Stretched ear infected?

Question

the other day i stretched my ears from 11/16 to 3/4 of and inch by just putting in my new silica tunnels. there wasn't a problem until yesterday when my left earlobe started swelling and started dripping pus (disgusting i know). i just want to know the fastest way to make the swelling go down and heal the infection.

1. i am NOT going to downsize

2. hydrogen peroxide can promote scar tissue, so i'm not going to use it

3. i have been cleaning it with normal piercing cleaner since yesterday

any and all help is appreciated! :]

Answer 1

Gross, this happened to me when I stretched from 4G to 2G.  Yours is obviously much bigger but the principal is the same.

Go back to Piercing 101 and start doing sea salt soaks 2-4 times a day.  I had to look it up to remember the mixture but it is:

1/4 tsp to 1 cup water

1/8 tsp to 1/2 cup water

1 tsp to 32 oz. water

I mixed the salt water, soaked a couple of cotton balls in it and then held a cotton ball to each side of my ear for about 10-15 minutes.  If you can do this more than twice a day, so much the better.  It will help TONS.

The other thing that helped me a lot once my ears stopped leaking pus but were still tender and raw was massaging Vitamin E Oil into my lobes.  It really sped the healing AND softened up my lobes so that they accepted the stretch much easier.

If it gets worse, don't hesitate to see a doctor.  They can prescribe you antibiotics if need be.

You might also consider putting in stainless steel or glass jewelry.  Maybe it is the material itself that is giving you trouble? I don't know enough about silicone tunnels to make any pronouncements about them.  ^_-

Good luck!

Answer 2

That happened to me, my tattoo artist said not to use plastic when its freshly stretched. Not sure what material you're using, but just thought id let u know.