Any piercers there to advise, earlobes still not healed after a year! Frustrating

[thesunwillout]

Had them done with a needle at proper studio.
Titanium studs only for the whole time. Tried silver after 5 months for two day, but they hadn't healed completel by then. Took silver out went back to the ones used to pierce thinking keep going.
Only ever used tea tree sparingly to cleanse with cotton bud at start and the proper salt with cooled boiled water.
It's a year and still sore.
What to do?!! Take them out and forget it? Pop something else in with a normal butterfly back. Thanks in advance
This is DD 17 not me.

Bumping

B

Can't offer any advice, but I have the same thing. Had 3 new holes pierced last Feb, and one of them is still a little sore and tender if I put anything other than the earring that it was pierced with in it. Sorry that does't help other than that you aren't alone :) am also keen to see replies.

I found using savlon or some kind of antiseptic cream daily helped but eventually gave up and let them close over as they were generally always a bit cruddy/gunky at worst and smelled at best More trouble than they're worth!

Hello, glad we're not alone.
It's very strange, I wonder if anyone else has had this problem.

Had 2 pericings 6 months ago still not healed either! Still sore and can't sleep on that side!

Tea tree is befit harsh and isn’t supposed to be used directly on skin. Ditch that for starters.

When you say sore, how are they sore? Just to the touch, or do they weep liquid or gunk?

How long are the barbells? Piercings are usually done with a longer barbell initially to account for swelling. It’s important to downsize to a more snug fitting one later on, because a bar that’s too long can move around inside a still-healing piercing too much (especially when sleeping on it at night) causing trauma and irritation.

I would go back to the studio for advice and maybe fit some smaller barbells.

Titanium are used because nickel studs are more likely to cause an allergic reaction. However, even though it is rarer some people are allergic to titanium. That is what I would suspect in this case. I would switch to silver studs for a 2 weeks and see if any improvement.
(I am not a piercer but have had piercings)

By silver, I mean sterling silver, not silver coloured nickel....

It may be the titanium isn't pure and there is some irritant causing a problem? I've had this issue, tried silver which didn't help, switched to gold and healed up nicely. I found bathing with salt water and antiseptic cream helped too.

Dd (10) had this..I bought some 24 carat gold plated studs and they healed normally after that. It's probably a reaction.

Ooh hello.
The barbells were changed to slightly snugger ones yes, by the piercer.
Left for two months, no improvement, so slightly longer ones put back in with same effect.
Tea tree has not been used for about 5 months.
We've just taken then out, had a good shower, cleaned, used saline solution, and put in some good links of London silver studs.
Have asked my mum if she's got any gold plain ones.
Going to give this a good go.
Thankyou all for responding.

Haworthia, sometimes sore to touch, then weeping gunk.
When she took the barbells out they were both bleeding inside.

My DD had piercings that just never probably healed. Have finally given up after 18months and taken them out.

My ears are really sensitive and I can't handle titanium, but weirdly surgical steel is fine. Maybe worth a try?

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DD had top of ear pierced and it was taking ages to heal and developed a lump. We tried this as last resort and it was amazing!
Before that we only tried cornish sea salt rinses.

Chocolatespiders have ordered that.

Superfragi, that's worth noting thanks so much

I used to make a jug of salted water with cornish sea salt in it and when dd was in the bath I poured it over the piercing. I would then apply this BPA afterwards.
I really thought it would never heal and have heard some horror stories about top of ear piercings and one of Dds friend had to have surgery to remove a lump. When Dd got the lump I panicked but this little bottle seemed like magic. Healed beautifully and now we do nothing with the piercing and she takes it in and out for football.
I hope you have the same experience with it.

How is she using the saline? With a cotton wool bud or soaking the piercing in a shot glass or similar?

I’d try changing to gold, making sure that there’s not too much room for movement. I’d also not touch them: not to turn them etc. I was told only to clean the jewellery not the piercing, and only to remove the crusts. Sounds like irritation.

Another for protolind spray. I am very very sensitive to all but the purest metals - even seam studs on jeans against my skin make me itch - so getting my ears to heal even with titanium in was a gamble. My piercer suggested this spray and it really worked. The upper piercing (cartilage) still took about 16 weeks but the lower lobe ones were quicker. Easy to use too.

She's soaked some cotton wool pads not balls in the saline and surrounded the piercing with one at a time, discarding each one iyswim.
We've tried dunking in a shot glass before but her lobes aren't lobey! If you think we should try harder then will give it another go.

I've put the pro solution in Amazon basket, tricky to know what to use first.

What does the piercer recommend ?