt spray. Is there a way I can make it at home?

I also have anti-biotics for a bacterial infection. If I take these will it help or is it a different type of infection?

P.S. I am an idiot and got my ears pierced at Claire's with a gun.

 

[Beanie]

If it's swollen, red, warm to the touch, or hurts, you should go to the doctor and get antibiotics before it gets worse. I wouldn't just take the antibiotics you have, they might not be appropriate for this infection. Go to the doctor!

It was me before, i think it was in the Girly Thread. The earrings recommended is something called a trapped ball ring, it's a hoop with a small ball that is held in place with pressure from the ends of the hoop. The butterfly-back earrings pinch too tightly against the ear and can actually keep bacteria held against the open wound (because a piercing is an open wound before it heals entirely) which contributes to infection. Also, if they told you to "twist" the earring (which I'm sure they did) STOP, STOP! That just helps introduce even more bacteria into the wound, and can just keep reopening the wound too, prolonging healing and, yep, promoting infection.
You'll also want stainless steel or titanium earrings, from a piercing studio you'll get implant grade.

If you have a piercing studio near you, go in there and asked if they can sell you the trapped ball ring. I am a little concerned you might have to take your piercing out, let it heal properly, and then get it re-pierced... but that's WAY better than having the infection get worse and do severe damage. Also you might have to move the hole location slightly if you end up with scar tissue. If you really don't want to go to a doctor yet, you can try asking advice there first. They won't be doctors so they can't really give you medical advice, but I'm sure they have seen infected piercings and while they can't technically diagnose one they more than likely can recognize one - and if they're a good piercer, they WILL have learned about potential medical problems. They'll have advice they can give you, but they aren't a doctor, so it's not really technically medical advice... but if you're really tight on cash and really really don't want to go to the doctor yet, you can at least see what they say.

Sea salt is the only thing you should use to clean it, although if it's infected now, I'm not sure if you'll need something more. That's a medical question I don't know the answer to.


And now you know why piercing guns are bad! No no! Seriously, those things should just be banned. =<
I would say hit up a piercing studio first to get the proper jewelry, ask their advice, then probably visit a doctor next.

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

Thanks Beanie! I honestly don't know if there is a piercing studio around here. I mean I'm sure there's got to be, I've just never seen one. I'll google it. I'm sure I'll end up going to the doctor, it would just be nice to be able to do something at home. I definitely don't want anything to happen to me like some of the pictures on google o___o so I'll definitely go to the doctor if I can't do anything from home/with the advice of a piercer.

Also is it okay to put neosporin on them?

 

[meepitsmeagan]

Thanks Beanie! I honestly don't know if there is a piercing studio around here. I mean I'm sure there's got to be, I've just never seen one. I'll google it. I'm sure I'll end up going to the doctor, it would just be nice to be able to do something at home. I definitely don't want anything to happen to me like some of the pictures on google o___o so I'll definitely go to the doctor if I can't do anything from home/with the advice of a piercer.

Also is it okay to put neosporin on them?

Most tattoo parlors are also have piercings. If you have them change out the jewelry, they may charge you a small fee (normally about $5) on top of your jewelry cost.

I always use saline. You can find it at any drug store near the wound section.

A doctor's visit is kind of your call. I normally try to heal it myself, but it sounds like yours may need one. See what a piercing guy says and go from there.

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

My mom had some saline and I've put it on there.

It's weird because my ears aren't red, painful (unless I mess with them, which then they do hurt), and they don't look infected. But I know they are because of what's coming out of them (blood and pus-y stuff).

Also, I've been taking the backs off of the earrings (on the 2nd holes, not in my cartilage because it is still the original earring and the backs are impossible to take those off and on) every night in order to clean behind them and I soak the back in the cleaner (been using Claire's stuff but now I'm using saline solution). Is that okay or is messing with them just going to make it worse? There's always a tone of stuff on the backs when I take them off, I would hate to leave that stuff on there. D:

 

[Fran101]

As someone who went out at 18 and got her ears pierced at claire's in the same spot.. a word of advice.. you need to go to the doctor.

