How do you treat an infected helix piercing?

Treating the infection at home

1. Wash your hands before touching or cleaning your piercing.
2. Clean around the piercing with a saltwater rinse three times a day. …
3. Don’t use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or antibiotic ointments. …
4. Don’t remove the piercing. …
5. Clean the piercing on both sides of your earlobe.

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Subsequently, what are the chances of a helix piercing getting infected?

Even with meticulous care, cartilage piercings become infected about 30% of the time.

One may also ask, how do u know if your piercing is infected?

Your piercing might be infected if:

1. the area around it is swollen, painful, hot, very red or dark (depending on your skin colour)
2. there’s blood or pus coming out of it – pus can be white, green or yellow.
3. you feel hot or shivery or generally unwell.

How do I know if my helix piercing is infected?

Symptoms of an infected ear piercing include:

1. swelling.
2. redness.
3. pain.
4. tenderness.
5. burning.
6. itching.
7. yellow discharge.

10 Related Question Answers Found

Why is my helix piercing swollen?

A cartilage piercing creates an open wound. As it heals, it may look swollen, lumpy, or like a bump. In the days immediately following a cartilage piercing, the body’s immune system triggers inflammation and swelling to heal the wound, sometimes leading to a cartilage bump.

Is my cartilage piercing infected or irritated?

According to Thompson, the telltale signs of an infection are simple: “The area around the piercing is warm to the touch, you notice extreme redness or red streaks protruding from it, and it has discolored pus, normally with a green or brown tint,” Thompson says.

When should I see a doctor for an infected cartilage piercing?

Call your doctor if you experience any of these infection symptoms: Fever. Red, swollen skin around the pierced area. Pain when touching the pierced area.

How do you stop a helix piercing from getting infected?

To prevent infection and encourage healing:

1. Clean oral piercings with mouthwash. If you’ve had your tongue, lip or cheek pierced, rinse with an alcohol-free, antiseptic mouthwash after each meal and before you go to bed. …
2. Clean skin piercings. …
3. Avoid swimming. …
4. Don’t fiddle with your piercings. …
5. Keep the jewelry in place.

Should I clean the crust off my piercing?

Crusting after body piercing is perfectly normal—this is just the result of your body trying to heal itself. 1? Dead blood cells and plasma make their way to the surface and then dry when exposed to air. While perfectly normal, these crusties do need to be cleaned carefully and thoroughly whenever you notice them.

How long does it take for a piercing infection to clear up?

What You Should Know About Infections in Newly Pierced Ears: Minor pierced ear infections can be treated at home. With proper care, most will clear up in 1 to 2 weeks.

Can I use table salt to clean my piercing?

The single best thing you can do for your piercing is to keep up a regular regimen of salt water soaks. … Use pure sea salt (non-iodized) and not table salt, which contains extra chemicals that can irritate your piercing and dextrose (sugar) that can cause yeast infections.

How do you know if your body is rejecting a piercing?

Symptoms of piercing rejection

1. more of the jewelry becoming visible on the outside of the piercing.
2. the piercing remaining sore, red, irritated, or dry after the first few days.
3. the jewelry becoming visible under the skin.
4. the piercing hole appearing to be getting larger.
5. the jewelry looking like it is hanging differently.

How can I make my ear piercing heal faster?

USE WARM SEA SALT WATER (SALINE) SOAKS – MORNING AND EVENING

Soaking your piercing with a warm, mild sea salt water solution will not only feel good, it will also help prevent infection, reduce the risk of scarring, and speed the healing of your piercing.

How do you clean a helix piercing?

How to Actually Take Care of Your Piercings

1. As a preventative measure, ask your piercer to use a needle, not a “gun. …
2. Be healthy. …
3. To care for a fresh piercing, wash with soap and water or saline solution—not rubbing alcohol—twice a day. …
4. Create a routine for yourself.