How to Treat an Infected Piercing
A new piercing looks awesome, until it becomes infected. It’s very common for a piercing to become infected, and the ordeal can be too painful to bear. Don’t worry, because there’s a way to make a piercing infection go away quickly. Follow these easy steps.
What You’ll Need:
Tissue or lint-free cloth
Sterile gauze
Non-iodized salt
Saline solution
Rubbing alcohol
Topical antibiotics
Procedure:
piercing
Sometimes, infection results because of an allergic reaction. Many people are allergic to nickle, a metal that’s used in cheap earrings. Before you get a piercing, make sure the piercer is using an earring made of pure metal, such as 24-karat gold earring (Tips on how to tell if gold is real) or silver. This prevents you from getting an infection in the future.
Identify if the piercing is really infected or just irritated. Irritation is normal, making your piercing swollen, sore and red, and develop crusties. If there’s an infection, the piercing will be red at a large around the piercing, sore and warm to the touch and will seep green or dark yellow pus.
Remove the earring from the piercing, carefully, so it won’t hurt too much. If the piercing isn’t new, use rubbing alcohol and sterile gauze to clean both sides of the hole and the earrings. Repeat three times a day.
Make a saltwater solution for your piercing. Dissolve 1/8 teaspoon of non-iodized salt in one cup of warm water. Using a clean, lint-free cloth, apply some of the solution to your piercing. If possible, you can even dip your piercing in the cup. Do this twice a day, for five to ten minutes.
If little or no improvement shows, apply an antibiotic ointment to the piercing hole, before you insert the earring again. This heals the wound and fights bacteria, making the infection go away.
Some Tips:
Have your piercer or doctor look at the piercing if it starts top become too painful. They can prescribe better treatment options. Your piercer can also change your earring, if necessary.
Signs that an infection has worsen is if you get red streaks, your glands are swollen and your muscles become sore.
Cleaning your piercing properly helps prevent it from being irritated. (Learn how to clean a body piercing properly)
Always wash your hands before tending to an infected piercing. Also, don’t touch your piercing too often, especially if it’s new. Here are more tips on taking care of a new piercing.
Piercings are suppose to make you feel good and look beautiful, and not hurt you. Remember these important tips if ever your piercing becomes infected.