Tips For Reducing Pain After Having Ears Pierced
Below are tips on how you can deal with such pain.
- Leave the Earring in Your Ear
Immediately after the piercing, starter earrings are inserted. You should not remove them until the pierced part has healed completely. Normally a lobe piercing heals in six weeks while ear cartilage piercing heals after eight to twelve weeks. During this time the hypoallergenic earrings should not be removed. Treatment should be done while they are in situ.
- Don’t Touch Your Ear Often
Touching your pierced ear too often is a big no! You might not remember to clean your hand using antibacterial soap each time you touch your ear. Frequent touching of those areas can introduce bacteria or other infectious pathogens. If possible, only touch your ears when disinfecting those pierced areas.
- Keep the Area Infection-free
The infection has a detrimental effect on any skin opening. A habit of keeping your pierced ear as clean possible is vital. Do not let a day pass without swabbing that area using hydrogen peroxide. Cleaning helps to kill germs and other pathogens. You should clean them using plenty of water and soap. Ensure that you rinse that area well when showering to get rid of any debris between your earring and the pierced surface.
- Don’t Clean the Pierced Area Too Much
- Avoid Pressure on the Ear
How Common Are Infected Ear Piercings
Millions of people get their ears pierced, and most of them have no serious complications. Mild irritation and infections are common, however, for new piercings. In most cases, infections arent serious and clear up quickly.
The earlobes are fleshy and fatty, with strong blood flow. They heal quickly, reducing the risk of an earlobe infection. The upper ear is cartilage, a thick, stiff tissue with less blood flow.
Piercings in the upper ear are more likely to become infected, and infections in the upper ear are sometimes serious.
Best Ways To Reduce Pain Three Days After Having Ears Pierced
5 min read
Ear piercing is one of the main beautification actions done by both men and women. But it’s important to acknowledge that ear piercing is painful at the initial stage. If the newly pierced ear gets infected with germs, it can result in irritation, pain, swelling, and discomfort. The chances of feeling pain depend on the hygiene exhibited during the piercing process all the way to the complete healing time.
You must make sure tools like needles and piercing guns are sterilized before use. Additionally, the piercer must also observe hygiene. Piercings done on the cartilage hurts more and takes longer to heal than those on earlobes. Three days after piercing, sores might erupt which are part of the healing process. The pierced area may swell and become reddish but if hygiene is maintained and no infection happens, the ears usually heal within 12 weeks.
Don’t Miss: Sore Throat From Post Nasal Drip
When To See A Doctor About An Earache
Dr. Nguyen-Huynh recommends seeing a doctor if:
- Yoursymptoms remain after twoor three days, even if youve tried over-the-counter or home remedies.
- Yourear is very painful, oryou have other symptoms that bother you.
Other common conditions, such as temporomandibular joint dysfunction , can masquerade as earache infections. TMJ causes ear pain because the ear canal and the jaw joint share a nerve. If you have ear pain along with trouble chewing, talking or yawning, then you should see a dentist or TMJ expert to be sure youre treating the right condition, notes Dr. Nguyen-Huynh.
The good news? Hot and cold compresses and OTC pain relievers can also help relieve TMJ pain until you sort things out.
Recommended Reading: Which Composer Experienced Hearing Loss During His Lifetime
How To Spot Infected Cartilage Piercing
How do you know if your cartilage piercing is infected? Identifying the signs of an infected cartilage piercing is easy. Here are some infected cartilage piercing symptoms:
- Redness around the piercing that could last up to several days
- Change in skin color around the pierced area after redness leaves
- Extended bleeding of pierced area
- Itching or burning in the pierced area and surrounding cartilage
- Tenderness and pain in cartilage
- Yellowish or greenish discharge from the pierced area
- Scabbing and formation of crust
- Swelling around the piercing
- In some cases, a person may experience fever
You May Like: Why Is My Ear Beating
When To See A Doctor
Seek medical attention right away if home treatments arent working. If you have a fever that lasts for more than two days, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, chills, you should immediately see a doctor. Its essential to seek medical treatment immediately because delaying treatment might spread the infection throughout the body. In the event of a severe infection, hospitalization may be necessary.
Bad Or Poor Quality Earrings
Thirdly, new ear piercing may get infected on condition that the first pair of earrings cause irritation that will result to itching. Continued itching perforates the skin for easy microorganisms. Consequently, According to Simple Remedies, microorganisms act as antigens, which triggers the bodyâs immune system, leading to the formation of pus after inflammation. An example of poor material is Nickel.
Cheap earrings, too tight earrings can as well lead to inflammation. Heavy metal bars from earlobes can leave earring hole stretched.
