I think my ear cartilage piercing is getting infected.help!?

Question

hey I got my ear cartilage pierced in January of this year,like 7 months ago on both sides.the right side closed up a while ago because it got this weird ball on it 3 weeks ago and I didn't know what to do about it or how to take care of it so I just took the earring off and it closed..hah..stupid me.but whatever I'm gonna get it repierced soon.but now my left one is starting to itch on the back and it's a little red and crusty and I don't know what to do.I think it's getting infected.is this really really DANGEROUS?! I dont know what to do! help please anyone who knows what their talking about! please someone experienced tell me what to do!.

Answer 1

Follow these instructions and it should clear up!
First of all change your pillowcase everyday until it clears up, and clean your phone with a papertowel and windex, put the windex on the papertowel first so as not to damage the phone. Try to avoid talking on the phone with that ear.
Cleaning Instructions
Body Piercings need to be cleaned twice daily, every day, for the entire initial healing time or when they get infected. Do not clean with your liquid soap product more than twice a day as this can irritate your piercing and possibly delay your healing. Before cleanings wash hands with liquid antibacterial soap and hot water. If you wish, you may wear disposable latex or vinyl gloves, and/or use a hand sanitizing gel. Never, never touch healing Piercings with dirty hands. This is vital for avoiding infections. Prepare the area for cleansing by rinsing or soaking the area with warm water and be sure to remove any stubborn crust using a cotton swab and warm water, never pick with fingernails. Apply a small amount of a liquid antibacterial soap to the area with your clean hand. Cleanse the area and the jewelry. Rinse the area thoroughly under running water, while rotating the jewelry back and forth to completely remove cleanser residue from the inside and the outside of the piercing. Gently pat dry with disposable paper products such as gauze or tissues, as cloth towels can harbor bacteria. If your piercing is tender or secreting you should continue the care regimen even if it is past the stated average healing time range.

Salt Water Soaks
After cleaning your piercing you can perform your non-iodized sea salt soaks either in or out of the shower. First fill a fresh disposable cup with approximately 8 ounces of warm water and add a ¼ teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt, stirring until it is dissolved. When ready, either place the cup over the piercing-forming a vacuum-type-seal-or dip the piercing into the cup. If either of these techniques are not possible, pre-soak a fresh tissue, paper towel, or gauze pad in the sea salt solution and firmly press it on your piercing. In order to promote effectiveness, the first sea salt soak should last at least 10 minutes. All additional soaks should last at least 5-10 minutes. Following the sea salt soak, pat your piercing dry with a fresh disposable paper or gauze product.
In place of sea salt soaks you can use sterile saline wound wash (not contact saline), or H2Ocean

If, and only if it does not clear up after a week of the above regimine see your doctor but do not remove the jewelry, let him/her prescribe an antibiotic and let it heal with teh jewelry in (it's faster that way).

No Rubbing Alcohol (it dries out and irritates piercings)
No Hydrogen peroxide (see above)
No Neosporin (it causes piercings to reject)

As for the bump you were speaking of it sounds like a keiloid scra which can be treated while the piercing is still in. All you do is take bayer asprin, crush it up and mix it with a small amount of water to form a paste, apply it to the area every night and it will usually get smaller and then go away. These types of scars can also be treated with teatree oil on healed piercings only! Same way different product, or vitamin e oil.

Hope that helped, and good luck!

Answer 2

i got my cartilage pierced long long time ago, i remembered it did happened to me before though, i think you should goto clair's and buy a bottle of their ear cleaning solution and apply to the front and the back of your ear with a cotton ball or a q-tip every chance you get so it can stay clean but yet, try not to get it caught on clothes because it will make the situation worse. if it doesn't improve within a decent period of time or it gets worse then i suggest you take it out and get it repierce.

Answer 3

See if you can squeeze any puss out, I know gross, but sometimes they get puss in them when they are like that.

Then clean it with rubbing alcohol, yes it will hurt , but it will get it clean and dry it up.

You cant get it repierced if there is a lump, because its either an infection that will get worse if you re pierce in the area, or it is scar tissue and it wont pierce.

You can also try and push a post earing in it to open the hole to get some puss out.
Have fun see if you can get someone to help or use a mirror to see the back of it.

Answer 4

This happened to me. It's your body pushing out the foreig object pierced in your cartiledge. Your body is pushing it out- the piercing is actually trying to migrate itself to the edge of your cartlidge and off of your ear. Seriously. I took mine out and now my piercing hole is not even through my cartiledge (it's only through the skin and now there is a dent where it used to be). This also commonly happens to eyebrow piercing and sometimes navel.

Answer 5

No. Ear piercings are for girls.

Answer 6

Clean it with some peroxide and apply some neosporin ointment to it twice daily.

Answer 7

You can use peroxide with a Q-tip (or alcohol if it doesn't sting too bad) just remember to keep turning it to keep all the junk from sticking.

Answer 8

This i s wat is happenin to mine now. I got mine done December of last year and I have little balls in the back of my ear where the holes is or close to where the hole is. I need help too.

Answer 9

I think you have an infection,meet a doctor soon.

Answer 10

It sounds like you may have a keloid. check out this website.
http://www.medicinenet.com/keloid/article.htm