Ear piercing

[honey&lemon]

Hello all

Just wondered if anyone else has had similar experience with ear piercing...

I had mine done as a kid but they closed over after years of not wearing earrings. I took a random notion a few months ago when the shops had reopened and was walking past Claire’s and decided to get them pierced again (I know I know I should’ve gone to a proper piercing studio )

Anyhoo...the left one has healed fine but I’m having an ongoing issue with the right one. Just can’t seem to get it to heal at all. I’m cleaning it at least twice a day with saline solution. But it keeps getting red and sore and a couple of times has definitely been infected. Sometimes it’ll seem to be okay for a week or so, then it starts again. This is the side I sleep on and I think that may be part of the problem.

Should I just give up and take the earring out, let it heal, then get that side done again? Or is there anything else I could try?

Thanks all for reading x

 

[Bronx]

My piercings get irritably all the time. I leave them in unless there’s an obvious need to take them out, ie if they smell or begin to puss. Buy a salt spray and use it throughout the day, that should help. Also, wearing hoops rather than backed earrings may help.

 

[The Dowager]

Clean it by rinsing it in the shower, then drying with a hairdryer on the cool setting. Then sleep with a travel pillow, putting your ear into the hole, so that there’s no pressure on the piercing.

Keep doing this, and leaving the piercing alone as much as possible, and then as soon as lockdown is over go to a well-reviewed proper piercer for advice (you could also email one in the meantime, with photos, and offer to pay for an online appointment). It could be one of a number of things; the length of the bar, the type of attachment, sleeping on it, touching it, not drying it fully, drying it too much etc etc

Piercings can be annoying little buggers, but for me the more I’ve done with tricky ones the worse they’ve become.

 

[Sunflower91]

Did they pierce it through scar tissue and Is it swelling? I have similar issues whenever I have piercings via a gun and a lot of places won’t use a gun through scar tissue. When a gun is used it’s basically blunt force that creates the piercing and the earrings themselves prevent natural swelling. I noticed a massive difference when I had a piercing in my lobes using a needle and having a barbell rather than studs.
It might be a good idea to speak to a piercer from a proper body studio/ tattoo parlour that can advise. They might recommend swapping the stud for a barbell to allow it to swell and heal more easily and comfortably.

 

[JoeBloggs]

Mine occasionally flare up and as others have said it can be a number of reasons.

I would get a surgical steel hoop/longer barbel that will allow the hole to swell if it needs to and it will also reduce the pressure on it. A gun is quite traumatic for a piercing. I would also be careful that you are not overdrying the skin, try salt water for a few days instead of anything strong.

 

[bubbadabut]

I can only ever wear earrings occasionally and for short periods. Some flare me up more than others. I figured it's the metal they are made from. If I leave them in too long they get weepy and scabby. One of mine is worse than the other too.

 

[honey&lemon]

Thanks for all the replies.

It’s annoying because the left ear healed up perfectly and I don’t want to be rocking around with one earring

I think I’ll try a salt spray and maybe get some really good quality earrings or barbels as I always did get irritation from cheapies years ago before they closed up completely.

Sometimes it’s not swollen or irritated at all, but that only lasts a week and then it’s red and sore again. There has been puss (sorry ) a couple of times. Grrr I’ve been so careful too.

Thanks for all the tips x

 

[theghosttown]

Do you know what grade metal they have used? Very unusual for a lobe piercing to keep flaring up - it’s cartilage that is usually tricky.
Have you taken the earrings out? Could be too tight perhaps.
I am allergic to nickel which is in a lot of fashion earrings. Generally those who get infected lobes have the same issue without realising!

 

[blondelolita]

Swap the earrings out for steel or titanium as most likely you’ve got a nickel allergy, sleep with a travel pillow and use a sea salt spray one a day... Also don’t touch it!

 

[theghosttown]

I can only ever wear earrings occasionally and for short periods. Some flare me up more than others. I figured it's the metal they are made from. If I leave them in too long they get weepy and scabby. One of mine is worse than the other too.