You May Like: Chronic Ear Infections In Adults
Similarly Can A Daith Piercing Cause Hearing Loss
Does it Damage or Not? Overall, earrings should not have any effect on your hearing ability if you take good care of them. Ensure that you take the best care possible when you get them pierced, though, because infection can cause very serious complications if left unchecked.
piercing canget infected ifofpiercingofinfection canififpiercing your earsif
Tips For Preventing An Infected Ear Piercing
- Go to an experienced and qualified piercer instead of doing your own piercings.
- Make sure your earrings are clean, sterile, and made of a high-quality metal.
- Avoid picking at any scabs that form and use a warm saline solution to soften it.
- Clean your piercing twice a day to keep bacteria from entering the piercing site.
- Don’t go swimming until the piercing fully heals.
- Don’t fasten your earring backs too tightly against the earlobe to encourage blood flow.
- Make sure you’re sleeping on a clean pillowcase during the healing process.
Also Check: Sore Throat Stuffy Nose Cough
What Does A Severe Ear Piercing Infection Look Like
Your infection is bad if you have these symptoms:
- Severe redness
- Abscess formation
- Fever
If the skin around your piercing becomes red and tender and you have a fever greater than 100.4 degrees, you may be dealing with cellulitis, a common and potentially serious bacterial skin infection, and youll want to get yourself to a doc right away.
Of course, you can also have an allergy to the hardware in your ear and that can look like an infection. But unfortunately, it can be tough for non-doctors to figure out the difference, Dr. Mankarious says. Professionals often think of allergies based on a history of allergies to metals as well as a lack of response to antibiotic treatment, she says. So if youre unsure, its best to see a doc.
Recommended Reading: Are You Hungry In Sign Language
Whats An Infected Ear Piercing
An infected ear piercing is an ear piercing that fails to heal the right way. Typically, a new ear piercing takes six to eight weeks to heal. Higher piercings may take up to 12 weeks. Whichever the case, the healing usually progresses without any alarms or excessive pain. The wound should have healed entirely within the stipulated period.
If the wound exhibits unusual signs such as excessive redness, swelling, warmth, itchiness, or tenderness, its likely to be infected. The same applies if the piercing is taking longer than usual to heal.
The most common cause is a bacterial infection. If bacteria find a way into the fresh wound, it can result in an infection. Getting pierced in an unhygienic environment is the leading cause of bacterial infections, followed by unsterilized equipment. Touching the wound with dirty hands also increases the risk of infection.
Also Check: Ear Nose Throat Doctor Houston
Can Daith Piercings Cause Headaches
A daith piercing is a type of ear piercing where an earring goes through the firm piece of cartilage just above your ear canal. This is called the helix.
In recent years, daith piercings have grown in popularity. Some anecdotal reports suggest it may help people with migraine find relief, though research has not confirmed this.
The helix, or the spot where daith piercings are inserted, is a spot used during acupuncture and acupressure. Both are well-known headache treatments.
Some people may try to replicate the effect of acupuncture on this spot in order to experience the benefits for their own headaches.
But what they may end up experiencing is a headache the piercings location may make headaches more likely. Thats because the extra firm cartilage of the helix may cause more discomfort than softer tissue like an earlobe.
Additionally, research doesnt support the claim that daith piercings can stop migraine. No studies have been able to connect daith piercings with reduced migraine attacks.
Instead, some doctors and researchers believe daith piercings result in the placebo effect. This phenomenon occurs when people think a particular treatment is working the way they intended, when its not.
More research needs to be done to confirm whether daith piercings have any benefits for headache or migraine.
Seattle Childrens Urgent Care Locations
If your childs illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.
Minor Infection in Newly Pierced Ear in Last 6 Weeks
Minor Infection in Ear Pierced More Than 6 Weeks Ago and Healed
Read Also: How To Instantly Remove Blackheads From Nose
Fever Chills Or Upset Stomach
Ear piercing infections can present themselves as fever, chills, or an upset stomach. In this case, we would recommend seeing a doctor especially if youre experiencing other signs of infection or if your piercing is still in the healing process. Make sure to tell your doctor that you have a new piercing so they can determine whether or not this is the cause.
Is it infected?
These symptoms are pretty common outside of piercing infections. So there is a possibility that the timing is merely a coincidence. Consider your recent eating habits and any contact with sick people.
Regardless of whether the infection is piercing related, its worth a trip to your health provider if the symptoms persist. Nobody likes being sick.
