What happens if your earring gets infected

Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. When you have an infected piercing, your first thought might be to take your jewelry out. While that might seem like the best thing to do, it's best to leave this to your doctor.

If your piercing is actually infected, and you remove the jewelry on your own, you may spread the bacteria. Your derm will likely also want to monitor the area for potential abscess formation throughout your treatment plan.

To learn more, we spoke to two dermatologists, Y. Claire Chang, and Alicia Zalka. Meet the Expert. Mild infections can be treated easily enough at home. If it's just a little irritated, slightly red or warm, you can try a few things to clear it up on your own:. The first thing is to determine if your piercing is actually infected.

The second most common would be nose piercings ," says Zalka. If you have a nickel sensitivity, you may not be able to handle jewelry made of nickel-laden metals. Informational Alert. Ear Piercing Symptoms. Is this your child's symptom? Minor infection of pierced ear Symptoms are pain, redness, crusting and swelling at the earring site Spreading redness is more serious and needs to be seen Causes of Infections in Newly Pierced Ear Piercing the ears with tools or earring posts that aren't clean sterile Not cleaning the earlobes daily Taking the earring out before the channel is healed 6 weeks Touching earrings with dirty hands Earring backs that are too tight against the earlobe.

Reason: pressure from tight earrings reduces blood flow to the earlobe. Posts that have nickel in them can also cause an itchy, allergic reaction Causes of Infections Later After the Pierced Ear has Healed Not cleaning the earrings and posts daily Touching earrings with dirty hands Earring backs that are too tight against the earlobe.

Not taking the earrings out at night Anything that causes a scratch or tear in the ear channel. Touching the piercing too often with dirty hands or not cleaning the area can lead to infections. Also, earrings that are too tight may not allow the wound to breathe and heal. In this article, learn about the symptoms of an infected ear piercing, as well as the treatment options, and how to prevent infections in the future. People can usually treat minor infections at home. Some infections are more difficult to manage than others and may need antibiotics.

Hospitalization is rare but may happen if a person has a severe infection in a cartilage piercing. The first step to avoid infection is to go to a professional for a piercing rather than piercing the ear at home.

For piercings that are not on the earlobe, needles are safer than using a piercing gun. Hygiene is equally important for both piercing methods, and aftercare protocols are the same. Clean the ears twice a day with sterile saline water or the rinse provided by the piercer. Avoid playing with or excessively handling the earring. Be careful that it does not get caught in clothes when getting dressed.

To treat an infection in an old piercing, people should clean the earring and both sides of the ear with saline solution, and handing it with clean hands. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. How to Treat an Infected Ear Piercing. Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M. Infections Symptoms Home treatment When to see a doctor Prevention We include products we think are useful for our readers.

Overview When you get your ears pierced — whether at a tattoo parlor or a kiosk in the mall — you should receive instructions on how to prevent an infection. How you can get a piercing infection. How to identify an infected piercing. Treating the infection at home. When you should see a doctor. How to prevent an infection.

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