In a perfect world, you’d get your ears pierced and spend the rest of your life effortlessly rocking cute earrings. In reality? Sometimes piercings get infected, and—not gonna sugar-coat it—it can be really effing gross.
Luckily, infected ear piercings aren’t the norm and, if you get pierced at a reputable place and practice solid piercing after-care, you’re probably going to be just fine. Still, infected piercings can and do happen to good people. Whomp, whomp.
If you find your piercing looking or feeling a little...off, it can be hard to tell the difference between minor irritation and a full-blown infection. But Kenneth A. Kaplan, MD, an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor) with ENT and Allergy Associates in New Jersey, and Leila Mankarious, MD, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, are here to clear things up that confusion and answer all the burning (and oozing, and swollen—kidding!) questions you have about infected ear piercings.
How To Treat Infected Ear Piercings, From Dermatologist
Anyone can get an infected ear piercing, but it usually happens due to one of two major reasons, Dr. Kaplan says: Either your piercing site wasn’t adequately sterilized before you were pierced, or you kinda-sorta-definitely didn’t take great care of it after you were pierced.
Touching your piercing a lot, while it's still a new, open wound, can also expose it to bacteria that can cause an infection.
at a lowered risk of just randomly developing an infection. “Infections are most likely to occur during the first week following the piercing, but can arise later on, ” Dr. Kaplan says.
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But infection symptoms won't pop up the moment your piercing is exposed to bacteria. Surprisingly, piercing infections do not typically happen until three to seven days after the initial piercing, sometimes more, Dr. Mankarious says. Bacteria need time to proliferate.
There are so many options for spots on your ear you can pierce and, TBH, you can get an infection anywhere. That said, some spots are riskier than others. “Piercings that go through ear cartilage are much more likely to become infected and are more difficult to treat than infections through the ear lobe or the soft tissues just above the lobe, ” Dr. Kaplan says.
Dr. Mankarious agrees. Piercing infections are most likely to occur in areas where the blood supply is low and cartilage is notorious for a low blood supply, she explains. Cartilage infections can be particularly dangerous just for that reason. In other words, it's difficult for antibodies and antibiotics to reach the infection site when it's in your cartilage, giving the infection the opportunity to take over.
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A huge factor is choosing a piercing shop that’s sanitary. “In general, the more experience someone has in doing piercings—with a reputation for good results—the better the odds of a favorable outcome, ” Dr. Kaplan says. Read reviews on the shop and on your piercer beforehand if you can find any. And if you go into a piercing shop and it seems like it’s not clean or you just don’t get a good vibe, go someplace else. The spot on your ear that you choose to pierce matters, too. “No physician will ever recommend piercing the cartilage of the ear, ” Dr. Kaplan says. Of course, that's never stopped anyone. That's why following your after-care instructions if so crucial, even after it seems like your piercing is all healed up. “Not strictly adhering to the post-piercing care instructions would increase the odds of infection, ” Dr. Kaplan says.
You can treat a minor infection at home. Dr. Kaplan recommends going back to the place where you got your piercing to have the area evaluated (provided, of course, the place is reputable). Places that do piercings see this kind of thing all the time and should be able to recommend next steps based on your situation.
In general, Dr. Kaplan says that they'll recommend cleaning the site at least three times a day with hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, and then applying a topical antibiotic ointment like Bacitracin, Neosporin, or Triple Ointment for at least a week. (You can use a cotton-tipped applicator for all of this, Dr. Mankarious says.)
Infected Ear Piercing: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment Options
A more major infection would have “severe redness, pain, and tenderness, discharge, and major swelling, Dr. Kaplan says. “Even worse infections might have pus draining from the site, abscess formation, or the appearance of reddish soft tissue at the piercing site, ” he says.
If the skin around your piercing becomes red and tender and you have a fever greater than 100.4 degrees, you may be dealing with cellulitis, a common and potentially serious bacterial skin infection.
Of course, you can also have an allergy to the hardware in your ear and that can look like an infection. But, unfortunately, it can be tough for non-doctors to figure out the difference, Dr. Mankarious says. Professionals often think of allergies based on a history of allergies to metals as well as a lack of response to antibiotic treatment, she says. So if you're unsure, it's best to see a doc.
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If you think you need to see a doctor, it’s really best to see an ear, nose and throat specialist or plastic surgeon if you can, Dr, Kaplan says. You may need oral antibiotics and, if you have any abscesses, they’ll need to be drained (fun!).
If you have a major infection or it involves the cartilage of your ear, you’re probably going to need to remove the piercing. The piercing site needs time to rest and for the immune system to calm down, Dr. Mankarious explains.
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And really, as sucky as it is to remove a piercing you were psyched about, this isn’t something you want to mess with. “Failure to remove hardware in a timely manner could result in the need for hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics and/or surgical intervention for drainage of pus or to cut away the diseased, non-salvageable tissue, with a greater possibility of deformity as a result, ” Dr. Kaplan says. So, yeah...you don’t want that.
What Is An Infection?
That doesn't mean you have to live a piercing-free existence, though. Getting an infection does not mean you cannot be re-pierced, it simply means that technique surrounding the cleaning or the metal used was inadequate for your needs, Dr. Mankarious says.
Most of the time, you can treat infections at home if you catch them early enough. But if your infection seems to be getting worse, isn’t clearing up, or you just have a bad feeling about it, don’t hesitate to see a doctor.But more often than not, any discomfort is down to irritation or an allergic reaction rather than an infection. And it’s important you know the difference so you can get the treatment you need. So, with that in mind, here’s how to identify what’s wrong with your piercing and how you treat each one.
Infections are caused by bacteria and other contaminating substances getting into the wound. This can mostly be avoided by following basic hygiene rules and using a trusted piercer. The tissue surrounding an infected piercing will become swollen, red, painful and hot when you touch it. It’s likely it will also have a discharge that’s dark yellow or green in colour. It may also appear slightly bloody or smell unpleasant. In short, it will look pretty gross.
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If you experience any discharge that is light in colour without any of the pain, swelling or redness, don’t worry. This is just natural sebum which is normal and healthy.
If you do think your piercing is infected, you should go and see a doctor as a precaution as they may wish to prescribe you antibiotics depending on how serious the infection is. They may also suggest that you bathe your ear in hot, salty water as it can soothe the pain and encourage it to heal faster.
Just like infections, an irritated piercing can cause pain, swelling and redness. But it shouldn’t cause the horrible discharge that comes with an infection. Other symptoms of irritation include a solid (non-fluid filled) lump around the hole or some slight peeling.
How To Recognize And Treat An Infected Ear Piercing
There are countless ways that a piercing can become irritated but they more or less have one thing in common: physical trauma. This could be anything from accidentally knocking it with your hairbrush, overcleaning it, playing with it, sleeping on it or anything else that would put pressure on your piercing.
If you can find out what’s caused the irritation and stop doing it, chances are the symptoms will disappear on their own. Although again a warm salt water soak will help soothe the pain. Just don't over do it!
Allergic reactions are caused when your body rejects something. In this case it could be the metal used in your piercing or something in the cleaning solution you’re using. You can identify an allergic reaction by a rash, itchiness and redness. And if it’s an allergic reaction to the metal, the skin might pull away from the jewellery. The symptoms will also appear very soon after being pierced rather than a few days later.
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You are more likely to experience an allergic reaction to metals like gold and silver than you are with hypoallergenic materials like surgical steel. Which is
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