Swollen Ear Lobe With Lump
A small lump or bump accompanying a swollen ear lobe is most likely to be an abscess or a pimple. A cyst or a pimple can be a non-cancerous lump that often arises beneath the skin. A sebaceous cyst or epidermoid cyst is one of these lumps. This lumps are painless and do not pose any health risk. These lumps, therefore, warrant no medical attention. If the lump becomes painful, infected or bothersome, you have the option of having it removed by your dermatologist through a cosmetic surgery.
The lump occurs when cells move deeper into the skin, they increase in number rather than sloughing off. The cell will produce keratin that drains into the cyst behind your ear.
Also Check: Can You Swim After Ear Piercing
Salt Or Chamomile Soaks
A salt or chamomile soak serves a dual purpose. For one, it relieves the swelling, redness, and pain. Secondly, it helps to clean the infected piercing. A salt soak is generally more effective, but chamomile is better for sensitive skin. You can do as many chamomile soaks per day as desired, but only 2 salt soaks are recommended per day.
How to make a soak:
- Boil 1 cup of water
- Add ¼ teaspoon of sea salt and stir until dissolved OR brew 1 chamomile tea bag
- Perform a salt soak by dipping a cotton pad into the solution and appling to the infection for 2 minutes
- For a chamomile soak, dip a cotton pad into the solution, or use the tea bag, and apply to the infection until it cools.
For both, you want to use hot water, but let it cool down enough that you wont hurt or damage your skin before dipping the cotton pad.
How To Treat Babys Ear Piercing Infection
It is widely recommended to take your daughter to a health facility or doctor for proper medication to counter infection and other post-infection risks at large. Allergic reactions, keloids, irritation, etc.
Other curative measures that parents should adopt include regularly cleaning piercing of their daughters with recommended solutions or those provided during treatment at the clinic. Besides preventing infections, this will minimize the babyâs chances of pulling or touching due to irritation or itching.
You May Like: Ear Piercing That Helps Migraines
How To Treat A Minor Ear Piercing Infection
You may be able to take care of it at home with minor infections. However, seek medical treatment if youve had a cartilage piercing and it seems infected. Oral antibiotics may be required as these infections can be difficult to treat. In severe infections, hospitalization may be necessary. To treat a minor infection, follow the steps below.1) Before treating your infection, wash your hands well.2) With a saltwater rinse, clean around the piercing 3 times a day. Be sure use a sterile saline or make it by mixing /4 tsp. of salt with 8 oz. of distilled water.3) Avoid using hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, or antibiotic ointments as they can impede the healing process and cause further skin irritation.4) Do not take out the piercing, otherwise, you risk letting the hole close and trap infection.5) On both sides of your earlobe, do not remove the piercing. With paper towels, pat the area dry. Do not use other materials or fibers can remain behind.6) Continue this cleaning regimen twice a day until the piercing is totally healed once the infection appears to have cleared. Routine care is vital during the 6-8 weeks of healing for an initial piercing.
How Long Does A Piercing Take To Heal
1. The amount of time it takes for a piercing to heal varies depending on the type of piercing.
a) Ear lobe piercings typically take 6 to 10 weeks to heal, and they may be the simplest to cure all the piercings. Other piercings, such as the industrial, may take longer to heal.
b) Healing time for nose piercing might range from 3 to 6 months.
c) Navel and ear cartilage piercings such as the daith, helix, tragus, and industrial piercings can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to heal. Generally, the upper ear piercings are prone to infection compared to the earlobe piercing, and it also takes a longer time to heal.
d) Lip and tongue piercings could take 6 to 8 weeks.
2. Another element that may influence the healing process of the newly pierced ear is the piercing procedure. If the piercing is performed with a piercing gun, the healing process may be longer than if the piercing is done with a needle. Needle piercings heal more quickly.
Read Also: How To Get Your Nose To Stop Running
How Long Do Ears Hurt After Ear Piercing
Its normal to have some redness, swelling or pain for a couple of days after getting your ears pierced. But your ears should look and feel better each day. If you find that your ears do great and then suddenly start to become red, inflamed or crusty a week or two later, thats usually a sign of infection.
10 Related Question Answers Found
Treating the infection at home
When To Remove A 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.
Once the wound has healed usually after 2 to 3 months in the case of earlobe piercing or longer in cartilage piercings a person can safely remove an earring.
Don’t Miss: Why Does My Throat And Ears Itch
Can An Old Ear Piercing Still Get Infected
An old ear piercing can get infected. It is important to keep the area clean. The following situations can lead to an infection of an old piercing:
- Touching earrings with dirty hands
- Putting the posts of earrings in at the wrong angle
- Not cleaning posts and earrings daily
- Wearing heavy earrings that could cause a scratch or tear in the ear channel
- If the post or back of an earring has nickel, this can cause an allergic reaction.