I had the same issues, the pus is likely going to get worse (right now it's like waxy pus, kind of sticky and painful when you mess with it right but heals sometimes into this itchy scab?)... when you finally do go if you wait you are going to get antibiotics and they are going to tell you to let the hole close/heal and you will lose the piercing. and the longer you wait to more expenses/annoying the stuff is to clear it up.

That's what happened to me anyway. In my experience, these things don't just clear up on their own, especially with the piercing still in.

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

Skip the neosporin. Piercings/body mods in general are a different animal than normal wound healing. If you're going to change the jewelry, I definitely agree to go to a shop. New or angry piercings should be left alone. If you're touching them a lot/spinning them/picking any crust off, stop!

You can make your own sea salt rinse at home. 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt in a cup of warm water. For ear piercings I'd just fill up a shot glass, dip my ear in it, and soak for 5-10 minutes. Chamomile tea bag compresses are something I always suggest. Just steep a tea bag and use it as a compress. When it gets cool, dip it back into the tea. 3 times a day, 5-10 minute compresses, and you can drop off when it feels better.

The doctor is up to you.

 

[Beanie]

If it hurts when you touch it, it is likely infected. My earlobes were done with a needle by a professional piercer and they never hurt. Not even right after they were done.

For now, until you get to a doctor, I would take the butterfly backs off the earrings and just leave them off. The earring might fall out, but that's IMO a much better option than continuing to put those things on there and running the risk of pushing more bacteria into the piercing, and also since it's pussing and stuff already, it's best to let it breathe and let stuff get out instead of keeping it shoved in there with the butterfly back.
Stop using the Claire's stuff too. The antibacterial in there is one that has recently been found to potentially make bacteria stronger and more resistant. Just saline, warm water when you're in the shower is good too, if you soak sea salt in warm water and just pour that down the back of your ear while you're in the shower it should be all good.


My cartilage was done at Claire's when I was 18 too, I had problems with it but it never got infected. They tightened it WAY too tight and I actually did my best to not touch it and twist it (I at least knew something...) and the skin basically tried to heal back over it. It was growing over the ball of the stud. My mom had to push it out of the hole from the back of the ear. It bled, I left it looser and continued to not touch it, and I still have the piercing today. I was lucky, I think.
My sister got her lobes done at Clarie's when she was in high school and hers got infected too though. It's such a horribly common story. =/


ETA: Also ditto looking for a tattoo parlor for a piercing artist. That is where mine works.

 

[Dizzy]

Skip the neosporin. Piercings/body mods in general are a different animal than normal wound healing. If you're going to change the jewelry, I definitely agree to go to a shop. New or angry piercings should be left alone. If you're touching them a lot/spinning them/picking any crust off, stop!

You can make your own sea salt rinse at home. 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt in a cup of warm water. For ear piercings I'd just fill up a shot glass, dip my ear in it, and soak for 5-10 minutes. Chamomile tea bag compresses are something I always suggest. Just steep a tea bag and use it as a compress. When it gets cool, dip it back into the tea. 3 times a day, 5-10 minute compresses, and you can drop off when it feels better.

The doctor is up to you.

I'd second this. It's sooooo tempting to fiddle with them, but stop. Bodies are generally quite good at healing themselves, but if you're really worried they're infected then take action.

I've always cleaned mine with salt water. Just try and get as much on their as possible and rinse them without disturbing them too much.

I can't really talk, I got my NOSE pierced with a gun LOL!! Was at a shady tattoo parlour too, total impulse. I still wear a stud in it, and luckily had no issues with it!!! I had all my ear piercings done with a gun too.

The only one I've ever had issue with was my nipple and that was done with a needle..... Work that one out! I don't have that one any more.

