Oh, the price paid for beauty!

September 20, 2006 1:43 PM

Make the hurting stop! I got my ears pierced with stainless steel balls last Saturday, one in each lobe and two in the cartilage of my right ear. All was well until Monday, when an infection started in my cartilage. How do I get rid of it? Grossish details inside!

The piercings were done with a gun at Clair's, so I guess I got what I paid for. I've been carefully cleaning them three times a day or more with the 0.12% Benzalkonium Chloride solution they gave me. Since the infection started I've also been intermittently spraying it with a 0.13% Benzalkonium Chloride solution in a spray bottle packaged as a travel hand sanitizer. Last night I soaked it in a saline solution.

This has not held off the infection, unfortunately. It's spread to my entire ear--the ear is swollen, red, and very tender to the touch, but not oozing or bleeding. It seemed to subside over the night, but in the past day it's gotten bad enough that it hurts to open my jaw.

Any MeFites with good advice on dealing with a piercing infection? This is easily one of the more painful things I've experienced--I needed to use a menthol spray last night to deaden things enough to get to sleep. A housemate of mine with cartilage piercings says this is normal, so there must be more remedies.

Yes, I will be going to the doctor tomorrow morning. I'm looking for ideas before then, especially ones that don't involve getting ride of the piercings.

posted by schroedinger to health & fitness (22 comments total)

Sounds like you may be fiddling with it too much, with all the cleaning. Try to leave it alone.

Cartilage piercings hurt; what you describe is normal, and without a load of disgusting ooze coming out, I don't know why you say it's infected. You just need to put up with it for a couple of weeks.
posted by nowonmai at 1:51 PM on September 20, 2006

Yikes, piercing guns (as opposed to needles) can shatter cartiledge! Also, they were based of a medical device that was discontinued because it is impossible to sterilize 100%.

Personally, I would ditch the various condiments and sprays and stick with good ol' salt water. Any of those could be pissing off your flesh wound. You also might have issues with the cheap material of the jewelry.

If you're going to see a doctor tomorrow, consider going to see a professional piercer tonight.

Also, there's always BME as a great resource for this sort of thing.
posted by utsutsu at 1:53 PM on September 20, 2006

I had my ear's pierced at Clair's in the spring (double piercings in the lobe of each ear). My piercings also got infected ,despite faithful cleaning. Once it started I tried soaking in warm salt solution, but that didn't do much for me.

Things improved rapidly after I went to the doctor and got antibiotics.

I was ambivalent about whether to remove the earrings before I went to the doctor. But the doctor told me that it was fine to keep them in. Also, I found an article on piercing infections somewhere online which argued that keeping the piercings in can help the infected area heal faster (why that would be, I don't know).
posted by betterton at 1:56 PM on September 20, 2006

A spreading infection like this (your entire ear is now infected and it hurts to open your jaw?!) can be quite dangerous if left unchecked. E.g., blood poisoning if it goes on for long enough/gets bad enough. You need to see a doctor.
posted by treepour at 2:13 PM on September 20, 2006

argued that keeping the piercings in can help the infected area heal faster (why that would be, I don't know).
Leaving the jewelry in allows the bad infected stuff to drain out (provided that the jewelry is large enough to allow localized swelling). Taking the jewelry out allows your new hole to close up with the bad infected stuff trapped inside. However, if it's the jewelry that's causing the problem, via allergic reactions. Then it needs to come out or at least be replaced.

Seriously, you're in bad shape if it's affecting your jaw.

Try a warm compress tonight, which should help with the pain a bit. Maybe a clean washcloth soaked in a warm sea salt solution.
posted by dogwalker at 2:25 PM on September 20, 2006

Try sea salt and water. I've never tried it on my ears, but it works wonders on my belly button piercing when it gets infected (which seems to happen on a yearly basis). Get a glass of really warm water (not so hot that it's painful to touch) and dissolve as much sea salt as you can into it. Soak your ear in it for 5 minutes. I've been told not to do this more than twice a day, however. Apparently sea salt works better than table salt for piercings, not sure why.

