How do I know my piercing is infected?

Check if you have an infected piercing

Your piercing might be infected if: the area around it is swollen, painful, hot, very red or dark (depending on your skin colour) there's blood or pus coming out of it – pus can be white, green or yellow. you feel hot or shivery or generally unwell.

How do I treat an infected piercing?

Gently pat dry the affected area with clean gauze or a tissue. Then apply a small amount of an over-the-counter antibiotic cream (Neosporin, bacitracin, others), as directed on the product label. Turn the piercing jewelry a few times to prevent it from sticking to the skin.

Will infected piercing heal on its own?

Minor pierced ear infections can be treated at home. With proper care, most will clear up in 1 to 2 weeks.

How soon can you tell if a piercing is infected?

According to Thompson, the telltale signs of an infection are simple: “The area around the piercing is warm to the touch, you notice extreme redness or red streaks protruding from it, and it has discolored pus, normally with a green or brown tint,” Thompson says.

How do I know if my piercing is healing correctly?

You'll know your ear is healed once any discharge, swelling, redness, flaking, or soreness stops. In general, your piercing should continue to feel better with time and a consistent aftercare routine!

How to recognise, manage and treat an infected ear piercing | Doctor O'Donovan explains...

What should a healing piercing look like?

It looks good – most piercings look pretty good from the outset. A small amount of redness is not uncommon, but this should subside within a couple of weeks. You may notice some dry matter at the entry or exit of your piercing. This is called “exudate” and is a byproduct of the healing process.

What color should piercing crust be?

Crusties—the nickname for the clear or yellow caking that forms around a healing body piercing. Crusties are the result of your body trying to heal itself. This is simply a mix of lymphatic fluid, epithelial debris and dead blood cells which seeps out clear and dries to a yellowish color when exposed to air.

Is my piercing infected or just healing?

Your piercing might be infected if: the area around it is swollen, painful, hot, very red or dark (depending on your skin colour) there's blood or pus coming out of it – pus can be white, green or yellow. you feel hot or shivery or generally unwell.

What does an infected ear piercing look like?

An infected ear piercing may be red, swollen, sore, warm, itchy or tender. Sometimes the piercing oozes blood or white, yellow or greenish pus. A new piercing is an open wound that can take several weeks to fully heal. During that time, any bacteria (germs) that enter the wound can lead to infection.

Should I clean the crust off my piercing?

Due to the type of puncture wound a piercing is, it's important to remove the crust that develops around your earring or on the outside of your piercing. This is because air needs to hit the punctured tissue to properly heal your piercing.

Should I squeeze the pus out of my piercing?

If you suspect your piercing may be infected, don't try to wait it out. This will prolong your discomfort and may lead to further complications. You should never try to drain pus or fluid from the infected area. This can make the infection worse.

How do I clean the inside of my ear piercing?

Clean with a clean cotton pad or swab dipped in salt solution. You can make this solution by mixing 1 teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water. Use this around the pierced area a few times a day to remove any bacteria. Dab (don't wipe) the piercing.

How do I get my ear piercing swelling to go down?

Warm or cold compresses: A cold compress can help numb the pain, and a warm compress may increase circulation in the area to help reduce swelling. A warm compress also can help a draining abscess to drain better. Remove jewelry: If a piercing is infected, remove the jewelry from the piercing.

What can I use to clean my piercing if I don't have sea salt?

Why is my piercing not healing?

Excessive rubbing or friction can irritate your skin and delay healing. Keep the jewelry in place. Most piercings heal within about six weeks, but some might take several months or longer to heal. To maintain the piercing, leave the jewelry in place during this time, even at night, to keep the hole from closing.

How long should your ears hurt after piercing?

It's normal to have some redness, swelling or pain for a couple of days after getting your ears pierced. But your ears should look and feel better each day. If you find that your ears do great and then suddenly start to become red, inflamed or crusty a week or two later, that's usually a sign of infection.

How do I know if my piercing is rejecting?

What piercing is least likely to get infected?

Implant grade stainless steel is least likely to produce a foreign body reaction or infection in the skin. Other safe choices for new piercings are metals such as gold, titanium, or niobium. However, they cost more than implant grade stainless steel.

When should you give up on a piercing?

Why is there yellow crust on my piercing?

During the healing period, you can expect a bit of a white/yellow crust to form around/behind your jewelry. This crust is really just skin cells that have helped in healing your piercing and have now formed a bit of a scab around it. This doesn't mean it's infected, it's just in the process of healing!

Is a little pus normal after ear piercing?

Ear Piercing Infection Signs

To identify an infected ear piercing, its fairly easy to notice the symptoms that include yellow, pus-like discharge; swelling; redness; ongoing pain or tenderness; and itching and burning.

Can you over clean a piercing?

NEVER knock the piercing or fiddle with it. OVER CLEANING WILL CAUSE INFECTION ! Showering as usual counts as cleaning your piercing so no further action is necessary. You do not need aftercare lotion because your body will heal your piercing naturally so please do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Should you spin new piercings?

There's no reason to rotate your piercing. You could damage the delicate, healing skin by rotating the jewelry. In the past, rotating the jewelry was recommended, but it has been found to cause damage that can lead to infection and scarring. For happy healing, NEVER rotate your body jewelry.

Should I twist my ear piercing?

While cleaning the piercing area, rotate the earring 360 degrees, or one full turn. Only turn the earring during aftercare, when the piercing site is wet. When the piercing site is dry, it may feel crusty or sticky –and turning earrings at other times will lead to irritation and infection.

When can I stop cleaning my ear piercing?

We recommend using this solution at least three times daily during the initial healing period (6 weeks for an earlobe piercing and 12 weeks for a cartilage piercing). After the healing period has ended, we recommend that you continue using your ear care solution as needed to keep your new piercing and earrings clean.