smelly gauges?

Question

i have my ears gauged to about 5/8 and im always cleaning them about 2 a week they get this funky smell.ive used soap and alcohol doesnt work what can i use to get rid of the smell

Answer 1

Yay ear cheese! Haha. Its just bacteria, oils, skin cells and any hair products that build up.

Clean them DAILY. Use soap and water and a sea salt soak every so often. Using organic jewelry can reduce the smell where as plastic (being porous) will make the smell worse. Also, if you have o rings on the jewelry, get new ones from time to time. They can build up a smell as well.

If you have metal jewelry, boil it weekly to kill any excess germs and bacteria.

Sadly, you won't be able to get rid of the smell completely. Even with 18g piercings, there would be this buildup, but its not as noticeable until you get to 8g.

*Note to everyone else, unless the build-up is green, slimey and the ears are painful/swollen/bleeding its not an infection. Chances are, you don't know anything about gauging to have answered the question.

Answer 2

Cleaning Gauged Ears

Answer 3

Once you hit the 10 gauge it seems to do that. I think it's pretty normal cuz my ex boyfriend warned me it would happen before I gauged them to a 10. Just clean them everyday to reduce the smell. If it really bothers you go back down a gauge until it stops. It's not infected unless it hurts and there is discharge.

Answer 4

My ex had massive gauges and he used to take them out and lube his ears up with papaw ointment everyday. They were never smelly if he'd remembered to do it. He kept them really clean too, so I guess it's just keeping them clean and then using some kind of moisturising ointment to keep the skin healthy and free of dead cells and crusties.

Answer 5

That just comes with the territory.


I've had my ears stretched to a 00g for the past year, and I have the same problem. As does everyone else I know who has stretched their ears.



Either get used to cleaning them rather frequently, or take them out. Sorry :(

Answer 6

You should clean them every day. The smell is bacteria and sweat. You need to clean them with alcohol or whatever they told you to use daily. If they start to get irritated, go back to where you got them done and show them the site. They should be able to tell you what else to do. They are the experts on this.
Good Luck

Answer 7

i always heard that its fermented soap because you cant really wash them...i have 2 gauge, so when im in the shower i will wash them last with soap my piercer guy gave me its helps. a lot but i dont think there is a real solution, but i dont think they are infected

Answer 8

Could be an infection just go to the doc and get it checked out. And to help keep your gauges clean you can let them soak in cleaning solution for about 20 min and then boil them to keep them really clean. I do it all the time with my tongue ring and it really works. Good Luck!

Answer 9

A strong smell and a discharge likely represents an infection, even though you may not 'feel infected'. It would be worth visiting your doctor to have the canals of your ears examined and a swab taken of the discharge to identify if there is an infection. .

Answer 10

OOh, i know that smell exactly!! My boyfriends gauges smell like that.

I also nitice that my belly ring smells like that sometimes and also my earrings (if i havent worn them in awhile.)

Its kind if funny becasue it gets stuck on your fingers and i always wipe my fingers on my bf's nose and make him mad. How cute!!