I'll start off by giving some history... I was about 14 or 15 when I got my ears pierced... I'm now 35... I did the best I could cleaning and letting my ears heal back then... thought i did fine. One ear has always, off and on, given me trouble... a little discharge collecting on the earrings (only the gold, though - yes, gross, I know... it gets worse) - but for the most part, no real infections or anything...
Most of the time I wear either gold posts, silver hoops or occasionally I wear fancier earrings. Never had a problem until lately. I wore my last 'fancy' pair about a couple weeks ago (and they had hypoallergenic posts/hooks)... ear was irritated, but nothing happened... switched to gold posts... irritation stopped. the backs kept coming off, so I switched to a pair of silver hoops... teeny ones... no problem. except a burr on one kept snagging on things, so I took them out... found another pair of gold posts, these with better backs... put them on around Sunday or Monday. Now, my one ear is red, puss, the skin around the hole is raw, and it has released blood mixed in with the puss...
At first, I was thinking it was a reaction to one of the metals... but the more descriptions I saw this morning about it, it looks like an infection.
I've done rubbing alcohol (hurt like he** ... made the cats run when i yelled in pain), and mostly cold water to keep it clean.
For those of you who either have metal allergies and found them through piercings, or have had infections of piercings... what do you think it sounds like? It gets crusty in between cleanings... hence my thought of it being an infection.
Also, what do you do to help it heal? And could it get re-pierced someday? I love having my ears pierced... my other ear is fine.
Any thoughts? Anyone?
Thanks, gang...
Amanda
Most of the time I wear either gold posts, silver hoops or occasionally I wear fancier earrings. Never had a problem until lately. I wore my last 'fancy' pair about a couple weeks ago (and they had hypoallergenic posts/hooks)... ear was irritated, but nothing happened... switched to gold posts... irritation stopped. the backs kept coming off, so I switched to a pair of silver hoops... teeny ones... no problem. except a burr on one kept snagging on things, so I took them out... found another pair of gold posts, these with better backs... put them on around Sunday or Monday. Now, my one ear is red, puss, the skin around the hole is raw, and it has released blood mixed in with the puss...
At first, I was thinking it was a reaction to one of the metals... but the more descriptions I saw this morning about it, it looks like an infection.
I've done rubbing alcohol (hurt like he** ... made the cats run when i yelled in pain), and mostly cold water to keep it clean.
For those of you who either have metal allergies and found them through piercings, or have had infections of piercings... what do you think it sounds like? It gets crusty in between cleanings... hence my thought of it being an infection.
Also, what do you do to help it heal? And could it get re-pierced someday? I love having my ears pierced... my other ear is fine.
Any thoughts? Anyone?
Thanks, gang...
Amanda