Earrings are one of the most popular types of women's jewelry. They make the face more expressive, emphasize the sense of style and personality of a woman. For these reasons, most women have ear piercings. Meanwhile, the desire for beauty can be accompanied by unpleasant sensations, because sometimes the ears fester after a puncture.
Why ears hurt from improper puncture
Blood vessels and important acupuncture points are located in the earlobe. Usually when piercing the ears, these features are taken into account. If the procedure is carried out by a beginner or an unqualified master, then perhaps the puncture was made in the wrong place and the vessel was affected. Such a wound does not heal for a long time, causes constant pain and can fester even with careful care. For this reason, cosmetologists do not recommend piercing at home.
One of the possible solutions to the problem may be the removal of earrings and re-puncture after a few months.
Decoration Allergy
An allergic reaction is one of the common causes of inflammation of the earlobe after a puncture. This is explained by individual hypersensitivity to one or another component of the alloy from which the earrings are made.
It is believed that gold jewelry prevents suppuration, but the earrings do not contain 100% of this precious metal, but have additives. For this reason, in some people, after a puncture, the ears fester even with gold jewelry. The advice of specialists is to choose earrings of another alloy. It can be silver or medical steel.
Inflammation of the lobe with improper care
Ear piercing - microtrauma, after which the tissue must recover and become covered with a layer of epithelium. During this period, it is extremely important to pay enough attention to ear treatment. If this does not happen, pathogenic bacteria get into the wound, in connection with which a purulent inflammatory process develops.
The solution to this problem is regular thorough antiseptic treatments. Usually, it is possible to cope with severe symptoms after 3-4 days. The puncture site is fully restored in 3-4 weeks.
Why is the ear inflamed in a child
Parents often face the fact that the child has an ear festering after a puncture. This feature is noted even by those parents who carefully care for their daughter's piercings. Doctors explain this by the behavior of the child.
In the first days after the piercing, the wound causes discomfort, so girls can scratch and touch their ears. It is absolutely impossible to do this. Thus, bacteria causing inflammation enter the wound.
Another cause of pain in the baby’s lobe is overly active games, accompanied by sweating. If droplets of sweat get into the wound, irritation and discomfort begin.
Ear festering after a cartilage puncture: what to do
Cartilage is a dense tissue that forms the auricle. Doctors do not advise piercing this part of the ear, since this procedure is rather painful, healing takes a long time, and the risk of complications is quite high. Cartilage piercing does not offer every salon, as the master must have special knowledge and experience in carrying out such procedures.
Those who decided to make a cartilage puncture should know several features:
- this procedure is very painful (compared to a lobe piercing);
- the healing process can last up to 3 months;
- Incorrect piercing can lead to chondritis (death of a part of the auricle).
Caring for a cartilage piercing is generally no different from caring for a lobe piercing.
Possible complications
After identifying the main reasons why the ear is festering after a puncture, possible complications should be indicated. With a timely reaction to a slight suppuration, serious consequences usually do not arise. A minimum of touch on the lobe and daily treatment will significantly reduce symptoms in a couple of days.
Lack of proper care can lead to fever. This often indicates a bacterial infection or a severe allergic reaction. At the same time, the earlobe turns red, looks swollen, and there are often abundant purulent discharge.
With such complications, you should consult a doctor. Antibiotics may be prescribed depending on the symptoms.
Processing Tools
Processing of the lobe should be carried out more often if the ears fester after a puncture. How to treat inflammation, everyone can choose for himself. Doctors recommend staying at one of the proposed antibacterial agents.
- Alcohol. This antiseptic is the first thing that comes to mind to many people. It really has high efficiency and easily copes with bacteria. However, many cosmetologists do not recommend the use of alcohol, as the skin becomes very dry from contact with it. This, in turn, prevents the wound from healing quickly.
- Hydrogen peroxide. Another drug often used to treat wounds and abrasions. Its advantage is that in contact with the wound there is no pain. This allows the use of peroxide for handling piercings for children.
