Your piercing might be infected if:
- the area around it is swollen, painful, hot, very red or dark (depending on your skin colour)
- there’s blood or pus coming out of it – pus can be white, green or yellow.
- you feel hot or shivery or generally unwell.
Also question is, how do I treat an infected ear piercing?
How are infected ear piercings treated?
- 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.
Consequently, what happens if you leave an ear piercing infection untreated?
If your situation doesn’t improve in a few days, though, you may need to call in backup. “Untreated infection could lead to more complicated infections that require drainage and oral antibiotics,” Fusco said.
What to do if a piercing gets infected?
Treating the infection at home
- Wash your hands before touching or cleaning your piercing.
- Clean around the piercing with a saltwater rinse three times a day. …
- Don’t use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or antibiotic ointments. …
- Don’t remove the piercing. …
- Clean the piercing on both sides of your earlobe.
How long does an infected piercing take to heal?
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.
Does ibuprofen help with infected piercing?
Take anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce pain and swelling. These include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve). Read and follow all instructions on the label.
How can I make my ear piercing heal faster?
USE WARM SEA SALT WATER (SALINE) SOAKS – MORNING AND EVENING
Soaking your piercing with a warm, mild sea salt water solution will not only feel good, it will also help prevent infection, reduce the risk of scarring, and speed the healing of your piercing.
Can you put Neosporin on a piercing?
NEVER USE: Bacitracin or Neosporin. Petroleum based ointments CLOG the piercing and make it difficult for your body to heal. … These products are too strong and will irritate your skin and piercing.
How do you sleep with a newly pierced ear?
If you have a new ear piercing, a thinner travel pillow works great to keep pressure off while you’re sleeping. If you don’t have a travel pillow you can roll a clean cotton T-shirt or sheet up and place it around the ear so that when you lay on your side, there’s no direct pressure on your ear.
Does salt water heal piercings?
A sea salt soak is effective at softening up and gently removing debris that can accumulate, says Faris. It may also relieve inflammation, rinse the area, and flush out the wound as the piercing heals.
How do you stop piercings from hurting?
2. Apply a warm compress or do a sea salt soak. A warm compress can help the infection drain and relieve pain and swelling. Soaking the infection in a warm salt solution can also help the infection heal.
When should I go to the ER for an infected piercing?
Call your doctor if you experience any of these infection symptoms: Fever. Red, swollen skin around the pierced area. Pain when touching the pierced area.
Should I pick the crust off my piercing?
After the first few days your body will excrete lymph as it begins to form the fistula inside your piercing. This lymph ‘crust‘ will likely collect on the jewelry or around the piercing. Do not pick at it. Piercings do tend to swell slightly — some more than others — during healing.
What antibiotics treat an infected ear piercing?
Most infected ear piercings are caused by a bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and so you need an antibiotic that covers this bacteria, such as ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin.
