What do I do when my ears are probably infected?

Question

I got my ears pierced about a month ago at Walmart, and didn't have a problem with the stud that they used. I just recently bought earrings from Hot Topic and now I think they are causing my ear to ooze. I'm positive that it's an infection, but what do I do?

- keep wearing the earring, making sure its cleaned w/alcohol after each use
- stop wearing earrings until infection clears
*possibility of piercing closing up?

part 2, are there any more things that I should be worried about?

Answer 1

If I try to wear earrings whose posts aren't 14 karat gold, I usually get an infection. (I can't even wear surgical steel.) I would say to take out the earrings and put in the original earrings that they gave you when your ears were pierced. (Assuming that they're14K) Be sure to clean the posts well in alcohol. Also, coat the posts and your ears with antibiotic ointment. If they're not gold, find some that are. Taking out the other earrings and reinserting the gold pair with the antibiotic ointment will hurt a bit. The opening for the post will be narrower due to the infection causing the tissue to swell. Still, you'll be able to reinsert the earrings with the gold posts and the coating of antibiotic ointment will act as a lubricant. If you wear the gold earrings with the antibiotic, the infection should clear up. This works well for me. If you're concerned about the infection causing the piercing to close up, then treat the ears as you did when you first had them pierced.
Going forward, don't wear costume earrings two days or more in a row and always apply antibiotic ointment to the posts before inserting them into your ears.
Your only other "worry" is a reaction to costume earrings that would cause future infections. The antibiotic ointment will work every time!

Answer 2

Are the earring hypoallergenic? Sterling Silver? Some people are allergic to the nickel in the cheaper fashion earrings. For heavens sake, put the studs back in until the infection clears up and use the solution that you should have gotten at the time of your piercing and then apply neosporin. It is going to hurt when you change them but if you don't put the studs back in you have just gone through a lot of pain for nothing and remember women must endure a little pain for beauty LOL!

Answer 3

First, you are having a reaction to the metal content of the earrings as some costume jewelry earrings have nickel in the metal content. Take them out, clean them well with rubbing alcohol, and apply antibiotic ointment. Do not go without earrings, because your ear holes will grow up since you have not had them pierced very long. You can probably pick up some fairly inexpensive 14k hoop earrings at Walmart to wear, and they will help with the healing. You may have to wear 10k or 14k gold or sterling silver earrings.

Answer 4

im a total earring expert, so listen up:
if your ear is infected, STOP WEARING EARRINGS! if you wear fake ones and your ears are sensitve, you really need to stop. dont worry about them closing up; it takes about 3-4 months for it to close. i wear real earrings on a regular basis so that my ears dont get clogged and dont get infected. if you ABSOLUTELY have to wear that pair then yes, clean it with alcohol after each use and before each use and if they have the hook (not the studs, but the hook that curves down) get a bottle of neosporin/cortizone...etc...some kind of anti itch hydrocortisone treatment and dip the hook in it (studs will work too) then put it in your ears. you can do this to treat them, and take em out right after, or you can do it while wearing them. i recommend that you do it just for treatment; wearing earrings while your ears are infected is a huge no-no.
other things to watch out for:
-try to get a pair that you are comfortable with that wont cause your ear to itch or get infected so you can wear regularly so the piercing doesnt close up
-do not wear other peoples earrings (unless they are cleaned with alcohol first)
-get some earrings that say "sensitive solutions" or something like that; the metal that goes thru your ear will not hurt it as much (available at claires/icing)
-and make sure you treat your ears with the "dip the hook in neosporin" trick!!

hope this helps and good luck!!!

Answer 5

probably the earings are causing an allergic reaction, a lot of people have sensitive ears, and cannot use "fashion" type earings, the safest thing would be to use something that's either sterling silver or greater grade of metal. if it is infected, try using neosporin or somthing with bacitracin in it, and rub it on both sides of the earing making sure you even get the ointment on the hole. but i think if worse comes to worse, your best bet would be to just take it out.

Answer 6

if you think that the earrings you are wearing now are causing the infection, take them out and put in the ones you had your ears peirced with. make sure you clean them twice a day with salt water or alcohol. I find that getting earrings from any cheap store will infect my ears. a good place to get earrings from that won't cause infections is a peircing studio because they have clean sterile stainless steel earrings. i have my cartilage peirced, and after having that done i have learned what to put in and what not to. anyways, if things get worse, i'd suggest seeing a doctor.

Answer 7

Hi !!!

You need to disinfect, the ear with alcohol, them use, "Bacitricin" ointment, you can buy this at over the counter in most stores, or pharmacies.

Then wear "REAL" gold earrings, always cleaning and using the ointment twice a day!!!

If it doesn't get better, you need to go to the doctor as your ear lobe could get inflamed causing the ear lobe to swell.

GOOD LUCK, GOD BLESS YOU & HAPPY LIFE

ALLIV Z

Answer 8

Maybe your allergic to the earings quality or something

quit wearing the earings

Answer 9

stop wearing it until infection clears.
then wearing gold earring (at least 14k).
a good place to find genuine jewelry and watch for discounted price, check out bidz.com.
if you become member of bidz thru cashcrate, you will get $18 from cashcrate & $10 from bidz.
http://www.*************/index.php?ref=84343

Answer 10

dont muck around with infected ears get them fixed , as for earings my daughters use sterling siver with out any problems