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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Ear piercing I think is infected

43 replies

HulaHoop2012 · 10/09/2023 16:40

DD got her ears pierced nearly a year ago.

Behind each piercing she has a bump that has been there since we got them done.
A couple of times they have filled with pus. We have an antibiotic cream from the dr, the pus has gone but the bump never fully goes.
it’s not read and doesn’t hurt.

Today I noticed the bumps are bigger and lo and behold more pus.

DD now getting cross with me because I think we should take the earring out and get rid of the puss and if the holes close get them done again in another year.

So far we have used cleaning solution every night, soaked a cotton pad with hot water and salt to bathe the ear, turned earrings regularly.

aibu for saying after a year the piercings should be ok and to let them heal and start again.

Or any ideas what else I could try.

OP posts:
VickyEadieofThigh · 10/09/2023 16:41

Could also be a keloid - these grow and grow...

Original poster
HulaHoop2012 · 10/09/2023 16:44

Are keloids full of puss?
I thought they were just a bump like scar tissue?

OP posts:
Lessstressedhemum · 10/09/2023 16:46

Get some BPA piercing oil. It is magical stuff. Put a drop on the lumps after bathing with hot, salted (sea salt) water and letting ears air dry.
It'll get rid of any infection and heal the lumps.
Settled piercings can become quite crabbit in heat or if sweat or suncream gets into them.

towriteyoumustlive · 10/09/2023 16:48

A keloid wouldn't ooze pus!

Have you tried the spray salt solution twice a day? I'd try that as a last resort if you haven't already.

Were they pierced with a gun or needle? Are the earrings ones with butterfly backs or flat backs?

VickyEadieofThigh · 10/09/2023 16:51

Keloids can contain pus if infected. Google is your friend.

purplecorkheart · 10/09/2023 16:53

What kinds of studs is she wearing and what kind of metal are they? I had similar with cheap earrings/those hypoallergenic earrings you get that claim to be silver. The only ones I have no issue wearing is silver or white gold from a proper Jewellery shop (I never wear yellow or rose gold but assume they would also be fine).

purplecorkheart · 10/09/2023 16:53

Also what are the earrings back made of

Original poster
HulaHoop2012 · 10/09/2023 16:58

Pierced with a gun and have flat backs

OP posts:
Original poster
HulaHoop2012 · 10/09/2023 16:58

Silver, we’ve gone back to the ones she had when she got the pierced

OP posts:
Original poster
HulaHoop2012 · 10/09/2023 16:59

No idea 🙈

OP posts:
purplecorkheart · 10/09/2023 17:14

Double check they are pure silver and not silver plated and also the backs are pure silver (or gold). They don't need to be expensive. Since I changed to pure silver I have never had an issue with my earrings before then I had the same as your daughter.

ActDottie · 10/09/2023 17:15

I’d take them out. I had a conch piercing and it was constantly oozing and had lumps. Although I was upset because I’d gone through the pain of getting it pierced I had to admit defeat after about a year. It’s healed nicely and I will get it done again but taking it out was definitely the right decision.

NillyNoMates · 10/09/2023 17:17

Next time, please ensure they are done properly with a needle, not a gun.

Bornonsunday · 10/09/2023 17:18

Have you tried a different metal? My daughter us allergic to silver and we have to use surgical steel. Try solace jewellery. Her piercings only healed once we switched to them.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 10/09/2023 17:21

Mine always take over a year to heal. I’ve realised I’m allergic to a lot of metals including stainless steel and if I don’t wear what my body allows they never heal. Despite the advice Sterling silver works well for me and they heal straight away with that but I can see that was your problem. SS also contains other metals which she may be sensitive to. I’d keep the original studs in for now, it’s not good to let them heal up with a raging infection.

Dwappy · 10/09/2023 17:22

I had my ears pierced (re-pierced really) a few years back. They constantly were a bit red and had pus in them. I was cleaning them with solutions etc but nothing seemed to help. Then I spoke to a piercing shop who recommended I changed to titanium earrings and bathed them in warm salt water 2-3 times a day for 2 weeks and it sorted them out! They've been fine since. I was very very close to taking the entire piercings out.
I didn't have bumps though so it could be a different issue. But I think firstly I'm sensitive to certain materials and the salt water was the best for the mild infection. (I say mild because if its bad you obviously need stronger things)

andrainwillmaketheflowersgrow · 10/09/2023 17:25

If there's an infection present then the last thing you should do is take out the jewellery - you risk trapping the infection in the wound.

I would take her to a proper piercing parlour (not anywhere that does it with a gun) and get them to have a look at it. I wouldn't use silver jewellery either - titanium is best.

Baabaapurplesheep · 10/09/2023 17:27

Is she fiddling with them? I’ve had similar trouble lately and have to be so careful not to touch them, plus a really good clean once a day with solution (dh has to do it) and I spray them with saline spray (specific piercing one from Amazon) whenever I have the urge to fiddle!

Iamacatslave · 10/09/2023 17:29

Keloids are scar tissue and do not fill with pus. I would recommend removing the earrings and allow to heal. The lobes can be re pierced and preferably with a needle.

IAmFlan · 10/09/2023 17:29

You shouldn't twist piercings as they take longer to heal and you can introduce bacteria. Keep going with the salt water as PP mentioned and maybe get advice from a (proper) piercer.

Privatelyliving · 10/09/2023 17:29

I had trouble with mine when I first had them done. Every time I changed earrings I'd end up infected again. Saltwater was by far the most effective thing for clearing it up, it would be massively improved by morning.

EatYourVegetables · 10/09/2023 17:29

Get surgical steel earrings, titanium, or pure silver. Gold or any silver with eg gold plated clips in the back can cause an allergic reaction which then gets worse and worse as you continue wearing them.

And no, being “from a proper jeweller” or “expensive” has NOTHING to do with it.

10HailMarys · 10/09/2023 17:32

If they’re not painful, hot and red, they’re unlikely to be infected and I suspect the gunk in them isn’t really pus but just a build-up of fluid. This is more common than you might think - they’re known as ‘piercing bumps’ and can be caused by the body’s immune system responding excessively to try and heal the piercing, an allergy to whatever metal the studs are made of, a shoddy piercing technique and sometimes just for no apparent reason. It can happen with any piercing but it’s more common with gun piercings because that causes more trauma to the ear than a needle and the studs are often made from cheaper metal alloys. It’s localised inflammation basically.

A cotton pad soaked in hot, sterile salt water and held to the area a couple of times a day can help - or my piercer swears by camomile teabag soaked in boiling water and then allowed to cool slightly and held to the ear like a compress until it’s cold.

purplecorkheart · 10/09/2023 17:34

EatYourVegetables · 10/09/2023 17:29

Get surgical steel earrings, titanium, or pure silver. Gold or any silver with eg gold plated clips in the back can cause an allergic reaction which then gets worse and worse as you continue wearing them.

And no, being “from a proper jeweller” or “expensive” has NOTHING to do with it.

Edited

From a proper Jeweller is in my experience some gift shops claim they are silver when they are actually silver plated and I said they do not need to be expensive.

BadgeronaMoped · 10/09/2023 17:39

Is it pus? Could you share more about the consistency/colour. I only ask as I've had mine pierced for 27 years and haven't worn earrings for at least 15 years. I have to clean mine weekly as they fill with what I presume are dead skin cells/water from washing my hair? A gross white paste is what it is!

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