Blooper Bloop
Jagger-Wolf
Blooper Bloop
Jagger-Wolf
Blooper Bloop
Hi, I just got my industrial piercing done yesterday. While it hurts as expected there are no signs of infection. I do have a question though, I have numerous bottles of claire's ear piercing cleaning solution....is that safe to use of this? Can I soak my ear in this instead of sea salt?
Absolutely not.
The ear cleaning solution primarily contains BZK, or Benzalkonium Chloride. This chemical is incredibly irritating to newly open puncture wounds, which must be treated very differently than other wounds anyway, and is not recommended for care, at all. Throw it ALL away.
Also, about infection. You casually tossed it in there as if it were a normal thing, or expected to happen. Like "Hey, 24 hours in and nooo infection! On a roll!" *gun fingers* True infection is very rare, and almost entirely wearer error, meaning if you get one, it's
your fault. You should learn the difference between infection and irritation right now, since industirals are known to be bitches while healing.
Oh gosh, I used it twice already. I'll be using soap and water from now on. >_<
Well yes...what I meant was no swelling or discharge, but other than the usual bruis-y pain feeling, which the piercer told me just to ice, I don't know what to expect.
So just salt soaks for a while?
sweatdrop Swelling and discharge does not necessarily equal infection. You're really going to want to educate yourself on the difference between infection and irritation right now, because they are two very different things that are treated in very different ways. One does not equal the other, and "infection" is not a blanket term for any time swelling happens or any sort of discharge is present.
Do not ice it. Metal conducts temperature, so you're going to make it colder than it should be and just irritate it further. Don't use soap and water either, since antibaterial soap is commonly irritating, since alcohol is the main active anti-bacterial ingredient, and they commonly leave residue behind that can also be irritating. You're going to want to warm salt water soak it 2 times a day, and you can add one more clean plain warm water soak if it's sore or crusty. Do NOT turn it, twist it, pull it, or touch it, like ever. Other than cleaning, LITHA: Leave It The Hell Alone. That's it: 2 salt soaks a day, maybe one more plain water soak, and LITHA. You're going to want to keep this up for a minimum of 4 months.
Remember that the proper sea salt procedure is: 1/4 teaspoon of pure, non-iodized sea salt dissolved into 8oz (or 1 cup) of distilled water. Heat the water to just over bath-water hot, then soak 5-10 minutes at a time, 2 times a day.
If it's sore, you can take over the counter anti-inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen as the bottle instructs. Keep your head elevated when you sleep or lie down, do not sleep on that side (some will tie their hair into a bun on that side to make it uncomfortable to sleep there, and therefore more likely to avoid it), and you can compress it with a warm chamomile tea bag. Just brew a cup of chamomile tea, set the steeped bag aside until it cools to a warm comfortable temperature, then compress for about 5-10 minutes at a time.
Thank you so much!!
I went out and bought some sea salt and just did what you told me. The pain was slightly increasing and doing this kind of helped . I googled infection and have gotten everything from a huge pus like thing to just warmth. My ear hurts but doesn't have any of this so is it safe to say I'm just going through the first few days of pain?
The first several weeks of healing are not going to be comfortable. Do not expect them to be, but count yourself lucky if it does work out that way. Regular soaks, ibuprofen, and making sure you don't sleep on that side and sleep elevated will help the most.
In general, here's the difference:
Irritation: slight redness, slight swelling mostly just around the fistulas themselves, a little heat but more just warmth, soreness around the area but nothing unbearable. Remember that you've just had two VERY serious and deep puncture wounds done to a fairy sensitive part of the body, it's going to be pissed and be pissed for a while. Puncture wounds of any sort are not easy on the body, they're among the most traumatic and dangerous wounds you can get. Cartilage also has a decreased blood flow than fleshier parts of the body, so any trauma is doubly painful and takes twice as long to heal, easily. Any discharge will be clear or slight white when wet, white or slight yellow when dry. After any potential trauma like hitting it or sleeping on it (it's gonna happen on occasion), you may have some bleeding or increased soreness, especially early on. That discharge shouldn't smell bad, other than maybe just smell like concentrated or dirty skin. It won't smell actually foul or truly bad. Irritation also clears up and improves with better aftercare, decreasing potential traumas (like putting in a straight barbell instead of a ring, making sure to carefully avoid it with hair brushes, making sure to not hit it while in the shower, etc.), and just allowing it to calm down.
Infection: deep redness, much broader swelling around the entire area (not just the fistulas), a lot of heat, and quite a bit of pain. Discharge could be deep yellow, "spicy mustard" colored, green, and potentially laced with blood. That discharge will smell quite foul, like rotten meat or dead flesh. You'll probably also have a fever and generally feel sort of sick as well. There are no home remedies for actual full blown infection, and it petty much never clears up on it's own. It'll only get worse. The only way to clear it up is through doctor prescribed antibiotics.
However, it's not recommended you see a doctor right away if you suspect infection. Many, if not most, doctors don't know the first thing when it comes to piercings and proper aftercare for them, and those same ones don't really care to know. Their first piece of advice is to take the jewelry out and let it heal over. This is among the
worst things you can do if you do have an infection. Doing so traps the infection inside the body and doesn't give it any drainage points, making the infection harder to treat and take longer to clear up, potentially even allowing it to spread to other parts of the body. Think of it this way: if someone has an infected cut, they don't sew the cut completely closed, do they? They leave it open so it can clear up and drain, and any dead skin and flesh can be removed so new healthy skin and flesh can grow in. Same thing for piercings, but double that danger because they're puncture wounds.
Go to a good professional piercer first, get their opinion, then see a doctor if they instruct you to. And I'm gonna say it, but based on what you've said about the piercer you went to for this procedure, they don't seem to really know what they're doing and they're giving bad care advice. I wouldn't go back to them.
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