HELP INFECTED PIERCING AND STUCK EARRING

[aminak1]

hi all
my daughters piercing is infected for the fist time. she had it done 2 months ago
its a bit pussy and bleeding a bit
the blood back of teh buttery fly clip is stuck
is it worth a trip to a&e tomorrow?
or shall i go to a jeweller?
or shall i leave it and continue to clean it with the piercing still in???
any advice or similar stories welcome

sincerely,
TIRED MUM.

How old is she?

We had this just a few weeks ago my girl is 10. About 8wks after the piercing and they had been fine. We had a lot of pus all of a sudden and some weeping on one ear. I panicked first but calmed down then when I realised it wasn't an ambulance job. I just continued to clean it 3 times a day and it was actually fine then after. I left the piercing in because I knew it was over if I took the thing out. If it is not clearing up and if the ear is all red and swollen and hot then go to GP tomorrow. I use cotton buds and slosh the stuff over them and then clean around the backing and then use the other clean end on the front, then a new one for the other ear.
This was my daughter's 2nd time to have them done. Last year, the silver backing disappeared. Lo and behold it was inside the ear lobe! And the lobe looked barely red, but I shone a torch through and could see the backing in there. Had to be removed at the doctor's, deeply unpleasant. So just keep up the cleaning at least twice a day on that ear and watch it like a hawk. It is the same ear lobe that went funny this time too.

This would only work if she has detached lobes but perhaps put warm salty water in an egg cup and actually give the whole lobe a good soak when cleaning? So it gets on everywhere?

If still bad tomorrow is get it looked at.

rubbing alcohol is good for this as is antiseptic and reduces swelling.

Another vote for warm salt water. Don't try and take the piercing out as the earring is containing the infection. Soak well twice a day (egg cup like Bishop said is good), then use a cotton bud to gently wipe the crusty goo off and to dribble the salt water into the hole.

I had an infected tragus piercing which swelled so much I could't lie on that side and the bar almost disappeared. The salt water baths worked better than tea tree oil (just don't ...) and other antiseptic creams etc. It took a week or so for it to start healing and now is totally fine.

You definitely don't need to go to a&e. As others have said, clean with salt water twice a day, it should settle down.

Salt water twice a day. Depending on how old she is, crush an aspirin and mix with some water to make a paste, it'll bring down any swelling. Warm chamomile tea bag on the ear lobe to soothe. Always works with any of my piercings.

If it doesn't look too bad, and you can still clean it and assess it, deal with it at home.

But, my dd's became so bad, the back was completely embedded and the ear swelled up alarmingly so it couldn't be removed at all, so we did go to A and E and it was removed under gas and air. She was also in distress/pain and we were unable to clean it for this reason- it wasn't a tiny bit of blood/pus either...

I was utterly mortified, but needs must and she no longer has her ears pierced as they had to heal up afterwards.

Hard to gauge without a picture.
Definitely start with salt water bathing

Definitely give it a thorough soak in a salt water solution. Not too much salt though, a quarter teaspoon in about 250ml is enough.

If the butterfly is still embedded in the ear and you can't remove it, then you need to see your GP's practice nurse/minor injuries unit, or failing that, A&E.

A&E! Bloody hell. I'm sure our overstretched hospitals think that warrants taking up valuable emergency doctors and nurses time

Yes, clean the ear with salty water. Boil the kettle, mix some of the hot water with salt, and let it cool (tap water will have lots of bacteria in so best to use cooled boiled water to make sure there are no nasties in there) If you can't get her lobe into the actual water than soak a cotton pad in it and hold it against the ear for a couple of minutes. Do that twice a day, it should clear up.
If the ear is really swollen and the redness starts spreading, or she feels unwell in herself, take her to a doctor. Best not to remove the piercing yourself though, if necessary, leave that to the doctors.

apologies for the very late reply. mumsnet wouldnt allow me to sign in
took it out and cleaned it. got really good mediwipes from pharmacist to sterlilise the earring.
doctor gave an amazing cream called fucidin which cleared the infection and softened the lobe so the earring could go back in in no time (Wasnt fussed about that but dr said it would be good bevcause the infection was now inside and putting the earring in popped the little infected bubble and allowed it to drain and be cleaned)

thank you all so much
xx

my daughter had her ear pierced around 5/6weeks ago but one side has become a little infected. I've been to the pharmacy and got some cream to calm the infection but the decorative stud at the front is completely embedded! the butterfly at the back is fine however. Will it pop back out when the swelling reduces, should i try pushing it out, or get it removed? anyone else had this before?
I should have got a bigger stud for her!

Hi,

having the same issue currently! How did you sort this? Front of the earring is starting to embed!

thanks
em