Piercing Infection
Avoiding and Treating a Piercing Infection
A piercing infection, as the name implies, is an infection that takes place at the site of a piercing. It could be anywhere that one receives a piercing, such as the ears, tongue or nose. There are a few possible causes for the infections.
Poorly Sterilized Equipment
This is the number one cause of piercing infection. When the operator fails to properly sterilize his equipment between piercings, he is greatly increasing the chances that his customers will end up with piercing infections.
This also includes washing his hands. Some operators have been seen wiping down the counters and then grabbing their gun to pierce someone’s ears without first washing up. If you see such practices, the best thing you could do is leave. If they are not washing their hands, it is unlikely that they are properly sterilizing their equipment.
Tight Earrings
Another possible cause of an ear piercing infection is earrings that fit too tightly. Often, if one has a rather thick earlobe, the post of the earring will be too small to properly accommodate it. When this happens, it causes the earring to fit very tightly, stopping the needed air circulation that can help prevent infection.
If you think that you have thick earlobes, you can eliminate this risk by choosing earrings that have a post that is a bit longer than average.
Poor Quality Jewelry
Another common cause for this type of infection is selecting jewelry that is of a low quality. Such jewelry may have rough edges that can irritate the new piercing, thus bringing on an infection. Also, some of the metals used in very low quality jewelry are irritating to many wearers, which can also set the stage for an infection.
Whatever the cause of the infection, once noticed, it should not be ignored. If the infection is in the mouth or vaginal area, you should seek medical attention right away rather than trying to treat it at home.
Some ear infections, however, may be able to be handled at home, particularly if the infection seems mild. Remove the earring several times a day and clean both it and the site of the infection at least three times per day. Some may worry this will cause the hole to close, but that usually will not happen if you put the earrings right back in after cleaning them.
If the infection seems to get worse, or if the symptoms begin to spread away from the site of the piercing, you should seek immediate medical attention.
Some people seem to be more prone to a piercing infection than others. If you have tried several times to have your ears pierced and have developed an infection each time, it might be best to just forego the piercings.
Also, it is recommended that children not have their ears pierced until they are at least four or five years old. Children younger than that have a higher rate of infection.
Make sure that whoever you use to perform a piercing on you understands and practices proper sterilization of all of their equipment. Doing that, plus properly caring for the site in the weeks following the piercing, is your best defense against developing a piercing infection.