Ear piercing I think is infected

[HulaHoop2012]

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.

Second solace jewellery and salt baths.

When you had her ears pierced by a gun, the blunt force pushed outside skin into the new wound. The bumps are an immune reaction to this. Go to a proper piercer for advice but I would say they need to come out and be redone with needles by someone qualified

Mime always end up infected with silver. Gold and titanium don't have the same effect. Try these first

Same happened to DD, OP - except she had hers from a proper piercing place, needle and everything. Nothing worked, so when she had to take them out for an xray at the dentist she chose not to put them back on. It healed fine now, she doesn’t want to repierce atm.

Dd had the same thing happen when she had her ears pierced. She ended up just taking them out and leaving them to heal. She tried again about two years later getting them pierced and used 9ct gold studs the second time. Same thing all over, she followed all the instructions and I ended up bathing them daily and using antibiotic ointment. But after 6 weeks of pus and lumps she gave up again. Now says she'll not have pierced ears again.
The lumps took ages to finally go away once the earrings were out.

BPA aftercare oil is brilliant. Got my helix (top of ear) pierced about 8 weeks ago and it's been great - no issues with redness / swelling at all.
If you take the earrings out and get them redone, go somewhere where they use a needle, try surgical grade titanium for the studs and don't twist / turn them at all afterwards. I went to a tattooist for my ear piercing - I think they're often better at making sure everything's sterile and done 'properly', rather than someone in a jewellers with a piercing gun.

Nickle allergy? Try implant grade titanium studs

I had my second love piercings done in a reputable piercing salon with a needle, one side healed fine, the other side had the same painful lump with pus. I tried saltwater and the piercing solution. I don't actually recommend you do this but the only thing that worked for me was to squeeze the hole to pop it like a spot and then apply alcohol gel to it several times a day for about a week. It did clear it up and was fine for me but I wouldn't do this for my daughter. My daughter has hers done at Claire's with a gun (simultaneously) and they healed up beautifully.

I also recommend Solace jewellery, I wear them alot, especially in my second piercing.

I had this with a gun piercing ( teenage stupidity) my earlier needle piercings were fine. The only way I got it healed up was to put in a sleeper, use Savlon on the front and back, and turn the earring frequently. In the old days sleepers were the first earrings and you were advised to bathe the holes with salt water and turn the earrings.

It’s like a yellowy pus

Thanks all i am still reading though comments.
will continue with salt baths, try some of the things suggested and get some titanium earrings… she’s absolutely refusing to let lem
close and start again

It sounds like a mixture of keloids from the gun piercing causing the initial painless bumps and then reactions to the different earring metals and all the fiddling with them is causing a reaction/infection and creating the build up of pus, which is why it is just an intermittent issue rather than them constantly leaking pus.

I can only tolerate pure gold, silver or titanium jewellery. If wear anything else then I react to them and get "spots" on the back of my ear that are just a build up of pus, once I take out the earrings, drain the spot and clean them appropriately then they're fine. I never get the issue with the pure earrings, so I would suggest having your DD try different earrings in case it's a reaction to the metal first before giving up completely.

Don't take the earrings out. The infection will get trapped in the lobe as the holes close.
Honestly, try BPA piercing oil, it's miracle stuff. I have quite a few piercings and, at the first sign of trouble, I always use it along with a piercing spray.

I'd go with the saline spray aerosol. It means that it doesn't get prodded or poked!

And definitely change it to a hypetallogenic metal!

Personally I'd take her to an independent piercing parlour and let them take a look.

Hi my DD has exact same issue behind each earlobe piercing. Just wondered if you had any good results yet?

@MeadowSal
Sorry I’ve been waiting to see that our outcome worked 🙈

So eventually I took her to a proper piercing place. The guy was really lovely. He cleaned up the ear and told us to leave the earrings out for 4 weeks, continue to bathe with salt water and use the antibiotic cream once a day and to go back to him. He thought she was having a reaction to the butterfly’s.

Ear started to heal but still had a massive bump at the back. We went back he re pierced and a load of puss came out and bleed, he drained and cleaned the ear and sent us away again saying to keep cleaning and said we could go back and we could put the earrings back in.

Went back he put earrings in and used a silicone butterfly. Said to keep those earring in for a couple of days then start to take them out at night clean and put back on during the day.

Fingers crossed so far she’s been ok. Ears looked healed you can sort of feel where the piercing is but no big bumps or puss like before.

We got a set of silicone backs from Amazon

310pcs Silicone Earring Backs, Soft Clear Earring Safety Backs Earring Backings Earring Backs Replacement with Plastic Box for Heavy Earrings Studs Hooks Women Girls (6 Styles) https://amzn.eu/d/h182tHZ

I had a a big lump on the back of my ear next to piercing (but unrelated i think) and it burst with bright green pus! I was shocked as it didn't hurt after, I cleaned it with salt water and it went down really quickly and never returned. With kids, ears can get grim because bacteria from playing can linger behind the ears, stuff gets caught in hair, in earrings etc, especially with dusty or pollen-y environment. I think it must be hard for kids to keep them hygenic all the time.
I'm sure it's best to take them off and start a fresh with a professional piercer using a needle, as others said. She might go off the idea of ear piercing by the time the old ones have healed anyway.