A few questions about ear piercing?

Question

How do I avoid getting my ears swollen after the piercing?
How long do I have to clean my ears after I get them pierced?
Do I have to be careful when I take a shower?

thank you

Answer 1

Your ears are going to swell regardless, it's part of the healing process. Just try to keep them bacteria-free by using the cleaning solution they gave you, or my personal favorite peroxide. I really prefer peroxide actually.

Answer 2

You should clean your ears for a good long time after having them pierce (at least a few months) and any time an earring may cause the hole to get a little tear or irritation. (Sometimes something like talking on the phone can make an earring make a little problem.) What I found was that even when they were supposedly healed the skin was probably fragile enough to easily re-open at the slightest pull of an earring or pulling one with a comb, etc.

There's no real reason you have to worry about anything when it comes to a shower, unless shampoo or conditioner may irritate new piercings. The cleaner your piercings stay, the better.

I'm sure there are people who are less conservative than I am when it comes to taking care of the piercings, but I've never had any infections and neither have the people I know who have been a little vigilant about keeping them clean.

Answer 3

If they have been pierced correctly, they shouldn't swell too much and after the first day they will go down unless the jewellry is too tight (shouldn't be). Keep them as clean as possible and don't touch them with dirty fingers. You will have to 'nurse' them by cleaning them 2 or 3 times a day for at least 4 - 6 weeks and they will heal usually before that time is up. Do not change the jewellery until 6 weeks. When you shower it shouldn't be a problem because it is actually cleaning them more but just make sure that you rinse any shampoo out properly. Try not to annoy the piercing too much by touching, knocking, twisting them if you can help it. You should, however turn the ear rings after you have cleaned them. After a shower is a good time to do this or during the shower as the heat will allow them to turn easily and your hands and the ear rings will be clean while you do it. Sounds like a lot of work but its not... just keep them clean and use common sense and they will be healed before you know it. Oh and don't use cheap jewellery when you change them. This can irritate more than anything even when they are healed.

Answer 4

Swell Only For A Week
Just Shower As Per Normal
Don't Worry
It Does Not Hurt A Bit
Try Tongue Piercing
It's Better
Painless
Good Luck

Answer 5

No matter what your ears will swell a little bit but it's not noticeable. The bad part is when your ears getting really red and feel very hot. After piercing then you should clean then twice a day for 3months at the very least. If you have long hair you might want to be careful not to get it tangled w/ you earrings b/c it will hurt but other than that shower away.

Answer 6

The should not swell too much
6 months, but you should always care for your piercings
no, not really, just be careful to not catch the towel in your ear ring

You are talking about your everyday ear piercing right? Not about a fancy one done at a body piercing shop?

Answer 7

How do I avoid getting my ears swollen after the piercing? If you are not allergic you can take ibuprofin for swelling or soreness but that will only do so much.

How long do I have to clean my ears after I get them pierced?
6 - 8 weeks twice a day with a liquid unscented antibacterial soap and water, also sea salt soaks are recomended or the use of H2Ocean.

Do I have to be careful when I take a shower? Just try not to get too much of your shampoo and conditioner in the piercing, and rinse completely.

Now then on another note... please do not get them done with a gun at the mall pay the extra $20 to get them done correctly by a professional piercer, it will be more sanitary and less painful.
for more info on why not to get pierced by a piercing gun go to:
www.safepiercing.org
or
http://tattoo.about.com/cs/psafety/a/piercing_guns.htm
or
http://members.aye.net/~asgard/piercinggun.html
or
http://www.namaii.com/suck/
or
http://www.homiegfunk.com/gunssuck.htm

I think you get the point, and if you still don't see it go to yahoo and search "piercing guns"

Answer 8

Hi Chris, Your ears will swollen alittle,but the swolling will go down.If for some reason the swolling doesn't go down, use ice on your ears.Keep your ears clean about 6 weeks, and use the ear cleaning stuff they gave you. You can take a showder with out worrying about your ears.I just had mind pierced 5 days ago.

