How to clean an infected ear piercing

Ear piercings are a great way to express yourself. They’re also a great way to get an infection. If your ear piercing is infected, you might be unable to tell it’s infected because there aren’t any symptoms at first.

But if left untreated, an infection can spread through your body and cause severe problems like sepsis and meningitis—and even death.

But don’t worry! It’s easy to clean up an infected ear piercing with some basic steps:

Table of Contents

Clean the piercing

Clean the piercing with a saline solution.
Use a cotton swab to clean the piercing.
Rinse with warm water, then dry it with a clean towel or paper towel

Treat the infection

The most vital action you can take is to treat the infection. Treating an ear infection is easy, and you have many options at your disposal:

Use a mild soap and water solution.
Use an ear-cleaning solution—many people swear by this as the most effective way to clean an infected piercing, but some disagree.
Gently clean around the piercing hole or the area where it meets your skin with a cotton swab (while keeping all other body parts dry).
Clean with hydrogen peroxide (3% strength) if you have it handy—this is not recommended for regular cleaning, though, because it can cause damage to cartilage and tissue, so stick with something milder if possible.
It’s also important not to use hydrogen peroxide on any open cuts or wounds near the piercing site because this could lead to severe complications such as infection from pathogens entering your bloodstream through tiny breaks in your skin surface.[4]

Prevent infection

To prevent infection, keep your piercing clean by cleaning it with water and rubbing alcohol. You should also change your earrings every day, even if they are not supposed to be replaced for longer than that.

If you notice a problem with your piercing, see a doctor immediately, as this can lead to further complications if left untreated.

If you get an infected ear piercing and the infection is not treated in time, it could spread throughout the body and cause serious health issues such as meningitis or sepsis (blood poisoning).

here is How to clean an infected ear piercing

Infections are treatable and preventable.

Ear piercing infections are a pain. You can avoid them by taking care of your piercings and following basic hygiene rules.

Clean it regularly! Use a cleaning solution once or twice a day, depending on the size and number of holes in your ears and how frequently you wear earrings.
Please don’t touch it with dirty hands! After touching something that might be contaminated (think: door handles), wash your hands immediately with soap or hand sanitizer, then apply rubbing alcohol to a cotton ball before using this method to cleanse your earring holes.”

Conclusion

When cleaning an infected ear piercing, it’s essential that you don’t just leave it alone and hope the infection goes away on its own. You can take several actions at home to help clear up the infection and maintain the appearance of your earring.

Follow this guide now so that your next piercing doesn’t end up being ruined by an unsightly red bump!