That being said - your jaw hurts?? Yes indeedy, get your poor ears to a doc. That doesn't sound good at all, and is above and beyond a typical piercing infection.
posted by cgg at 2:30 PM on September 20, 2006

As a follow-up--the jaw-hurting thing. This can wait until tomorrow, right? I don't need to go to the ER?
posted by schroedinger at 2:44 PM on September 20, 2006

Sea salt and as-hot-as-you-can-stand-it water (I think it's about 1/8 tsp salt per cup of water; check BME) and some unscented Softsoap-style soap. I've healed many piercings that way. The salt and warm water will feel like heaven on your ear. Stop with whatever crap they sold you at Claire's, it's not doing anything.

BME and other piercing-knowledgeable people will tell you not to use Neosporin, but I tend to slather it on everything in cases like this. That stuff with painkiller is amazing. I am not a first-aid specialist, nor have I had fresh piercings in a while, but it did wonders for my bleeding, painful, worst-earlobe-stretch-ever of last year.

And see a doctor, the jaw thing doesn't sound good. On preview, I don't know how urgent it is. Sorry.

And next time, don't go to Claire's. Or at least maybe think of getting only one new hole at a time.

But you'll probably live, and even get to keep your ear. Good luck.
posted by ruby.aftermath at 2:52 PM on September 20, 2006

I'm sorry to hear you're having so many problems. Mine took about a month and a half to heal and they were painful the whole time, and sensitive for a good while after that. Cartilage piercings hurt, that's all there is to it, but it sounds like yours are atypical. It's good that you recognize the need for a doctor, because at this point you're likely to need antibiotics.

On re-reading: Wow, you got two in the same ear in one sitting? Good Lord, yes, you should be experiencing quite a bit of pain! I'd imagine that that's going to double the time it'll take to heal as well. I've got two in the cartilage of both ears but I waited until the first set were healed before I got the second set.

Good luck and get painkillers from your doctor if you can!
posted by lekvar at 2:52 PM on September 20, 2006

Start taking some ibuprofen to get the swelling down, stat, and keep the dose low and steady for at least 24 hours. Stop the long chemical name cleaners, too, I think you're probably sensitive to them. Do the sea salt, use a smidge of antibacterial hand soap in the shower and rinse well, and dab some neosporin on (I find it helps lubricate, as well, so you don't do so much damage moving everything around to clean). Do not touch your piercings anymore unless you have just washed your hands with warm water and soap.

I agree that salt is a 2x/day thing, no more. If you're getting major crusties in between, use warm water and a dab of Neosporin.

If you start (or already are) running a fever, go to the ER. Otherwise you're (marginally) okay until tomorrow. Go to the doctor, get things under control, and then if you still have the piercings consult a real piercer just to take a look and help you decide on a course of action for getting your ears healed properly.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:06 PM on September 20, 2006

Taking out the piercing tonight won't cure a bacterial infection, assuming that that is the cause of your pain.
posted by peeedro at 3:08 PM on September 20, 2006

I have a 14 gauge barbell in the cartilage of my right ear - I actually paid at the time to have both ears match but decided against the second ear because it hurt so much. At the time, I had a bent barbell through my lobe the long way (my lobes hang and don't attach at the back of the ear) which had healed very quickly so I was very surprised at how much and how long it hurt to get the cartilage done.

It took over a month for the constant pain to go away but I haven't had a problem with it since. Lots of good advice already in this thread, I'm just adding to the list of 'don't use polysporin/neosporin/bactine etc and stick with just sea salts or maybe tea tree oil'

Don't pick at the crusties! make sure to soak them. I also think its pretty obvious that your jaw is going to hurt because I went through that myself - put some ice on it and take some ibuprofin.
posted by jeffmik at 3:26 PM on September 20, 2006

I second sea salt soaks between now and when you can get to a doc. 1/4 tsp per 8 ounces hot water is the rule of thumb all of my piercers have given me. Do not use more salt than that. One poster above said to use as much salt as possible, but oversalting will actually increase the irritation and delay healing. Put your salt solution in a coffee cup, put the cup on a table and put your ear in the cup. Soak it for about 10 minutes at a time.

