I just pierced my earlobes 3 weeks ago and they seemed to be healing fine up until a couple days ago. One of them has become very sore and is now swollen. Is there anything I can do to help it without taking the earring out and letting it close up?
Firstly, make sure to apply antibacterial stuff often. Secondly, what are the earings made of? If they are low quality gold, plastic, etc. your ears may be sensitive to it and switching the earrings may help. My sisters' ears get red, sore, and swollen whenever she wears costume jewelry so that may very well be your problem.
Either A. Take them out and clean them religiously or B. go to the doctor and get antibiotics. If you're not one for medicine or doctors, then I suggest to take them out I gauged my ears last year and they became so badly infected that I had a fucking swollen lymph node on my neck and the whole enchilada--- trust me, you dont ever want to go through that. Took the piercing out and still had to go get antibiotics for it.
im pretty sure im not allergic or sensitive to the material because the other piercing is perfectly fine.
if it doesn't heal up soon by washing it and using an ointment or sea salt, then I would seriously suggest taking it out and seeing if it clears up. Otherwise-- is that the side you sleep on most? If so, try repositioning yourself for sleep and see if it calms down a bit. When I first got my ears pierced when I was 7, I remember them swelling up horribly from sleeping on a particular side. You don't want to let it go too long and end up with a big ol' infection!
The day after I pierced my ear I got arrested on a 'too many hippies in a car' charge ( San Antonio 1966, 3 days county time). They confiscated my earring and I had to substitute a broom straw. By te time we got out my ear was infected and all we had at the house by way of antiseptic was Lavoris mouthwash with cinnamin. Boy did that burn! It did the job though. Try removing the earring and washing it and the hole with hydrogin preoxide and then working some neosporin or other antiseptic salve into the hole and coat the wire of the eraring with same before replacing it. Good Luck.
use antiseptic gel/spray/etc especially for ear piercings. using a sterile saline solution and/or sea salt in water can be good, by just putting it in a container and bathing your ear in it a few times a day until it starts to go down. hope this helps it.
damn i just have to say,ive distroyed my ears and they have been bloody and infected and a total mess but they always cleared up after taking care of them,how big are your gauges and how did it get that badly infected
I dont have gauges anymore, I had to take it out, it was too badly infected. They were only 8 gauge but I skipped gauges so that could be it, also--- I have sensitive ears and used some plastic captive hoop instead of stainless steel
