Ears sensitive to earrings

[Mummalish]

Any time u wear earrings, my ear lives hurt and have infected ears for about a week, till it heals. This has been going on for years. On a day to day basis I don't wear earrings because of it, although I'd like to.

It happens with any type of earring, cheap ones from Primark, or pure silver/gold etc.

I have tried using alcohol to clean the earrings before putting them in, with no results.

Am I doomed to never wearing earrings (can't be bothered with clip ons).

I gave up wearing earrings about a year after I had them pierced (30 years ago!). The pain and discomfort just wasn't worth it.

I can only wear good quality gold - minimum 18 karat. The rest are too impure and infect my ears. Have you tried that?

Someone told me to coat the stem that goes into your ear with clear nail varnish. It worked for me.

It's quite possibly the nickel content in them.

Although you say it's also for pure gold ( what carat?) and silver. Curious.

How often do you wash your earrings?

Liz Bones of the Daily Mule says we are all sluts who do not soak our earrings in surgical spirit every night!!!

will try the nail varnish thing. To be honest, I dont have any very pure carat earrings, cant afford it, so its mainly el cheapo jewellery for me.

Would love to find a pair of earrings I can just keep in my ears and not take them out after a few hours, because of the discomfort.

I can't wear any earrings apart from my expensive tiny gold hoops and some (even vastly more) expensive platinum tiny hoops. For years and years I tried but would come up with the lovely itchy sore/swollen/gummy ears. I gave up and wore my grandma's old gold hoops until they broke and was bought the other hoops as presents.

I didn't find the nail varnish thing worked for me or those little plastic tubes that you were able to slide over the earring stem.

I had that trouble with my old holes which were made with a gun, I let them heal (for about 10 years so much longer than I needed really) and had them done again for my 30th at a tattoo place using a hollow needle. This time around they can be sensitive but nothing like as bad.

Day to day (and overnight) I wear the earrings used in piercing (the thicker post ones with the backs that click on that you can buy in the sealed packets) and wear others for occasions.

You are doomed.

I've had my ears pierced since aged 14. No problems until I hit my 30's. I now seem to be allergic to all metals, even the good quality ones.

My ears swell and itch within minutes of putting them in. I've given up.

Sorry..probably not what you wanted to hear.

I had the same problem but found there are people making delicate earrings from titanium and surgical steel for sensitive skin. I had got used to wearing the one pair I had but now I have a choice and it's great to wear earrings again.