Piercing not healing, help please

[poppym12]

I had 2 lobe piercings on 25th February, no major issues at first. Carried out cleaning as directed (still am). After about 3/4 weeks my ear felt hot and a bit irritated. I couldn't get back to my piercer for a check as that was when the restrictions began and everywhere closed down.

At times my piercings look ok from the front, no redness or irritation but the backs are still tender then everything goes all red and hot again.

I chose gold studs as I have a known nickel allergy but I'm wondering if the labret backs might be causing the irritation and making the area at the back swell up? It's only been 6 weeks but I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on what I could do or try?

I use saline spray as advised by piercer, I then bought prontolind spray which seemed to help for a while then the irritation and swelling started again. I've also been using sea salt (obviously not all together).

[difficulttod]

I had a rook done last year that was constantly playing up, tried everything and in the end I found a method called (honestly) LITFA- leave it the fuck alone. I stopped putting anything on it, stopped trying to I clean it with cotton buds etc and just rinsed it in the shower. It healed really quickly! Might be worth a try.

[TeaStory]

I agree with LITHA.

Don’t touch them, only clean them by letting shower water run over them then gently dry with a hairdryer on low.

You’re only 6 weeks in, lobes take 10-12 weeks to heal fully no matter what people say about “6 weeks” - ask any professional piercer! A bit of redness and heat is common at this point. Are the lobes so swollen that the jewellery is squeezing them? Are they contstantly red/hot/swollen/painful? Leaking green/yellow fluid with a bad smell? If the answer to all these is no then they are almost certainly fine. Just LITHA!

[Everythingmagnolia]

I also had my lobes pierced just over 6 weeks ago. Both appeared to heal nicely but the left one has become swollen and slightly warm. It doesn't hurt. The advice online is to goto urgent care in case it is infected. I am obviously not going to do that.

I also have the protolind spray so I think I will continue with that for now.

[Mabelface]

Salt water washes twice a day and leave it alone. You can also hold a hot, wet camomile teabag on it twice a day and that helps ease the swelling. And then leave it alone.

[Mabelface]

Just to add, you may need titanium jewellery, medical grade.

[CornishPorsche]

My lobes are too thick for piercing studs and the backs try to become embedded in my flesh.

If you can order closed hoops / click hoops in gold, stainless steel or titanium I would change them out in the absence of a piercer to change the jewellery for you.

[edin16]

When I had issues with mine I had to get the bar changed to a longer one due to the swelling. I was also advised to make a paste with aspirin and cover it with that at night. However this was specially advised by the piercer and it was after a few months of not healing. It was also cartridge piercings that can be notoriously bad!

Is there no piercing places that are at least responding to emails that you could get advice from?

For now I would agree with above who say leave it alone!

[Spaceprincess]

There is stuff you can get off Amazon called Prontolind, it's a spray specially for piercings, it sorted out the two that I had problems with in about 72 hours (nostril and pinner)
I'd use that every time now.

[poppym12]

I did try leaving it alone for a few days last week (due to illness rather than planning). It got even redder and a bit oozy (not manky infected ooze I don't think) so I had to do salt water washes again to calm it down.

I have prontolind. Stopped helping after a couple of days.

The most irritation at the moment seems to be at the back of the one where my lobe is a bit thicker. I'm too wimpy to try to change it to a longer labret post myself. I can't see behind my ear.

[DanceWithYourBalloon]

When I had my nose pierced I just left it alone and let the shower rinse it. However every now and then it got a bit red, hot and looked a bit infected so I put a tiny dab of tea tree oil on it and that did the trick. It took ages to heal but got there in the end.

[MarieQueenofScots]

Make your own solution of one part sea salt to four parts cooled boiled water.

Spray on if you can, if not minimal touching whilst you gently wash front and back.

Keep your hair well away from the piercing and don't twist/touch the jewelry at all.

[StripyHorse]

When I had my forward helix pierced last year, I was told to do salt water soaks rather than simply a wash.... put your ear in a bowl of sea salt and water (less salt than you think) for 5 mins.

However, your first port of call would be to try and contact your piercer with a photo of your ear for their advice. I am sure they will be available on email / SM.

If your ears are getting irritated by sleeping on them try a travel pillow (the ones that you put round your neck). Cover it with a t-shirt or pillow case and sleep with your ear in the hole.

[indemMUND]

Do not touch them. At worst with mine I tried saline but really you should have titanium or stainless steel if you're reacting to anything else. I learned this the hard way, I have 34 in my ears. I swapped them all over and haven't had a problem since. Just don't take them out completely, as if they are infected you risk trapping it inside.

[indemMUND]

I also recommend feather pillows and using your fist to make a space for your ear when lying on your side.

[ThanksForAllTheFish]

I agree with the others to leave it alone and see if it helps. Moving the earrings- even if it’s just to clean them could cause more dirt or gunk to move into the pierced hole and cause infection or irritation.

I’ve had my ears done 5 sets and 1 cartilage. The 5th set gave me the most issues as it’s the thinnest part of the lobe and the standard studs were too big for the area so cased a lot of movement. Lots of redness and pain - got much better when I switched them out to smaller (Tiny) hoop earrings.

Hoops might work out better for you as they are easier to sleep on. There is a risk of them causing more irritation as they can move round a lot more (had that issue with hoops when I got my nipples done).

[poppym12]

I've left it alone. No different. It's still irritated especially at the back were the labret back is and parts of my lobe keep going really hot and itchy as if I'm having an allergic reaction (which is why I went for white gold. All of my other earrings are white gold and I have no reaction to them).

I don't sleep on the side I had pierced (I had my right ear done because I sleep on my left or back). If I lay on a feather pillow I'd have far more problems than an irritated piercing as I have quite an allergy to all things feather.

[poppym12]

Update:
I followed the advice on here and a couple of days ago my ear became hot, red, painful and started oozing yellow pus. I used salt baths. This morning one of the earrings had disappeared inside the hole. I tried to push it back through but it came out via the back.

I've removed the other one too as it was tender and bleeding.

Now I've got an incredibly painful ear, 2 weeping oozing holes and a lump of skin/pus.

It appears that the earring that has been causing the problem is not gold, well the stud bit is but the post and back are a different metal. It's a dark metal and added to the fact that the posts are the same length, I'd say that it was too short for the part of the lobe it was in.

So, what now? Any tips on how to get rid of the infection please?

[princessbear80]

If it’s infected perhaps contact your doctor for antibiotics. They can probably issue the prescription over the phone and send direct to a chemist for collection. Hope it gets better soon.

[GrimDamnFanjo]

Get antibiotics and then see another recommended piercer if you decide to have them redone. I'd always recommend titanium for first piercings.
Poor you that all sounds awful!

[DramaAlpaca]

Oh dear, poor you. You need a course of antibiotics at this stage by the sounds of it, so contact your GP.

I sympathise, I had a cartilage piercing that just refused to heal and kept getting infected. I had to go to my GP in the end, who advised me to remove it permanently. I was disappointed but oh, the relief when it was gone. It was titanium as well... I have a nickel allergy but thought titanium would be fine. It wasn't.

[poppym12]

Thank you for replying.
I did ring my surgery yesterday and explained what had happened. I collected a flucloxacillin 7 day course.
I hope they resolve it as I'm feeling a bit crap today.
Disappointed as I was strict with the hygiene but after looking at the earrings that came out it really does seem that the post of the problem earring was too short for the area and although it was probably titanium rather than gold like the other one, I seem to have reacted to it as it never really settled.
Hopefully the holes will heal ok.