How to Treat An Infected Ear Piercing, According to Dermatologists

Side view of a woman touching her ear — Sergey Narevskih / Stocksy

In This Article

Signs Your Piercing Is Infected How to Treat an Infected Piercing Don't Remove Your Jewlery Avoid Excessive Touching Wash Your Hands Before Touching

Keep The Area Clean Apply a Topical Antibiotic Ointment Apply a Warm Water Compress Talk to Your Doctor

Piercings are a fun way to express yourself, but they aren't without added stress. From the cleaning and upkeep associated with a fresh one to the fear that you've let a hole close, with cute jewelry comes not-so-cute problems.

One of the most dreaded piercing woes is the infection. With symptoms like pain and drainage, an infected piercing isn't just annoying—it can potentially pose a real health risk. But fortunately, things don't have to escalate to that level. To get the 411 on infected piercings, we spoke to board-certified dermatologists Y. Claire Chang, MD, and Alicia Zalka, MD.

Meet the Expert

Y. Claire Chang, MD, is a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist at Union Square Laser Dermatology in Manhattan.
Alicia Zalka, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and an assistant clinical professor of Dermatology at Yale. She also is the founder of Surface Deep.

Signs Your Piercing Is Infected

The first order of business is determining if your piercing is actually infected. According to Chang, signs of an infected piercing include:

Redness
Swelling
Pain
Tenderness
Warmth
Crusting
Yellow drainage around the piercing site

"More severe infections can lead to spreading redness/swelling, fevers, chills, and swollen lymph nodes," she adds.

It's worth noting that some piercing sites are more prone to infections than others. "My experience is that bellybutton piercings are most at risk for infections. The second most common would be nose piercings," says Zalka.

Infection vs. Jewelry Allergy

Additionally, sometimes a jewelry allergy can be mistaken for an infection. If you have a nickel sensitivity, you may not be able to handle jewelry made of nickel-laden metals. "It's best to see your dermatologist or other health care provider, as an infection can be mistaken for an allergic reaction and vice versa," says Zalka. "Some people react to the metal in the piercing object. This can happen to those with a nickel allergy."

Silver, gold, and steel may still contain small amounts of nickel, enough to bother someone very sensitive. In this case, niobium or titanium jewelry may be necessary. You may also have allergic reactions to other kinds of metals, even if they don't contain nickel. Always consider the jewelry first if you're having a problem, and have it changed to a high-quality metal if you think that could be the cause.

How to Treat an Infected Piercing

01 of 07

Don't Remove Your Jewlery

An infection does not necessarily mean you need to remove the jewelry and jump ship from your new piercing. Many infections will clear up with extra care, and you can keep your new jewelry. "Minor infections can be managed conservatively with saltwater or sterile saline soaks, and it is not necessary to remove the jewelry," says Chang.

02 of 07

Avoid Excessive Touching

It can be tempting to want to turn, twist, and touch the infected piercing to keep the hole from closing up—but you must refrain. "Avoid excessively touching or manipulating the infected site as this can worsen the irritation and inflammation," warns Chang. Only manipulate the piercing site when cleaning it; otherwise, leave it alone to heal.

03 of 07

Wash Your Hands Before Touching

You'll need to touch your piercing to "make sure you do not have a fever or swollen lymph nodes, which suggests you should seek a doctor for further evaluation," notes Chang. But you must do so with clean hands: "If touching the area, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly beforehand," she adds.

04 of 07

Keep The Area Clean

If you don't think the jewelry is the culprit, then the source of the infection is probably bacterial. The way to fix that is to kill and clear the bacteria. Try cleaning the area twice a day and doing sea salt soaks twice a day—basically, treat it like a brand-new piercing.

Byrdie Tip

"Avoid alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to the affected area, as these can further irritate the skin and slow the healing process," says Chang.

05 of 07

Apply a Topical Antibiotic Ointment

Applying a topical antibiotic ointment recommended by a dermatologist can be a great way to help heal the infected area. After cleaning, gently pat the area dry and dot a small amount of the ointment over the infected area.

Heal an infected piercing — Alison Czinkota/Byrdie

06 of 07

Apply a Warm Water Compress

If the piercing is hot to the touch and painful, consider applying a warm-water compress. You can do this right at home by taking a washcloth, running it under warm water, and then applying directly to the infected site. Just make sure that the cloth is not burning hot. Keep the compress on for 20-30 minutes and repeat as necessary. "It's healed when the skin returns to normal color and is no longer painful or swollen, and there is no longer any yellow discharge," says Zalka.

07 of 07

Talk to Your Doctor

More serious infections can lead to other serious problems, so if you are oozing thick or green pus or if the area is seriously swollen and hot to the touch, you should not attempt to clear the infection yourself. "Improvement in redness, warmth, pain, and drainage suggests that the infected site is healed. If you develop an abscess, spreading infection, fever, chill, or malaise, please notify your board-certified physician for evaluation and treatment," says Chang. Advanced infections may require jewelry removal and antibiotic treatment, so please see your doctor.

Regardless of the stage of the infection's severity, dermatologists agree that all skin infections should be evaluated and treated professionally (usually with something bacterial, bacteriostatic, or bactericidal). Remember, only your doctor can assess the severity of your infection and determine the best course of treatment.

Article Sources

Byrdie takes every opportunity to use high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.

Cleveland Clinic. Infected ear piercing.