- Chlorhexidine. This treatment fluid is used much less frequently, but it also has pronounced antibacterial properties and does not cause pain.
- Furatsilin. This drug is available in the form of a solution and in tablets. The solution is used without dilution, tablets should be previously dissolved in water.
How to handle your ears after piercing
If it has been noticed that the ears are festering after the puncture, then the treatment should be carried out 4-5 times a day. For the procedure you will need:
- cotton swab;
- a disinfectant (one of the above).
Processing is carried out as follows. A cotton swab is abundantly moistened in an antiseptic and gently wipe the earlobe. This must be done both from the outside and from the back.
An important rule: during processing, carefully twist the earring.
In this case, the liquid will get on the skin around the puncture and in the wound. In addition, scrolling the jewelry prevents the earrings from growing together with soft fabrics.
If the inflammation began to contract (swelling subsided, pain and purulent discharge decreased), the number of treatments can be reduced to 2-3 times a day.
If after 2-3 days the situation does not improve, you should change the fluid and increase the number of treatments to 6 per day.
Important! If the earlobe festering after a puncture, removing the earrings is not recommended. Subsequently, after removing the inflammation, it will not be possible to put on the jewelry on its own.
Healing ointments
In addition to regular treatment with antibacterial agents, doctors recommend using the following ointments.
1. "Levomekol." This drug for external action is able to draw pus from a wound, fight many bacteria and relieve inflammation. It is often recommended for cuts, abrasions and other minor injuries with a violation of the integrity of the skin. The ointment will be useful even if the ears are rotting after a puncture.
2. "Baneocin." Another effective ointment with a bactericidal and healing effect.
Apply the ointment only after thoroughly processing the piercing site.
Treatment with folk remedies
What should I do if my ears fester after the puncture, but I don’t have the necessary medications at hand? In such cases, some folk recipes may help.
- Aloe juice. This plant is widely known for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and healing properties. For treatment, you need a small part of aloe leaf. It is thoroughly washed, cut to width and applied with pulp to the earlobe. For fixation, you can use a patch. The compress can be left in this condition for several hours. During this time, the juice is absorbed into the skin and a thin skin remains from the sheet. When this happens, you need to change the lotion.
2. Sea salt. A solution of sea salt is suitable for relieving inflammation. To prepare it, use a container of such a size that it can be immersed in the earlobe. In a container pour 1-2 tbsp. tablespoons of sea salt and pour boiling water. Mixing is necessary until the salt crystals dissolve completely. When the liquid has cooled to the optimum temperature, the ear is immersed in it for 5-7 minutes.
3. Tincture of propolis. With this composition, you can wipe the lobe with a cotton swab. At least 2 treatments should be performed daily. In this case, it is desirable to combine propolis with the application of a healing ointment.
How to prevent inflammation
In order not to start to fester the ear after a puncture, several important tips from cosmetologists and otolaryngologists should be taken into account.
- Choosing a jewelry should be extremely careful. It is best to give preference to those earrings that do not contain nickel.
- Piercing services should only be used in special salons. Before the procedure, you need to make sure that the master uses only sterile instruments.
- In the first 2-3 days, it is advisable to completely abandon visiting the bathhouse, pool and beach. Wetting the earlobes can cause swelling and suppuration.
- The first 2 weeks should be treated with a piercing site with disinfectant solutions. This should be done daily at least 3-5 times a day. During the procedure, the earring must be turned so that the medicine also gets into the wound.
- Before training in the fitness room and after it, the ear is additionally treated with a bactericidal composition. This is to prevent sweat.
- It is not necessary to remove the earring from the ear, since most likely it will not be possible to independently install it in place. Moreover, all attempts will result in repeated trauma to the wound and increased pain and swelling.
If you follow these simple but important requirements, you can avoid problems with the complication of ear piercing. In other words, to create a stylish look you don’t have to sacrifice your health.