What's up with my cartilage piercing?

Question

I got my cartilage pierced on August 4th. It was totally fine for the 1st two weeks, then suddenly got slightly swollen, red and painful. I switched from saline solution to soap/water & started using sea salt soaks twice a day. The swelling is better now, as is the pain. The weird thing is, it keeps bleeding. It'll bleed a bit and have clear fluid come out, both of which form "crusties" (for lack of better terms) around the earring so I move it slightly just to break all that up & wipe it off, and as I do that it bleeds a bit more & re-clots. It's been doing that the last few days. Is it safe to assume that it's infected? I would go to the doctor but I'm really low on sick leave. Should I just go to the piercer instead? Any other suggestions?

Answer 1

Yes, it sounds like it is/was infected. When a piercing gives out that gross "crustie" stuff, it is your body healing, and getting any infection out. Don't bother going to a doctor for this, it's a waste of money and most doctors are against piercings because they've seen everything that can go wrong, and may tell you to take it out. Go see the person who pierced it, or a local shop with a good reputation. They will tell you how it looks and possibly give you a different solution to clean it with.  

Answer 2

You answered your own question.

"so I move it slightly just to break all that up & wipe it off, and as I do that it bleeds a bit more & re-clots"

You shouldn't be moving the jewelry. You can very gently wipe away the crusties (the white/clear fluid is called lymph - but crusties is a very accepted term in the piercing world) with a q-tip AFTER you do a sea salt soak.

Your problem is that every time you move the ring, you re-open the wound. It's like picking a scab. You pick it, it never seems to heal.

Skip the doctor and stop moving the jewelry. You should see improvement in a few days to a week.

Answer 3

I'm afraid you do have your ear infected. I suggest that you remove your piercing ASAP, clean it out, and go to your doctor.

Answer 4

It doesn't sound infected.  Clear fluid is normal.  Now green fluid would be cause to worry.  When you notice the crusties you're not supposed to pick them off.  Picking it off is going to irritate the healing cells they're connected to and, as you've found out, might cause bleeding.  When you notice the build up of crust you should do a sea salt soak.  The warm water should soften the crust so that'll come off easily on its own.

Cartilage piercings can take up to a year, sometimes longer, to heal, so expect this to happen for a while.  If you're that worried about it, then go see a piercer and they'll be able to tell you whether or not it's infected and how to care for it.

Answer 5

OMG NO WAY!!!! I GOTM INE PIERCED THE SAME DAY! lol but mine isnt infected... its a little painful to touch, nothing unbearable.

ur body is most likely trying to rejecct the piercing at the moment...there are stages this piercing goes through

google cartilage piercing....

it has so many different things about it.

however, if it is REALLY PAINFUL, i suggest you just take out the earring and let it heal(:

Answer 6

I got mine pierced also awhile ago, but my piercer said if stuff like that happens, don't move the earring around, it's tearing up the healing tissue, probably why it's bleeding. Also check with your piercer if you're worried, they'll know what to do. Doesn't sound like infection to me, just having some healing issues. Remember it takes months to heal, even up to a year.  

Answer 7

Mine did the same, cartilage piercings take a year to fully heal, so don't expect it to be healing really quickly.

Clean it twice a day maximum - too much cleaning can be just as bad as not enough cleaning. Do it just after you wake up and just before you go to bed. the clear fluid is platelets - the bit of your blood that clots and thus heal wounds, so although it is a bit horrible, it's there to help heal the piercing.

Try not to touch the piercing as well, as this can irritate it and the dirt from your hands just won't help! ... which brings me to say make sure you clean your hands before your touch it too.

Keep using the salt and water solution - but not soap - twice a day. what you're reporting sounds normal but if you are really worried about infection then seek medical advice.

hope this helped :)