It is possible that you are allergic to the metal used in your new earrings. "Surgical steel" means absolutely nothing at stores like Claire's - there is literally no regulation of the use of that term. Your jewelry could have other metals like nickel in it, and putting that in a fresh piercing can cause bad reactions in sensitive people.

Definitely go to a doctor to get this fixed. If you get future piercings, go to a body piercer instead of mall stores like Claire's. I even had my lobes redone at a piercer because the quality of jewelry is so much better and a needle piercing causes so much less tissue damage than a gun (leading to much faster, pain-free healing!)
posted by rhiannon at 3:34 PM on September 20, 2006

If you've got them, try replacing the earrings with gold/gold plated or sterling silver earrings that have been throughly cleaned. After I got my second piercing in my lobes, they got infected because my ears didn't like having stainless steel in them 24/7. They cleared up in a few days once replaced.
posted by cholly at 4:53 PM on September 20, 2006

You need to get yourself to a real piercer and quite possibly a doctor. I've had some piercings that had trouble healing [including double cartilage piercings in an ear], but infection and pain that spreads as far as my mouth?! Find some real body piercers in the area and ask them for advice about local piercing-friendly doctors. You should also ask them about aftercare - unlike Claire's employees, they should actually know something about their trade. If you start running a fever or the discharge from the piercing seems strangely colored or something, get yourself to a doctor even quicker. Antibiotics can still work wonders.

As someone upthread mentioned, keeping the piercing in will allow the area to drain [if there is an infection]. Don't take it out yet. However, it's entirely possible you're having a bad reaction to the metal in the jewelry. Again, it's worth finding a real body piercer, picking up a pair of sterile and hypoallergenic stainless steel captive bead rings, and getting the piercer to put them in.

Everyone's right on with the saltwater soaks. You should be doing those two times daily, as well as cleaning your piercing out with water in the shower. [Rotate the rings {or studs, but ugh, you really shouldn't heal piercings with studs in the future} a little when you do this.] The benzalkonium chloride stuff you mention is probably more or less the same as Bactine. Bactine contains some lidocaine, which can help a little with the pain, and which ought to be better than dumping menthol stuff on your ear. However, Bactine shouldn't be your main method of aftercare, and it's not something you should be putting on the piercing more than once or twice a day, at most - you may also be reacting badly to _it_. Salt soaks and regular cleanings are the most important part. Take ibuprofen for the pain, and make very sure that your hands are clean every time you touch your piercings.

And yeah, for the future: piercings hurt, but they shouldn't go like this. Next time, go to the most reputable piercer in the neighborhood. You're paying people to poke holes in your body; it's worth it to find people who know what they're doing. Piercing guns have a reputation for causing extra trauma & pain, and have all sorts of other problems. Normal, sterile needles make both the experience and the healing go better. From the description, it sounds like you've got studs in. Barbells and captive bead rings are both easier to clean, particularly when the piercing is swollen; you should avoid having a stud be your first piece of jewelry. Salt soaks and careful cleaning for the next few months make up the bulk of aftercare.
posted by ubersturm at 5:14 PM on September 20, 2006 [1 favorite]

Ditto to what rhiannon said about not getting your ears pierced at a place like Clair's. The single-use piercing click thingies they use compress and crush tissue, leading to more pain, more swelling, and a higher possibility that your cartilege will be in bad shape for longer.

