Prevent Infection Ear Piercing

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.

A new 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.

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Your upper ear is cartilage, a thick, stiff tissue with less blood flow. Piercings in your upper ear are more likely to become infected, and infections in your upper ear are sometimes serious.

Millions of people get their ears pierced every year, and most of them have no serious complications. Mild irritation and infections are common, however, for new piercings. In most cases, infections aren’t serious and clear up quickly.

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Some pain and redness are part of the normal healing process for pierced ears. It can be easy to confuse those with signs of infection.

If there’s a bump on the back of the ear piercing, it’s not necessarily infected. Small bumps called granulomas can sometimes form around the piercing. These bumps are trapped fluid that you can treat by compressing them with warm water.

If bacteria get into a new piercing, it can lead to infection. You may expose your new piercing to harmful bacteria by:

Infected Ear Piercing: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Antibiotics And Prevention

Many things can increase your risk of getting an infection from an ear piercing. Certain health conditions can affect your body’s immune system and your ability to fight infection. These conditions include:

Upper ear piercings are more likely to get infected. Left untreated, these infections can lead to a condition known as perichondritis. An infection can also spread into your body (systemic infection).

If you see signs of an infected cartilage piercing, you should contact a healthcare provider. The provider can assess the severity of the infection.

How To Treat An Infected Cartilage Piercing

A healthcare provider can tell you what to do for an infected ear piercing. They may recommend a variety of treatments to help heal an infected ear piercing. Ear piercing infection treatment may include:

With good care, most infections clear up within a few days. If your infected ear piercing isn’t improving, you should see a healthcare provider.

Getting your ears pierced is most often a safe, simple procedure. Be sure to go to an experienced piercer who practices proper hygiene. Keep your new piercings clean, and don’t remove your earrings until your piercings have healed completely. Be patient — by preventing an infection now, you can enjoy your healthy piercings for years to come.We and our 1609 partners store and/or access information on a device, such as unique IDs in cookies to process personal data. You may accept or manage your choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

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Karen L. Hudson is a tattoo artist and contributing writer for . She has been an amateur artist as a hobby since grade school, and served a 12 month tattoo apprenticeship in a tattoo studio.

Blair Murphy-Rose, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in New York who specializes in leading-edge facial rejuvenation techniques. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery and the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. She is a Castle + Connolly Top Doctor and Super Doctor of NY 2021-2023.

Is My Ear Piercing Infected?

Piercings are a fun way to express yourself, but they aren't without added stress. From the cleaning and upkeep associated with a fresh one to the fear that you've let a hole close, with cute jewelry comes not-so-cute problems.

One of the most dreaded piercing woes is the infection. With symptoms like pain and drainage, an infected piercing isn't just annoying—it can potentially pose a real health risk. But fortunately, things don't have to escalate to that level. To get the 411 on infected piercings, we spoke to board-certified dermatologists Y. Claire Chang, MD, and Alicia Zalka, MD.

The first order of business is determining if your piercing is actually infected. According to Chang, signs of an infected piercing include:

How To Prevent Ear Piercing Infections

It's worth noting that some piercing sites are more prone to infections than others. My experience is that bellybutton piercings are most at risk for infections. The second most common would be nose piercings, says Zalka.

Additionally, sometimes a jewelry allergy can be mistaken for an infection. If you have a nickel sensitivity, you may not be able to handle jewelry made of nickel-laden metals. It's best to see your dermatologist or other health care provider, as an infection can be mistaken for an allergic reaction and vice versa, says Zalka. Some people react to the metal in the piercing object. This can happen to those with a nickel allergy.

Silver, gold, and steel may still contain small amounts of nickel, enough to bother someone very sensitive. In this case, niobium or titanium jewelry may be necessary. You may also have allergic reactions to other kinds of metals, even if they don't contain nickel. Always consider the jewelry first if you're having a problem, and have it changed to a high-quality metal if you think that could be the cause.

How To Treat An Infected Ear Piercing, According To Dermatologists

An infection does not necessarily mean you need to remove the jewelry and jump ship from your new piercing. Many infections will clear up with extra care, and you can keep your new jewelry. Minor infections can be managed conservatively with saltwater or sterile saline soaks, and it is not necessary to remove the jewelry, says Chang.

It can be tempting to want to turn, twist, and touch the infected piercing to keep the hole from closing up—but you must refrain. Avoid excessively touching or manipulating the infected site as this can worsen the irritation and inflammation, warns Chang. Only manipulate the piercing site when cleaning it; otherwise, leave it alone to heal.

You'll need to touch your piercing to make sure you do not have a fever or swollen lymph nodes, which suggests you should seek a doctor for further evaluation, notes Chang. But you must do so with clean hands: If touching the area, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly beforehand, she adds.

How To Avoid An Infected Ear Piercing, According To A Doctor

If you don't think the jewelry is the culprit, then the source of the infection is probably bacterial. The way to fix that is to kill and clear the bacteria. Try cleaning the area twice a day and doing sea salt soaks twice a day—basically, treat it like a brand-new piercing.

Avoid alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to the affected area, as these can further irritate the skin and slow the healing process, says Chang.

Applying a topical antibiotic ointment recommended by a dermatologist can be a great way to help heal the infected area. After cleaning, gently pat the area dry and dot a small amount of the ointment over the infected area.

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If the piercing is hot to the touch and painful, consider applying a warm-water compress. You can do this right at home by taking a washcloth, running it under warm water, and then applying directly to the infected site. Just make sure that the cloth is not burning hot. Keep the compress on for 20-30 minutes and repeat as necessary. It's healed when the skin returns to normal color and is no longer painful or swollen, and there is no longer any yellow discharge, says Zalka.

More serious infections can lead to other serious problems, so if you are oozing thick or green pus or if the area is seriously swollen and hot to the touch, you should not attempt to clear the infection yourself. Improvement in redness, warmth, pain, and drainage suggests that the infected site is healed. If you develop an abscess, spreading infection, fever, chill, or malaise, please notify your board-certified physician for evaluation and treatment, says Chang. Advanced infections may require jewelry removal and antibiotic treatment, so please see your doctor.

Skin infections should be evaluated and treated professionally (usually with something bacterial, bacteriostatic, or bactericidal). Remember, only your doctor can assess the severity of your infection and determine the best course of treatment.

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