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

Right now I have been putting saline solution on them (the container it came in actually shoots it out so it's easy to get on my ears without touching at all) and keeping my hands off of them. I am going to give it a few days and see how it goes. I will go to the doctor if they don't improve. Right now they aren't bothering me so I hope that's a good sign. Should I use a q-tip or cotton ball or is it okay to just squirt it on there?

 

[Beanie]

No cotton ball or q-tip. If you want you can place a cotton ball underneath to catch the saline as it runs off the ear but don't rub it or you could push bacteria back into the wound.

 

[RD]

Wowee! I ALWAYS get some discharge from piercings. Hell, my vertical labret (really the only piercing I've stuck with) would get crusty for months after I got it done. I heal significantly slower than most people, but still, I expect a little bit of discharge and crusty stuff and soreness for a while as piercings heal.

My only piercing that got notably infected were my eyebrows, which were pierced twice right next to one another. I noticed a lot of pain around the area (not just when I bumped my rings or tugged at them, but all the time) and swelling. Lots of discharge when I cleaned away the crusties at the piercing site. I'm pretty certain it would've healed on its own given time, in any case.

Captive bead jewelry, like Beanie mentioned, is terrific if you're prone to swelling. Depending on the gauge of your piercing, a small curved barbell could be better for healing. I've only got a few holes in my ears and they were all done with guns and regular earrings, and I don't recall much difficulty with healing, but I do know that it seemed to get a lot better once I left them alone almost entirely.

 

[MandyPug]

Yes discharge is normal, but it depends on what colour it is. White and yellow is normal body discharge. Greenish means infection and red is blood obviously. Those last two are more concerning than regular healing discharge.

Saline solution is your friend, change your pillow cases every single night, wear your hair pulled up and try to limit talking on the phone. Basically keep anything that comes in contact with your ears as clean as possible and allow air to get to them. Drink LOTS of water too. Good for healing.

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

Thanks guys! I've been leaving them alone except for squirting the saline on them two or three times a day. They still don't hurt, and actually they already seem less sensitive in general (for example when I'm sleeping/laying on my pillow). I honestly think my issue was just that I messed with them WAY too much. I still catch myself reaching up to spin them or just randomly mess with them, but I stop myself.

The stuff that was coming out was white/possibly slightly yellowish and blood. I really can't tell if anything is coming out now, since I'm not rubbing cotton balls on them or touching them at all really.

 

[Romy]

I had similar problems with my pierced ears for a loooong time after them getting pierced, until finally having to give up and let them heal shut. It turned out to be a surgical steel allergy. Metal allergies are super common in my family, so it's not that surprising.

If your piercings are taking a long time to heal that could be a contributing factor. Apparently surgical stainless (which is supposedly hypoallergenic?) contains some nickel, which is what I reacted to. More concentrated nickel on my skin turns into open sores if I'm dumb enough to leave it on long enough.

 

[mrose_s]

Go to a good piercer. Take their advice. If you need to go to a doctor, they will tell you.

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

How do I know what a good piercer is? I mean I will find someone in a tattoo shop, but is that always going to be a good piercer?

 

[AliciaD]

You could try searching http://www.safepiercing.org/locate-a-member/searchable-member-database/ and then checking out individual websites/reviews/etc.

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

Thanks Alicia! Unfortunately I just looked and there's no one within 50 miles of me.

 

[AliciaD]

Thanks Alicia! Unfortunately I just looked and there's no one within 50 miles of me.

Bummer. http://www.safepiercing.org/piercing/choosing-a-piercer/#!/~/product/id=23786895 is a nice resource on how to pick a piercer. I would just pretend like I was shopping for a new piercing/piercer. Ask how they clean their equipment, how long they've been piercing, how they learned the trade- or pretend like you are shopping for jewelry, ask what their jewelry is made of, if they use internally threaded or externally threaded jewelry (internally is better, although this question is irrelevant for some piercings), etc. *shrugs* Pretend like you are interviewing them- after all, if you lose the piercings or want more you'll want to know who to go to and you'll have already weeded through some parlors.