Instead, go the piercing needle route- it's just like a little three-beveled scalpel, and cuts a hole and stretches it round around the body of the needle. It may not be quite as quick as the clicker of death, but it'll be better for your ears in the long run.
posted by Glitter Ninja at 5:15 PM on September 20, 2006

Sea Salt has stuff in it - minerals and whatnot - so I would go for kosher salt instead. I had two cartiledge piercings done and both with a gun (yes, stupid of me; I know better now) and I did not have the problems are are describing, and I wouldn't describe jaw pain as a normal side effect of piercing one's ears - and I have four in one ear, three in the other. Use your good common sense and go to the doctor if you need to, but --again-- Don't take them out, for the reasons previously stated.

As someone who is allergic to nickel and other various incarnations of cheap jewelry, make sure you do not have a metal allergy. If snaps make you itchy or cheap rings/necklaces turn you green, then you have a metal allergy. For piercings, stainless steel is the only thing that is good in the beginning (as ubersturm pointed out) but since they are in your ears, you can go to sterling silver or 14 carat or better gold later. Eschew ye the cheap jewelry.
posted by Medieval Maven at 7:01 PM on September 20, 2006

{or studs, but ugh, you really shouldn't heal piercings with studs in the future}

Slightly off-topic, but this is worth repeating. I recently got two lobe piercings in one ear from a professional body piercer, both with hoops. A few days before, my friend had pierced the other ear using a piercing stud from Claire's.

After about a week, the stud ear was swollen, red and crusty. I cleaned and soaked it thoroughly for about two weeks with no improvement, and then finally realized the posts were too short and the earring was squeezing my lobe in around the hole.

I got my friend to switch the stud for a hoop and within days you couldn't tell anything had ever been wrong with the ear. The swelling went down, the redness went away and the skin around the hole healed and stopped oozing.

Anyway, definitely go to the doctor about the infection, but for any piercing-specific advice go find a professional body piercer! They know what they are doing. And stay far away from Claire's. Their piercing guns left both of my ears with awful scar tissue that took years to heal.
posted by puffin at 7:14 PM on September 20, 2006

If you were my daughter, you would be at a university hospital (tertiary care center) ER tonight. You will need an infectious disease consult ASAP. You need to let the ER physician decide tonight the appropriate treatment. Given the right circumstances you may have an infectious disease consult by sometime tomorrow. Ask the ER physician about cultures tonight if it is not suggested. A pediatrician friend explained to me a few years ago, that IVs are necessary for ear cartilage infections. There is little blood flow to the ear cartilage and oral antibiotics do not work.

I trust it sounds insane to advise someone to take "pot luck" at an ER room tonight over a pierced ear wound. You have some real risks here and the hassle tonight will be a small price. Losing your ear is not your only risk with an infection in you head. It needs to be assessed tonight.
posted by bwalkers at 7:16 PM on September 20, 2006

If you've got them, try replacing the earrings with gold/gold plated or sterling silver earrings that have been throughly cleaned. After I got my second piercing in my lobes, they got infected because my ears didn't like having stainless steel in them 24/7. They cleared up in a few days once replaced.

Silver oxidizes (tarnishes) which tends to inflame newly-pierced ears. And gold plating wears off very quickly, exposing your ear to nickel and other metals to which ears are more sensitive.

Good-quality earrings, period, are better. Surgical steel and gold are the best tolerated by sensitive ears. Cheap surgical steel has the "what the heck is surgical steel" issue mentioned upthread. All cheap jewerly stands a chance of having a poorly finished surface, which can have itsy nicks or scratches that harbor bacteria, that can then inflame your new piercing.
posted by desuetude at 8:34 PM on September 20, 2006

If this had happened to me, I'd be in the E/R. Given your description, you may already have mastoiditis, which is not a particularly benign condition and cannot be treated on an outpatient basis.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:28 PM on September 20, 2006

As a follow-up: The doctor gave me ten days of Cephalexin and I went to a good piercer to get the studs replaced with captive-bead rings. My ear is much better now. Thank you all for your help!
posted by schroedinger at 6:33 AM on September 27, 2006