Infected ear piercing advice?

[popsnsqeeze]

Hi everyone,

My daughter had her ears pierced about 2 years ago. We've taken care of them well but one of them still hasn't healed properly. It looks crusty, and when I change her earrings sometimes it's hard to put the new one through. She only wears gold or hypoallergenic earrings so it's not that.
I'm starting to think that we need to let the hole close up and repierce it in a year or so.

Anyone have any ideas of how to help it heal? Or should we let it close?

Thanks!

you do not mention her age.
if it has not healed i wouldnt change them, ever, and would only use gold.

Mmm, it does sound strange that it's still going on. Do you still use surgical spirits on it? I'd take the earrings out twice daily, clean them and the ear (both sides) with surgical spirits (you could try some tea tree cream as well perhaps) and put them back in. Do this religiously at least twice a day for a couple of weeks. If it doesn't start to clear up then yes, you may need to let them close up.

Thanks!

Burberryqueen, not sure why her age is relevant but she's 6. Had her ears pierced when I'd left the country for a few days... But she loves them so they stay!

I'm going to pick up some more surgical spirits today and really try to get this sorted.
Know of any creams that could help?

Again it is worth knowing her age, but I have one that still plays up over 30 years since I had it pierced and can be difficult to get an earring through at times. I try and make sure my earring are regularly cleaned and when it flares up I put germolene on the earring before I put it through my ear and this normally clears it up.

Sorry x post re age.

oh just that when mine were younger they were more careless about e.g touchiing nose and then earring....

surgical spirit, tea tree oil and gold only would be my recommendations. and contrary to waht someone else possted, i wouldnt be taking them in and out at all, just turning them.

TCP - stinks, but does the job.

Clean the earring and the hole, and then put the earrings back in. Do not remove the earrings until any sign of infection has gone, but clean the site around the peircing 2-3 times.

I personally found TCP was better the Surgical spirit

My dh used to work in a piercing studio.

Do not remove the earrings. Ideally titanium earrings are best, above and beyond gold as it is completely accepted by the body (says a lot that titanium is the metal of choice for pins in legs and other metal splints put inside the body).

They wouldn't recommend surgical spirit for a piercing as it can inflame the skin. Instead use a warm salt water solution to clean around the earring carefully without removing it twice a day. Do not twist the earrings as this can spread an infection.

Leave the earrings in for 8 weeks after the last sign of any redness.

Dd had her ears pierced at age 9 as she was desperate to have them done and we have followed this advice and she is the only one amongst her friends not to havehhad any problems with them at all.

If there is any actual pus in the earring or around the ear or a bump develops then DO remove the earrings and see a gp for antibiotics.

If you remove them the holes will close up and can be re done a year or so later.

There isn't any pus or anything so I don't think it's infected.

I'm going to go and buy some titanium studs over the weekend and do the saltwater thing.

Thank you for your advice

Or antiseptic wipes from Boots. TCP/other meds can be quite harsh

Saline solution twice a day around the piercing. Don't turn the rings as this just reopens the wound. Replace the earrings with gold and if it doesn't heal in 6 weeks remove and let it close and try again in a few months x

I had trouble with one of my ear piercings and was cleaning it very carefully every day. I went away for a week and forgot the solution to clean it and it cleared up during the week. I also wasn't turning it during that time so maybe that helped but my gut feeling it was the lack of surgical spirit.

I thought that silver was safer than gold as it had antibacterial properties

Titanium is best. Absolutely the best for piercings.

A good piercing studio would only recommend titanium for any new piercing.

Lots of people have reactions to gold and silver, even 24ct gold contrary to popular belief. (Me included).

indigotattoo.co.uk/index.php/piercing/piercing-faq/

Some general advice about piercing here and also stating why they use titanium.

Thanks!

Boots sell a sterile saline solution which is what I was advised to use when I had my tragus pierced.

One of mine did that for four years after I had them pierced. Eventually I just got fed up with it and let them close up (although a couple of decades later the problem earlobe still gives me issues a couple of times a year).

Agree on a precious metal only. Gold, silver or titanium.

I'd recommend buying Hibiscrub rather than a normal antiseptic treatment. It's what is used to clean skin before operations, and is brilliant at dealing with small inflammations on piercing sites.

Make sure you are removing the studs often for full cleaning.

I agree with warm salt water solution twice daily.

When I was about 14ish one if my ear piercings got infected and (sorry...) basically the skin scabbed/grew back over the earring and I had to have it removed at hospital. I remember this as being horrifically gruesome but in reality it probably took two minutes and couldn't have hurt that much, otherwise I wouldn't have it pierced again a couple of years later!

Hope you have had some success with the previous advice. It is common to have sensitivity to metals including gold and silver and that can lead to irritation and even infection, which needs antibiotics. Titanium is considered the safest metal for sensitive skin. But, have you thought of Medical Plastic earrings? They have no metal in to irritate ears and they allow piercings to heal. Try Delicate Earrings online.