It is totally normal (albeit kind of gross), but it does not mean that you have an infected ear piercing or that you are reacting to your earrings. The smell comes from naturally occurring oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells. Your ear piercing sites are the perfect breeding ground for this mixture.
Also to know is, how do I stop my ear piercing from smelling?
Clean your piercings
Cleaning your piercings regularly with warm water and soap can help prevent these buildups and keep your piercings fresh and clean. If you are already suffering from a case of nasty smelling ear piercing then you can wash your earlobe under warm running water, using an anti-bacterial cleanser.
Moreover, do piercings smell while healing?
The key is to continue your cleaning routine throughout initial healing time. Piercings (including healed piercings) that are not cleaned daily may smell unpleasant. This does not necessarily indicate a problem. Jewelry should not be expected to rotate or move freely in most piercings, even after healing.
Why do ear piercings get crusty?
The good news is that crusting is quite common after getting a body piercing, and it’s the result of your body’s natural healing process. This crusting is the result of the dead blood cells and plasma drying out when exposed to the air – these body fluids will always make their way to the surface during healing.
What is the gunk in my ear piercing?
Some earring hole infections may also be accompanied by an oozy discharge, but not all ear discharge is cause for alarm. In fact, ears sometimes secrete a white to yellow thin liquid while healing from a piercing, and sebum from your oil glands can also collect on your piercings.
Why does my piercing smell even after cleaning?
Cause of the Smell
Sebum is secreted by the sebaceous glands in the skin. … Mix sebum with some dead skin cells and a little bit of bacteria, and you get some really potent smelling piercings! The discharge is semi-solid and smells like stinky cheese. At its worst, you can even wipe this thick discharge off your plugs.
How do you clean ear piercing hole?
Why does my ear piercing smell like cheese?
“Ear cheese” is a natural part of having pierced ears and it’s caused by a build-up of oil and dead skin cells you’ve shed. … If your piercing is newer, you’re more likely to experience a smell because your body may still be reacting to being punctured.
How long do ear piercings take to heal?
There are different types of tissue in different parts of your ear, so how long it takes to heal depends on your body and the place you’ve pierced. Earlobes usually take 6-8 weeks. If you pierce the cartilage on the side of your ear, it can take 4 months to a year. Ask your piercing professional for an estimate.
Why does my ear piercing smell like fish?
Turns out it’s a mix of skin cells and natural oils getting clogged all up in there. … “Cleaning the piercing tunnel occasionally with antibacterial soap also cleans off any skin cells that can collect in the jewelry and create odor.”
Why is there black stuff in my ear piercing?
Is there a weird dark spot around your piercing? The cause of a gray or black piercing hole is usually jewelry made with improper or inferior metals that turn your skin black, gray, bluish-gray, or grayish-black in color. “Argyria” is the proper term for this condition caused by exposure to silver or silver compounds.
Why do belly piercings stink?
Belly button piercings can become infected. An infection can create fluid or pus, known as discharge, that can smell bad. Discharge may be thick and yellow or green in color, and it may harden into a crust around the piercing. … Leaving jewelry in the piercing can help discharge to drain and prevent an abscess forming.
How often should you clean healed piercings?
Here are some tips on how to clean your ears and your earrings, and how often to do so: At a minimum, clean your ears and earrings once a week. You can use a gentle saline solution to clean your ears, and a cotton swab and warm water and gentle soap to clean your earrings.
Why does my piercing hurt after years?
A new piercing is a piercing you have received within the last year. Although the common belief is that it takes 6-8 weeks for an ear lobe piercing to heal, in reality it can take much longer. … You are introducing trauma to the site by sticking a needle through your ear lobe, so that will cause pain.
