Treating the infection at home
- Wash your hands before touching or cleaning your piercing.
- Clean around the piercing with a saltwater rinse three times a day. …
- Don’t use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or antibiotic ointments. …
- Don’t remove the piercing. …
- Clean the piercing on both sides of your earlobe.
Likewise, should I take out my infected ear piercing?
If a new piercing is infected, it is best not to remove the earring. Removing the piercing can allow the wound to close, trapping the infection within the skin. For this reason, it is advisable not to remove an earring from an infected ear unless advised by a doctor or professional piercer.
Simply so, when should I go to the doctor for an ear piercing infection?
If you get an infection that’s spreading up beyond just the site of the piercing, where the full ear appears red and swollen or just even the lower half of it, then I would be a lot more concerned about an infection in the cartilage itself, and that would definitely be a reason to go to the ER.
Will an infected ear piercing heal on its own?
Minor pierced ear infections can be treated at home. With proper care, most will clear up in 1 to 2 weeks.
Does ibuprofen help with infected piercing?
Take anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce pain and swelling. These include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve). Read and follow all instructions on the label.
Should I take my piercing out if its rejecting?
The takeaway
Migration and rejection are some complications that can result from a new piercing. If you suspect something is wrong, take out your jewelry and talk with your piercer. A new piece of jewelry is often enough to stop migration and prevent rejection.
Should I remove my piercing if I have a keloid?
Although you may want to, you shouldn’t remove your jewelry until your symptoms subside. If you take your jewelry out while symptoms are present, it may result in a painful abscess. If you aren’t experiencing severe symptoms, you may be able to use the following methods to treat your cartilage bump at home.
What does an infected ear piercing look like?
An infected ear piercing may be red, swollen, sore, warm, itchy or tender. Sometimes the piercing oozes blood or white, yellow or greenish pus. A new piercing is an open wound that can take several weeks to fully heal.
How do you fix an infected piercing?
Gently pat dry the affected area with clean gauze or a tissue. Then apply a small amount of an over-the-counter antibiotic cream (Neosporin, bacitracin, others), as directed on the product label. Turn the piercing jewelry a few times to prevent it from sticking to the skin.
How do you know if your body is rejecting a piercing?
Symptoms of piercing rejection
- more of the jewelry becoming visible on the outside of the piercing.
- the piercing remaining sore, red, irritated, or dry after the first few days.
- the jewelry becoming visible under the skin.
- the piercing hole appearing to be getting larger.
- the jewelry looking like it is hanging differently.
What to clean a piercing with?
TO CLEAN YOUR PIERCING, USE ONE OF THESE METHODS:
- Warm Sea Salt Soaks. …
- Morton Fine Grind Mediterranean Sea Salt, 4.4 oz. …
- Sterile Saline Sprays. …
- Mild Liquid Soap. …
- DO NOT USE Rubbing Alcohol or Hydrogen Peroxide. …
- DO NOT USE Antibiotic Ointments. …
- DO NOT USE Bactine® and Ear Piercing Solutions with BZK (Benzalkonium chloride)
What happens if you don’t treat an ear piercing infection?
Without proper treatment, ear piercing infections can spread to the rest of your body. This is called a systemic infection. The infection can also get worse or form an abscess. An abscess is an area of the skin that is swollen and filled with pus.
How do you know when an infection is serious?
More
- the wound is large, deep, or has jagged edges.
- the edges of the wound do not stay together.
- symptoms of infection occur, such as fever, increasing pain or redness, or discharge from the wound.
Do you need antibiotics for ear piercing infection?
Most infected ear piercings are caused by a bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and so you need an antibiotic that covers this bacteria, such as ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin.
