Infected earrings, please help

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

So my ears for the most part don't seem infected. They are off and on irritated but nothing alarming. I have been leaving them alone and using home-made saline solution. They were perfectly fine when using store bought saline solution. Now that I am using the homemade it doesn't seem to be working quite as well, but I am going to try it a different way and see if that helps.

Since they are doing good for the most part, I want to change to captive bead earrings. I am looking at them online and seeing differnt gauges, and material, and single ball, double ball, etc. What is best? What is a normal piercing gauge? Sterling Silver? Surgical steel? White gold? I like the double ball look better but it don't know what to call them and I am having a hard time searching for them. Does it matter which type I get?

Any links are appreciated!

 

[iriskai]

I have a surgical steel captive ball in my cartilage piercing, it's actually the one that was put in after I had the piercing done. I think the standard size is 16, maybe 14... but don't take my word on that.

Is the double ball you're looking for a circular barbell?

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

I have a surgical steel captive ball in my cartilage piercing, it's actually the one that was put in after I had the piercing done. I think the standard size is 16, maybe 14... but don't take my word on that.

Is the double ball you're looking for a circular barbell?

Yes! Exactly, thank you! A circular barbell is what I like. Is that the same thing as a captive bead earring?

 

[iriskai]

I think captive bead refers to an almost complete circle where a single ball bearing is 'captive' between the two points, held by tension and completing the circle.

Any sort of barbell jewelry will have a ball bearing on either end of the jewelry. Straight, curved/bent, circular, industrial etc., depending on what you want and where your piercing is.

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

Does it matter which one I use? I want to avoid bacteria and infection and was told to use captive bead jewelry. Is the circular barbell okay since it doesn't have a back on it?