Deffo sounds like a nickel allergy. If you look for earrings without it that should help a lot. You tend to get nickel in a lot if the fashion jewellery but Asos is pretty good!

Thanks for all the replies.

It’s annoying because the left ear healed up perfectly and I don’t want to be rocking around with one earring

I think I’ll try a salt spray and maybe get some really good quality earrings or barbels as I always did get irritation from cheapies years ago before they closed up completely.

Sometimes it’s not swollen or irritated at all, but that only lasts a week and then it’s red and sore again. There has been puss (sorry ) a couple of times. Grrr I’ve been so careful too.

Thanks for all the tips x

Really curious. If it’s the side you’re sleeping on it could be your hair irritating it as it could be making it dirty. Not saying you are dirty haha but I just mean things like products or the oils in your hair! I had a bleeping mare with my helix. I have had so many piercings but that was awful. Lobes really should be relatively straight forward so deffo change your jewellery x

 

[OnlyHereForTheLolz]

So in south africa you can actually buy spirits at the pharmacy that clears it up really quickly. One issue can be that you need to wear gold. If I don't wear at least 9k gold mine will cause issues (no to gold plating). I suggest you go to the pharmacy and ask what they can recommend. WHen I had a belly piercing done in the UK it wouldn't heal and the pharmacist told me to buy thrush cream, I was so embarrassed buying it but it cleared it up in no time.

 

[Giggling Squid]

I had a similar issue with by 2nd lobe piercings and my helix. I found that actually cleaning them LESS helped them to calm down. They flared up for quite a while but less and less frequently.

I washed them with salt water every couple of days but the thing that really helped mine was BPA aftercare solution.

 

[JoeBloggs]

I'm also allergic to nickel and some silvers if the copper percentage isn't quite right so I tend to stick to surgical steel. Mine get a discharge if I have then in too tight or let them dry out too much. I agree with not over-cleaning them too, it aggravates the skin and my cause them to flare up.

 

[Base2019]

This sounds rank but your saliva is brilliant for piercings. Was recommended to me when I got my piercings #soznotsoz

 

[HoGi]

I had a similar issue with by 2nd lobe piercings and my helix. I found that actually cleaning them LESS helped them to calm down. They flared up for quite a while but less and less frequently.

I washed them with salt water every couple of days but the thing that really helped mine was BPA aftercare solution.

I was going to say this too.

I found cleaning every couple if days healed them quicker than twice daily. Twice daily mine were getting very red, itchy and swollen

 

[CherryAcid]

I had this issuse too, one ear would close up each time i took an earring out. Each time i wore earrings I was essentially piercing my ear. I'd had them done at an hairdressers in the early 90s with no issues,so it was odd.
I went to a piercing studio and the man doing it said the other side was almost closed too. He said the gun hadnt pierced it straight, my one ear did take longer to heal than the other but its fine now. I find that cheap earrings irritate it so if im wearing costume jewelry I will take them out after a few hours.

 

[Crazycatlady18]

Hi, I can’t find a more up to date ear piercing thread, but I need some help.
7 years ago I got my tragus pierced and I’ve never taken it out. Today I plucked the courage to change it and I cannot get the new flat back bar in.
Does anyone have any tips please?
I also got my helix done 9-10years ago and was going to change this too (still the original) and I can’t get the ball undone

 

[Sunflower91]

Hi, I can’t find a more up to date ear piercing thread, but I need some help.
7 years ago I got my tragus pierced and I’ve never taken it out. Today I plucked the courage to change it and I cannot get the new flat back bar in.
Does anyone have any tips please?
I also got my helix done 9-10years ago and was going to change this too (still the original) and I can’t get the ball undone

For problems with the balls, latex gloves are really good.

 

[ChampagneBox]

I had my third lobe piercing last Friday in Claire’s accessories and they’re still super painful when I touch them I dont think they’re infected but they are a bit red still. I know I probably shouldn’t have gone to Claire’s but I wanted a 3rd piercing for a while and I went somewhere that had a Claire’s so I took a chance