How to Care for a Newly Pierced Ear Infection

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How to Care for a Newly Pierced Ear Infection
How to Care for a Newly Pierced Ear Infection

Video: How to Care for a Newly Pierced Ear Infection

Video: How to Care for a Newly Pierced Ear Infection
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Infection is a small risk for virtually every piercing in the ear, but it is a risk that increases with unhygienic practices or inadequate post-piercing care. Fortunately, most infections caused by a hole in the ear can be treated with some home remedies. See Step 1 below to start learning how to deal with an infection in your ear piercing and to prevent future infections.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Treating a Fresh Infection

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 1
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 1

Step 1. Identify an infection by looking for redness and swelling

Most ear infections are uncomfortable, but if you take the right steps, they are not a serious problem. While newly pierced ears can be tender for a few days or weeks, a true infection usually comes with redness, swelling, and irritation. If your piercing is exhibiting these symptoms, you probably have a minor infection. Don't worry - most piercing infections go away with a few days of home treatment.

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 2
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 2

Step 2. Wash your hands

Most piercing infections are a result of the introduction of bacteria into the piercing. This can come from a variety of sources, but the most common are dirty piercing equipment, dirty earrings, or dirty hands. The next steps require you to touch your ears and earrings with your hands, so before you begin, wash your hands with an antibacterial soap to keep them clean and sterilized.

If you are extremely concerned about germs on your hands, you can wear sterile gloves

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 3
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 3

Step 3. Remove the earrings and clean the infected hole

When your hands are clean, carefully remove the earring from the infected hole. Use a clean cotton swab to apply an antibacterial cleaning solution to both sides of the hole.

  • In terms of cleaning solutions, you have several options. Some earrings come with a solution made specifically for this purpose. If yours didn't come, most commercial antiseptic solutions (especially those containing benzalkonium chloride) made for similar uses will work well.

    Some medical sources recommend isopropyl alcohol, while others are against its use

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 4
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 4

Step 4. Clean the earring stem and put it back on

Then clean the earring stalk (the part that goes into the hole) with the same antiseptic solution you used to clean your ear. After doing this, apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment or cream to the stalk. This will help kill bacteria inside the hole when the earring is reinserted. Finally, put the earring back on.

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 5
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 5

Step 5. Repeat this cleaning process three times a day

Do this routine - remove the earring, clean the outside of the hole, clean and apply antibiotic ointment on the stalk and reinsert the earring - three times a day. keep this routine for two days after the symptoms of the infection disappear.

This last topic is important. When you are fighting bacterial infections, it is crucial to ensure that the infection has completely healed before stopping treatment. If a small amount of bacteria is left, the infection can return

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 6
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 6

Step 6. Use over-the-counter pain medications properly

While you are waiting for your infection to go away, you can treat the pain and inflammation resulting from it by taking commercially available pain medications. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and most other cheap and common medications work well.

Even when dealing with these relatively weak medications, never take more than the recommended dosage and never mix medications. This is especially important with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, a class of drugs including ibuprofen and aspirin, which are linked to a variety of side effects at high dosages

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 7
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 7

Step 7. Don't hesitate to see a doctor if the infection gets worse

Although most infections caused by piercings in the ear are superficial and temporary, some can develop into more serious problems. If left untreated, these infections can cause lasting discomfort, permanent ear damage, or worse outcomes. If your infection leads to any of these symptoms, it's a good idea to see a doctor as soon as possible to get access to antibiotics or other forms of treatment:

  • Swelling and redness that gets worse or doesn't get better after two days of treatment.
  • Fluid leaving the site of infection.
  • Swelling that is so evident it's hard to see the other side of the earring.
  • Fever above 38 degrees…

Method 2 of 2: Preventing Future Infections

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 8
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 8

Step 1. Avoid touching your earrings, especially with dirty hands

As stated above, a common cause of infections in an ear hole is the introduction of bacteria into the hole through the user's hands. While it's easy to fiddle around with your earrings when you're bored or distracted, try to avoid this kind of behavior, especially if your hands haven't been washed recently. This can make it less likely that you will accidentally re-infect your hole.

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 9
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 9

Step 2. Clean your earrings and earrings before inserting them

If you are prone to getting ear infections, you can continue to perform the above cleaning routine, although less often. When you can, clean the earring stalk and the area around the hole with an antiseptic fluid before inserting the earrings to kill any bacteria that might get into the hole.

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 10
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 10

Step 3. Wear earrings with loose clasps

Believe it or not, one of the causes of ear piercing infections is wearing tight earrings! If the earring closure is placed too tight, it can cut off the airflow in the hole, which, over time, can increase the risk of infection. To avoid this, simply wear your earrings loosely so that air reaches both sides of the hole.

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 11
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 11

Step 4. Remove earrings before bed once the hole becomes permanent

For the same reason mentioned above, you'll want to periodically "rest" your hole. Once the piercing has healed (for earlobe piercings, this usually takes about six weeks), take off your earrings every night before bed. This ensures that air reaches the hole, reducing the risk of infection.

Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 12
Take Care of Infection in Newly Pierced Ears Step 12

Step 5. Wear earrings made of a non-irritating material

Certain types of metal used for earrings can irritate the skin or cause an allergic reaction. These problems can develop into a more serious infection if left untreated. For most people, irritation can be avoided by wearing earrings with stalks made of neutral 14-karat gold metals and stainless steel, which are less likely to cause problems.

Avoid earrings made from nickel, which are known to cause allergic reactions

Tips

  • Always clean your ears routinely and don't mess with them all the time.
  • If you need extra help, call your local body piercing shop or doctor. The store is the best option as they will help you to heal your piercing and let you keep the earring, while a doctor will be more concerned about letting the pierce close before treatment.
  • Do not touch the earring with dirty fingers.
  • Keep calm.
  • Pain is part of the process of piercing the ear.

Notices

  • Always pierce your ear with a professional. Some people find it better to pierce with needles. Others have no problems with pistols.
  • Don't let an infected hole close, as this will trap the infection and cause more problems.

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