Is my ear infected???

Question

I got my ears pierced in February in the cartilage. I changed the earrings a few months ago. But now my left ear is starting to hurt.It itches and bleeds sometimes. But only my left ear not my right. Is it infected??

Answer 1

Yes, clean it with hydrogen peroxide (NOT alcohol as that will dry out your skin and keep it from healing!) and continue to twist the earring often. Cartiledge takes longer to heal than regular lobes. Make sure you're using a hypo-allergenic earring and that you're very careful about the cleanliness of the water you put it in (lakes, ponds, water parks have harmful bacteria).

Answer 2

Leave them in. If you take them out they could heal around the pus inside, and leave a cyst that would have to be removed by your doctor. Here is what you do. 1. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EARS. The bacteria on your hands will only do more damage. 2. Do not use the crap they gave you at Claire's to clean your ears. Mix up your own solution of very warm (but not hot, it is going on your skin) water and sea salt. Don't use table salt with iodine in it. Soak two cotton balls, and put one in front of your earring, and one behind it. Hold it there about 5 minutes. Then get two new cotton balls and do the next ear. The combination of heat and salt will help suck out the infection and promote healing. I don't know if they told you to spin your earring, but don't do that either. As long as you have metal in your ear, and not something porous like string or rope there is no need to spin.

Answer 3

Yes it is. You probably changed them too soon, or if it's the side you sleep on that's bothering you then it may be infected from irritation of sleeping on it. Try switching to the other side and rotate your sleeping pattern every so often. Make sure to keep them clean and keep your fingers away from the piercings!

Cartilage piercings can take anywhere from 2 months to 12 months to heal. Don't switch the earrings out again until it clears up, otherwise you'll be irritating it more, making it more infected.

Answer 4

to look after your ear, don't take it out and don't use hydrogen peroxide - it's terrible bad for a fragile piercing! if it was infected, it'd hurt and probably have pus coming out of it. if it's itching and bleeding, it's not healing properly - change earrings to a good quality earring (small hoops are good), and keep it clean with salt water solutions. if it continues to cause problems after another week or 2, go first to your piercer and then to your doctor

if you take the earring out and it's infected, the infection can get trapped in the ear... really not a good idea

Answer 5

yes it is infected this happened to me a couple of months ago when i got my catilage.

what u should do is take out the earring immediately before it can get any worse clean it and then just leave alone (dont touch it cause the dirt from ur hands can get onto ur ear and it will just make it worse)
then after a couple of days it should get better if not go to a doctor

Answer 6

It might be. Especially if it is red and has pus. I would err on the side of caution and take care of it. Use some hydrogen peroxide on your ear and clean your earrings regularly. Usually it will heal on its own in a few days, but if not, go see a doctor.

Answer 7

Yes it is, until you can get to a doctor or a clinic, put some hydrogen peroxide on it to help kill the bacteria. But definitely get it looked at.

Answer 8

It's time to see a doc or apply some topical medicine to your ear.

Answer 9

i had that problem and in the end had to remove the piercing, try bathing with cooled salty water(it doesnt sting) and try and put the earing in they perced it with, after sterilising it, hope it gets better soon

Answer 10

Just clean with alcohol every once in a while. is probably the earring that made like that.