Treating New Pierced Ear Infections (during first 6 weeks):
- 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 (“Q-Tip”) dipped in pierced ear solution (see #3 below).
- Clean exposed earring (both sides).
Then, should I take my earring out if its infected?
If a new piercing is infected, it is best not to remove the earring. Removing the piercing can allow the wound to close, trapping the infection within the skin. For this reason, it is advisable not to remove an earring from an infected ear unless advised by a doctor or professional piercer.
- 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.
Considering this, what happens if you leave an ear piercing infection untreated?
“Untreated infection could lead to more complicated infections that require drainage and oral antibiotics,” Fusco said.
What antibiotics treat ear piercing infection?
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.
Should you squeeze pus out of a piercing?
If you suspect your piercing may be infected, don’t try to wait it out. This will prolong your discomfort and may lead to further complications. You should never try to drain pus or fluid from the infected area. This can make the infection worse.
How do you get an infection out of your earlobe?
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.
Should I take my piercing out if its rejecting?
The takeaway
Migration and rejection are some complications that can result from a new piercing. If you suspect something is wrong, take out your jewelry and talk with your piercer. A new piece of jewelry is often enough to stop migration and prevent rejection.
How do you know if your body is rejecting a piercing?
Symptoms of piercing rejection
- more of the jewelry becoming visible on the outside of the piercing.
- the piercing remaining sore, red, irritated, or dry after the first few days.
- the jewelry becoming visible under the skin.
- the piercing hole appearing to be getting larger.
- the jewelry looking like it is hanging differently.
Is my piercing infected or just healing?
According to Thompson, the telltale signs of an infection are simple: “The area around the piercing is warm to the touch, you notice extreme redness or red streaks protruding from it, and it has discolored pus, normally with a green or brown tint,” Thompson says.
How do I know if my piercing is healing correctly?
During the inflammatory phase of healing, the permeability of the vessels increases, permitting fluid to accumulate in the tissue around the wound. This is when you may start to experience the signs of healing such as redness, soreness, drainage that is clear/white-ish in color, and swelling.
Is it normal for piercings to swell?
Swelling is a normal part of the healing process for every piercing. … Some people swell very little, while others need to get even longer jewelry than they were pierced with to allow for excessive swelling of the pierced area.
When should I go to the doctor for an infected ear piercing?
When you should see a doctor
Usually, a minor infection of an ear piercing can be treated successfully at home. But if any of the following symptoms occur, seek medical attention: The earring doesn’t move. The earring clasp becomes embedded in your skin.
When should I go to the doctor for an infected piercing?
If you get an infection that’s spreading up beyond just the site of the piercing, where the full ear appears red and swollen or just even the lower half of it, then I would be a lot more concerned about an infection in the cartilage itself, and that would definitely be a reason to go to the ER.
When an ear infection is serious?
Symptoms include redness or swelling on the bone behind the ear, swollen ear lobes, and headaches. If treatment options don’t work and the infection continues to spread, other serious complications can occur, including hearing loss, meningitis, and brain abscess.
