How To Treat Ear Piercing Pus

A piercing is an open wound that requires time and care to heal. Cartilage piercings typically take longer to heal and are more prone to infection than earlobe piercings. Even when a person follows the aftercare instructions, infections may still occur.

An infected ear piercing can also develop years after a person got the original piercing. Usually, the infections are minor, and people can treat them at home without complications.

Touching the piercing too often with dirty hands or not cleaning the area can lead to infections. Also, earrings that are too tight may not allow the wound to breathe and heal.

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In this article, learn about the symptoms of an infected ear piercing, as well as the treatment options, and how to prevent infections in the future.

The first step to avoid infection is to go to a professional for a piercing rather than piercing the ear at home.

For piercings that are not on the earlobe, needles are safer than using a piercing gun. Hygiene is equally important for both piercing methods, and aftercare protocols are the same.

Infected Ear Piercing: Symptoms And How To Treat It

It is vital to follow the piercer’s aftercare instructions carefully. Clean the ears twice a day with sterile saline water or the rinse provided by the piercer.

To treat an infection in an old piercing, people should clean the earring and both sides of the ear with saline solution, and handing it with clean hands.

If signs or symptoms of infection happen often, people should consider buying only hypoallergenic jewelry, as they may be reacting to the earrings.

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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.

Once the wound has healed — usually after 2 to 3 months in the case of earlobe piercing or longer in cartilage piercings — a person can safely remove an earring.

When getting a new earring, it is crucial that people have this done by a professional piercer with excellent hygiene practices. Also, they must always follow the aftercare instructions carefully until the wound has healed.

If I Take Out An Infected Ear Piercing, Is It True That The Infection Will Get Trapped Inside When The Hole Closed?

Most infected ear piercings can be treated at home and will improve within a few days, although, in some cases, antibiotics may be necessary. If symptoms do not improve, the infection spreads, or there are other symptoms, a person should speak to a doctor.

Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.This article was co-authored by Karissa Sanford and by staff writer, Dan Hickey. Karissa Sanford is the Co-owner of Make Me Holey Body Piercing, a piercing studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area that specializes in safe and friendly body piercing. Karissa has over 10 years of piercing experience and is a member of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP).

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Infected Cartilage Piercings: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

You’re loving the look of your new piercing, but your excitement turns to concern when you notice the initial redness and swelling aren’t going away. An infected piercing is no fun, but in most cases, you can treat them yourself at home in just a week or two with some sterile saline and an antibiotic ointment. In this article, we’ll show you how to treat and prevent piercing infections yourself, plus share ways to reduce swelling and pain while it clears up. You’ve probably got everything you need in your medicine cabinet or first aid kit already!

This article was co-authored by Karissa Sanford and by staff writer, Dan Hickey. Karissa Sanford is the Co-owner of Make Me Holey Body Piercing, a piercing studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area that specializes in safe and friendly body piercing. Karissa has over 10 years of piercing experience and is a member of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP). This article has been viewed 1, 313, 283 times.

To treat an infected piercing, create a saline solution by mixing ⅛ tablespoon (1.77 g) of sea salt with a cup of water, and stirring until it dissolves. Use a clean cotton swab to dab the solution onto your piercing for 20 minutes twice a day until the infection has healed. You can also apply a cold pack to the area to reduce swelling and fight off infection. However, if the infection persists for more than 48 hours, or if you develop a fever, you should see a doctor. For help preventing an infection, keep reading!We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission Here’s our process.

How To Treat An Infected Ear Piercing

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You can clean your infected ear piercing with a saltwater rinse. Don’t remove the piercing or use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or antibiotic ointments. See a doctor if it doesn’t get better, or the earring is stuck.

When you get your ears pierced — whether at a tattoo parlor or a kiosk in the mall — you should receive instructions on preventing infection. The vendor should also assure you they only use sterile tools and hygienic practices.

What To Do If Your Ear Piercing Gets Infected

But if the protocol isn’t followed, or if you don’t carefully follow the post-piercing care instructions, an infection can occur. You can usually treat a minor piercing infection of the earlobe fairly easily and without complications.

A piercing is essentially an open wound. An earlobe piercing usually takes six to eight weeks to heal. Cartilage piercings, which take place on the harder part of your ear, generally take longer to heal and can be more prone to infection. There are several ways your ear piercing can get infected.

Any bacteria left to fester can quickly turn into an infection. If you touch your piercing with dirty hands or instruments, you can introduce an infection. If the earrings are on too tightly, not allowing room for the wound to breathe and heal, an infection can develop. A piercing can also get infected if there’s too much handling of the piercing or the post of the earring is rough.

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An infection can also occur if unsterile instruments were used, if the person piercing your ears didn’t use gloves, or if the posts themselves weren’t sterile.

As long as your infection is minor, you may be able to take care of it at home. If you’ve had a cartilage piercing and it seems infected, seek medical treatment. These types of infections are harder to treat and may require oral antibiotics. Significant infections of the cartilage can require hospitalization.

After the infection appears to have cleared, continue this cleaning regimen twice a day until the piercing is totally healed. Remember, an earlobe piercing can take six to eight weeks to heal. Routine care is important during that time.

How To Treat An Infected Ear Piercing?

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:

To avoid infection, have your ears pierced by a professional. Don’t do it at home. Be sure to ask about their infection prevention protocol. Also ask if their tools are sterile. Confirm that the earrings they use come out of a new, sterile package.

After you get the piercing, clean your ears twice a day with the rinse provided or sterile saline. Don’t turn your jewelry, as this can create trauma to the skin and cause infection. You can clean around the piercing without removing the earring.

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Getting your ears pierced should involve a few moments of pain in exchange for the chance to dress up your earlobes and have some fun. When an infection strikes, treating it promptly ensures faster healing with fewer complications.

Has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.A new ear piercing is an open wound that can take several weeks to fully heal. During that time, any bacteria that enter the wound can lead to infection. Taking good care of your piercing is key to preventing infection.

An ear piercing is a hole through your earlobe or the cartilage in your middle or upper ear. Ear piercing infections may be red, swollen, sore, warm, itchy or tender. Sometimes, piercings ooze blood or white, yellow or green pus.

How To Treat An Infected Ear Piercing At Home

A new piercing is an open wound that can take several weeks