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Children's health

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Original poster

Please help - ear piercing emergency

39 replies

Jokat · 26/09/2022 18:01

Cannot.eone ease advise. Our daughter had her ears pierced 9 weeks ago. Bathed them twice a day with surgical spirit for 6 weeks as advised, all was fine. Then out some other ones in, after a few days they got a bit pussy. Changed to some which I knew were silver and bathed again, they seemed fine. This morning we took them out for PE and they looked good. Tonight we've been trying to get them back in and can't do it! It's as if they've closed up again but surely that's not possible in less than 12 hours?! She's crying it's so painful. The pharmacy we had it done at say they can't help, and I tried a piercing studio who say they can't touch it as it wasn't them who out them in. What on earth do we do now? Has anyone else been in this situation and knows what to do??

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Roseandrose20 · 26/09/2022 18:03

mine were like this when I got mine pierced at 11, can you try and put them in backwards? That worked for me for some reason.

passport123 · 26/09/2022 18:04

How old is she?

Hoppinggreen · 26/09/2022 18:04

You leave her ears alone to heal and revisit making holes in her when she’s older

Hotpinkangel19 · 26/09/2022 18:04

You'll probably have to just leave them now, and re pierce when fully healed. If she can't tolerate the pain of pushing the earring through now, bless her.

ChecoPerez · 26/09/2022 18:05

Well I've heard it all now - a pharmacy offering ear piercing! What's next? Tattoos?

Id maybe let them settle over night - bathe them in salt water solution and assess them again. Id be inclined to let them heal and re- pierce

DoubleBuggyDriver · 26/09/2022 18:05

Yep you can try backwards but if it’s too painful you’ll have to let them close up and re pierce.

This happened to me when I was around 16. I had to let it close and then pierce again. Every now and again it slightly closes up. I just put the earring through the back of my ear to open up the hole again and that always works

scrivette · 26/09/2022 18:05

Try pushing them in backwards as that also worked for me.

I was told not to take mine out for 12 weeks to make sure they fully healed when I had them done, can she just cover them for PE if you manage to get them back in?

MrsLargeEmbodied · 26/09/2022 18:05

just keep trying
what a faff though

redtulip12 · 26/09/2022 18:06

We were told they can heal up that quickly as the same happened to my daughter. We managed to eventually get them back in but it was painful and we then left them in For 6 months. she now rarely goes without any in.

MrsBungle · 26/09/2022 18:06

my dd’s took at least 3 months until we could leave earrings out for any length of time. The piercer said to leave them 6 months. We were also given a saline spray for her ears, surgical spirit sounds very harsh!

Quartz2208 · 26/09/2022 18:07

Yep they definitely can close in that amount of time

And I would if you do get them repierced on it avoid silver. Titanium is much more hypo allergenic

CleopatrasBeautifulNose · 26/09/2022 18:09

The wound is still unstable so swelling is likely the cause of the closure. You will need to get the earring back in or you'll be back to square one.
So be kind and tell her it's OK to do that, but if she wants to keep the piercing she'll need to be brave.
Then give her some pain killers and time to kick in. Get ice and make the lobe as cold as you can to bring the swelling down. Make sure the earring stalk is sterile (sterilise with a flame or tcp or dettol whatever, handle with clean hands so you don't introduce infection again) oil the stalk and try to put it through again.
Look at the back of the hole so you are pushing through in the right direction.
Is she careful to only touch it with clean hands? This healing time needs hygienic handling or repeated infections will extend healing time.

ProlifiInProfanity · 26/09/2022 18:09

I agree with pp re avoiding silver.

It made my ears weep and so the hole sort of stuck itself back together.
Surgical steel or Gold are all I can wear in my ears. Weirdly I could wear silver in my nose when I had that pierced.

Littlemissprosecco · 26/09/2022 18:10

Try Vaseline or something like savlon cream, worked with my dd years ago..

TokyoSushi · 26/09/2022 18:12

This happened with DD a few weeks ago when we took the out for the first time for school swimming. We did eventually get them back in by putting them in backwards first, but we're not going to take them out again for a long time if at all possible!

Chloefairydust · 26/09/2022 18:13

My ears are like this, I’m a fast healer, I have to wear earrings all the time otherwise they close up (and I have to force them back through, till I hear a pop and they bleed a little - don’t do this to your child though) .

Probably just have to let them heal and then get them re pierced later. Once they have been pierced again always keep earrings in to prevent them closing up again. Invest in comfortable earrings that she can sleep in / do PE in, small stud earrings with screw backs, or sleeper hoops.

toddlingtortoise · 26/09/2022 18:14

ChecoPerez · 26/09/2022 18:05

Well I've heard it all now - a pharmacy offering ear piercing! What's next? Tattoos?

Id maybe let them settle over night - bathe them in salt water solution and assess them again. Id be inclined to let them heal and re- pierce

lots of pharmacies have always done ear piercing. It’s nothing new.

Iamacatslave · 26/09/2022 18:18

I would avoid silver earrings. Try putting a dab of Vaseline on the holes.

MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler · 26/09/2022 18:26

Surgical spirit?! Where on earth recommends that anymore, it’s saline solution only! Please tell me they weren’t also done with a gun.

how old is she?

Yes they can heal up in 12 hours, if she’s under about 13 I’d let them heal completely and let her get them done again somewhere reputable when she’s older.

ffs.

MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler · 26/09/2022 18:28

The fact that the place you had then done won’t help says it all. How much research did you do before taking her there?

This makes me SO cross.

HappyHamsters · 26/09/2022 18:30

If its painful trying to get them back in then don't try anymore.

GobbolinoTheWitchesCat · 26/09/2022 18:33

Leave them to heal and look at repiercing in a couple of years.

Exact same thing happened to me. Several piercings later and I know that it takes mine longer to heal than most.

Germolene is brilliant, but given how infected and sore they sound - and that your daughter sounds quote young - just leave them alone and let them heal. They can be redone at a later date.

PeanutbutterPickle · 26/09/2022 18:59

My daughter had hers done by needle at a ear piercing studio in July then had another appt there just before she went back to school in September when they replaced the earrings with clear retainers. (School doesn’t allow jewellery) Advised leaving the clear retainers in as long as possible to avoid any problems- will probably try changing them October Half Term

Original poster

Jokat · 26/09/2022 19:10

Thank you all for helpful advice. We will try getting them in backwards next.
To the person who questioned if I've done any research beforehand, yes I did. Of course. This particular pharmacy we went to has been highly recommended for the last few years in our community. There has been loads of only positive feedback. And it was much closer to us than the next piercing studio.

OP posts:

MissDollyMix · 26/09/2022 19:14

When my DD had her ears pierced a couple of months ago she was told she had to keep earrings in at all times for at least 12 months! 6 weeks is too early, as is using silver, medical grade titanium only if you can get the hole open again. My DD managed to loose part of her earring when we were on holiday so I had to wedge the earring post in place with some tape to stop the hole closing over, even with the post in place the hole started to close over. As soon as we got back home I took her back to the piercing studio and they fixed it easily for her so I would take your DD back to the piercer who did it and see if they can rescue the situation.

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