Clowmy

Answer 9

ears should not swell after having them pierced and if they do it will go down fairly quickly. they tell you to clean them and turn the ear ring for about 6 weeks but being honest I've had my ears pierced 3 times now and i stick to it for about a week. the shower is fine it will not do them any harm at all. stop worrying my 3 year old daughter has hers done.

Answer 10

you cant avoid the swelling...its unavoidable when you make a new hole in your body. You should clean them regularily as long as you have them pierced but since they are new you should clean them & turn the earrings with a non-alcohol based cleanser & turn the earrings so that the skin does not grow around the earring. Showering is not something to worry about (thats when you get tattoos)

Answer 11

I will answer you questions in the order asked.

1. The best way to avoid swelling is to have your ears pierced by a professional piercer who uses a needle instead of a gun. The tips on piercing studs, which are used in the guns, are very thick, and they cause a lot of trauma to the surrounding tissue because they literally punch through all layers of tissue. A piercing needle, on the other hand, has a much finer point and breaks the skin more gently. There is less pain, and less trauma to the surrounding tissue. (Consider the difference between being stabbed with a very sharp knife, and being stabbed with a butter knife--both will break the skin, but one will meet a lot less resistance going in.) The other thing about avoiding swelling is that it is a lot easier to avoid infection if you have your ears pierced by a professional. Piercing guns are rarely cleaned appropriately, and are known for being a source of infection. The people who use them, such as at the mall, will tell you the implement is clean, but it can never be as clean as a piercing needle. Yes, it costs more to go to a professional piercer, but it is well worth the cost. Before I ever went near a professional piercer, I both suffered through and witnessed absolutely horrific ear infections on new piercings performed with a gun. For myself, when I factor in the visit to the doctor and the cost of the antibiotics to cure the raging infections I got from having my ears pierced with a gun, I can see I would have been a lot of money ahead to just go to a professional piercing salon in the first place.

Please note that you cannot stop all swelling completely. Your body's natural reaction to any injury is to rush fluids to the area of injury, and also to increase blood flow to the area. You should have a tiny bit of swelling, but it should not last long, and should not be excessive. When I had my nose pierced (nostril, done by a pro with a needle) there was more tenderness than swelling, and it was gone in a couple of days.

2. You will want to clean your ears forever after you get them pierced! But I am sure you mean the cleaning regimen that follows piercing. Each piercer recommends something different, but the average seems to be about six weeks of daily cleaning. You should not use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, as those cause a lot of dryness, which actually slows healing. There are several products on the market, and a reliable piercer will be able to hook you up with some. During the first few days you may get crusty deposits, which is actually fluid from the wound, and you need to clean those away, but you also need to clean your ears at least once a day, and also rotate the studs so that the tissue does not adhere to them as your ears begin to heal. It is not terribly taxing to do this--simply do it at night before you go to bed, or do it after you get out of the shower. After your ears are completely healed, you don't need to be as careful about cleaning them. Also, please note that you need to like the first set of earrings you choose, because you should not change your jewelry for quite some time. Be sure to pick something that is surgical grade stainless steel, as that has the least chance of causing a negative reaction.

3. You don't have to be tremendously careful when you take a shower. Just be sure to rinse anything that comes into contact with your piercing completely. Make sure there is no residue left over from shampoo, conditioner, soap or face wash. After you get out of the shower, you will want to pat the area dry with something very clean, like a new cotton ball, and then make sure it is dry. This is a natural and helpful time to do your daily cleaning, as well, as it will remove any residue you didn't get by rinsing carefully. Some piercers will tell you to avoid swimming and hot tubs for a little while, as your new piercing should not be submerged until it is fairly well healed, but that is something to discuss with him or her.

Congratulations on your decision to get pierced! I think earrings look great on a guy :)