To not know what to do about my ear piercing

[HippyKayYay]

Argh. Posting here for traffic. I had a 3rd and 4th lobe piercing done 4 months ago (reputable piercing, needle piercing). All healed (I though) and I changed the earrings some weeks ago. All fine. Noticed today that one of them was a bit crusty and I stupidly took the earring out to clean it. I don't know what I was thinking as I know I should have just cleaned around the earring.

Anyway, I then couldn't get the earring back in. Attempts to do so made the piercing bleed (quite a lot). Now it's bloomin sore. What do I do? I'm going away tonight, leaving in 3 hours, and won't have any access to ice or ability to sterilise anything when I'm away (for four days). I guess I just leave it and accept it's sealed up and have to get it re-pierced professionally once it's calmed down? Or it worth me trying to persevere with getting an earring back in there??

I'm so annoyed with myself. I don't know what I was thinking in taking the earring out - it wasn't even that crusty! And it's not like it's my first piercing... Grr.

Hibiscrub? Once I started bathing my ear in that, it soon calmed down - after 16 months of me not daring to change earrings. Available from Boots or Amazon; what surgeons use when they're scrubbing up.

Alas I don’t have any and shops are shut now. I leave on my trip in 2.5hrs and still need to pack 😮

You must have something at home, even petroleum jelly or salt water will help.

your piercing hasn’t closed up, you might just need to use more pressure when you put it in. It’s not about forcing it in, but just giving it an initial bit of pressure to get it to follow the canal of the piercing. Some of my ear piercings feel like they are closed if I go super slow/gentle, and in fact that hurts more than just putting the jewellery in with a bit of pressure.

Yes I’ve got Vaseline and salt. Earring are currently sat in a pot of boiled salt water. I’m leaving them to cool. I’ve iced the ear. I’ll try getting it back in with Vaseline in a bit. But it was absolutely not going back in when I tried before and it bled a lot when I tried.

If you’re passing through an airport, there might be a Boots

Personally I’d leave it and let it heal. It’s sore and you don’t want to ruin your hols with it throbbing away if you force earring in. It’s not something you need. Just get it re pierced in a few months if you want it’s not expensive.
Alternatively do you have any old earrings from a previous gun piercing, they have a point and go through easily.

No I'm not :(

Yes, I did try a pointy one from a previous gun piercing. Just hurt/ bled more :( I'm going to have a shower and try again after that with the pointy one, very clean hands and some vaseline. If that doesn't work I'll leave it out and deal with it when I get back next week...

Once ypuve washed all the crust and gunk out it might be more emenable. Hope so, anyway

Amenable, dammit

How did you get on?

You might have the wrong angle. Dip the earring in vaseline and put one finger behind the lobe before trying to push it back through.

Have you any surgical spirit, TCP, or Dettol?

Sometimes poking the earring through from the back side forwards gets it through the hole and opens it up, and then getting it in from the front side is easier.

Second this

Came here to say this

I got it back in! Hurrah! Hot shower, clean earring with some Vaseline. Didn’t force it. I think I’d been trying to get it in at slightly the wrong angle before. Thanks for the tips!