Cartilage piercing infections :S ..???

Question

im getting my cartilage pierced (top of my ear) and i heard they r VERY prone to infections.

if i get 1 and i clean it soo often and really take care of it will i still maybe get an infection?

like what causes infections? is it the ppl dunt take care of there piercing? OR is it the place that makes it get an infection?

BTW if it helps im gettin it done with a needle so does that cause big infections???????

Answer 1

cartilage piercings are no more prone to infections than any other part of your body. the reason why you hear so many stories about them though is because they are so common to get.

you don't want to over clean a piercing. it will dry out the area and irritate the skin, slowing down healing. as long as you follow the instructions given to you by the piercer, you should be fine.

infections are RARELY caused by a piercing studio unless the place is just plain filthy (or is a place that pierces ears with a gun). Most infections are caused by the individual who got the piercing....by touching with unclean hands, not keeping the area clean, things of that nature.

Needles are ALWAYS safer than guns, even for a standard lobe piercing. Needles are one time use, are autoclaved before being used and are sharp. With piercing guns you're forcing a blunt object (when placed in comparison with a needle) through the flesh at a high rate of speed. This can damage tissue, crush cartilage, and in the long run cause many more problems because of jewelry that is not designed to accomodate for swelling. Piercing guns cannot be autoclaved and are never as clean as a needle.

in general, you will want to avoid touching the piercing after you've gotten it done unless you're cleaning it. if you use hair products, keep them to a minimum, keep the hair off of your piercing, and when applying, cover your piercing with some gauze to keep the product from getting into the piercing. Even if you don't use hair products, try to keep your hair off of your piercing as much as possible so that the dirt that your hair collects through the day does not get into your piercing.

Most people, believe it or not, don't develop infections from piercings. I've had 10 piercings myself (though I only wear 8 now) and haven't had a single infection.

just remember, you're going to have secretion from the piercing after you get it done. there might even be a small amount of blood in the first couple of days. anything that is clear, white or slightly yellowed is fine and a positive sign of healing.

Infections usually have the following traits:

green, brown red or some other unusual color of discharge

a bad odor

unusual redness and swelling

a burning sensation/feeling hot to the touch

the moral of the story is: do what the piercer instructs you to do and you'll be fine.

Answer 2

unless you're incredibly stupid or incredibly unlucky, you will not get an infection. getting it done with a single-use needle will NOT cause big infections.

You can clean your ear two ways...

A) (The lazy way; i normally use this way when i got to the gym and can't do proper hot sea salt soaks....) But 0.9% saline solution at the pharmacist (buy in small packets, as they become contaminated after opening and you don't want to be using a single contaminated packet for 6 months!) Take one end of a q-tip and saturate it with the saline solution. clean the front of the earring. take the other end of the q-tip, saturate it with saline, and clean the back.

B) (The proper way; this is much better, as the heat encourages the dead cells and lymph to escape.) Mix 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodised sea salt into 1 cup of HOT WATER. Wait for it to cool a bit, and when it's as hot as you can bear, dip your ear in for 5-10 minutes. Repeat with the other ear.

Both of these methods, do it 3 times a day for 4 months. Don't spin the jewelry or even touch the jewelry; all you'll be doing is spinning all the germs and gunk back into the piercing and disturbing the healing cells. Your jewelry will not stick to your skin if it's made of good materials!

Don't use alcohol or the ear care solution given to you by your piercer. Alcohol is WAY too harsh, and will kill your skin cells instead of encouraging it to heal (that's why it stings). In addition to that, Alcohol kills the transient (good) bacteria in your skin, letting the invasive (bad) bacteria in.  Any polysporin or antiseptic is also bad, as they block air flow to the piercing, and lets the bacteria breed. In fact, don't ANYTHING ELSE other than sea-salt or saline solution. You will irritate it and make it harder to heal.

any questions email me at [e-mail]

Answer 3

Right...

clean it daily with warm salt water and nothing else (no matter what that piercer gives you)

do not twist or play with it.

keep your hair clean and avoid using hair products near the area.

as for the needle that's a really good thing!! needles are the safest way to go, so don't worry about that!!!

i know loads of people with it (including my self) who have been fine...not one infection!!