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.
People also ask, how do you treat a swollen ear piercing?
Clean the piercing site with sterile saline or distilled water combined with salt three times a day. Most healthcare and piercing professionals caution against using alcohol, antibiotic ointments, or hydrogen peroxide, as they can irritate the skin and slow healing.
Moreover, does ibuprofen reduce piercing swelling?
Anti-inflammatories: OTC Ibuprofen or Naproxen Sodium (taken according to package directions) can help with swelling and pain associated with oral piercings.
Can I put ice on a swollen piercing?
Turn the piercing: Rotate the piercing several times each day so that your earlobe does not swell around it. Ice: Ice helps decrease swelling and pain. Use an ice pack, or put crushed ice in a plastic bag. Cover it with a towel and place it on your earlobe for 15 to 20 minutes every hour or as directed.
How long should a piercing be swollen?
First 1-3 Days: There might be some mild bruising and mild swelling. The piercing site may also be tender to touch. There might be a few spots of blood at the piercing site. During Healing: You may note some itching at the site.
What does an infected piercing look like?
Your piercing might be infected if: the area around it is swollen, painful, hot, very red or dark (depending on your skin colour) there’s blood or pus coming out of it – pus can be white, green or yellow. you feel hot or shivery or generally unwell.
Is my 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.
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.
Why is my piercing swollen after a month?
Cartilage piercings heal more slowly than earlobe piercings and are prone to irritation. In the first few days after getting your piercing, you may notice a bump or general swelling around the jewelry.
How do I stop my piercing from hurting?
Apply a warm compress or do a sea salt soak
A warm compress can help the infection drain and relieve pain and swelling. Soaking the infection in a warm salt solution can also help the infection heal.
