Piercing Refuses to Heal

[AshleyMichelle]

removed

[Hannah]

I had the same problem, but in my left ear  I know they say not to use rubbing alcohol because that will dry it out but...when I took them out for cleaning one night and a big glob of nasty goo came out I couldn't take it anymore.

Hitting it with the alcohol every night has pretty much cleared it up. I usually soak my studs in it while doing the skin care bit then rub some on my earlobes and slip them back in. Silver has antibiotic properties, maybe some real silver studs. I haven't tried that but it's interesting now that I think about it.

[Kurzar]

Is it the earlobe or is it up a bit further into the cartilage? I had 4 piercings but the 4th one was into the cartilage and even after 6mos of daily care it would NOT heal. I finally took it out and it healed right up.  I'm dying for more piercings in my ears as well as other places but the healing part worries me some.

[lizbeth]

make sure your post is either gold or surgical steel.

[Kurzar]

Mine was gold and still would not heal.

[placeholdername]

make sure your post is either gold or surgical steel.

I've heard that gold is NOT the kind to use for healing -- surgical steel or sterling silver.  When my sister got piercings years ago my parents made her not wear gold for a long time to make sure it *did* heal properly.

[Bellaon7]

I second the gold or surgical steel. Taking it in & out can or will slow the healing process. I left mine(both ears & belly button) in until they healed. 3-4x daily I usued q-tips soaked with peroxide(much less painfull than alcohol) to clean the posts & surrounding skin.

[Janet_Girl]

Hydrogen peroxide for the soaking and a little Neosporin on the posts. This gives a little lube to spin the post and will help heal.


Janet

[CodyJess]

Silver or surgical steel. Titanium worked really well for my cartilage piercings. Which I've had for... almost two years? And they're not entirely healed yet.

Speaking from experience, it may take years for your piercings to 'heal'. I still can't take the posts out of my second set of holes (going on five years now) for more than a week without having them bleed when I jam earrings back in. i don't worry about cleaning them after six months unless they're sore or oozing something (brewing an infection, I imagine).

[Kurzar]

When I got my cartilage piercing I HAD to buy gold or they wouldn't do it.  That was over 15yrs ago so they might recommend something else now.  During trying to have it heal I never took the piercing out, just turned it and cleaned it. I could only take the soreness for 6mos before I said screw it.

[gothique11]

Mine didn't heal even after a year, so I took some pliers and pulled them out. I don't bother. Mine were surgical steel loops (I got a professional piercer to put them in, no gun for me -- I did that when I was a teen, they didn't heal at all back then, either). A lot of metal reacts with me.

[sd]

Stainless, titanium or surgical steel is best.

Gold is iffy. It is good in some ways, but many people react badly to it.
Silver is usually a safer bet than gold.
Both lag behind the first three mentioned.

[insanitylives]

Time, and rubbing alcohol.

I've got two piercings in both ears(don't ask why), and both have taken almost a year to fully heal.

I know, they say don't use rubbing alcohol, but if you only use it a few times a week it doesn't dry out everything. The stuff you'll get is usually just water, or salt water with a *very* low concentration of salt I think.

Oh, and leave the thing in. Don't keep taking it in/out. It messes with the healing (think about it, your body's trying to heal around a small metal bar, and every time you take the post out it's going to try to fill in the hole, and when it goes back in you're re-piercing it)

[Bellaon7]

Time, and rubbing alcohol.

I've got two piercings in both ears(don't ask why), and both have taken almost a year to fully heal.

I know, they say don't use rubbing alcohol, but if you only use it a few times a week it doesn't dry out everything. The stuff you'll get is usually just water, or salt water with a *very* low concentration of salt I think.

Oh, and leave the thing in. Don't keep taking it in/out. It messes with the healing (think about it, your body's trying to heal around a small metal bar, and every time you take the post out it's going to try to fill in the hole, and when it goes back in you're re-piercing it)

This happened with my navel piercing.After a few weeks the old one came out fine, but putting the new one in was like turning a condom inside out. Silver is a very potent natural antibiotic. Does anyone know if this would give solid sterling silver an advantage?

[insanitylives]

Silver is a very potent natural antibiotic. Does anyone know if this would give solid sterling silver an advantage?

I did not know that. Maybe that's why I like silver better.
It probably would though, since it's keeping some of the bacteria from getting into the opening, and therefore keeps more infections away than just letting it be w/gold.

... and I just realized this is in mtf. I'll leave this section back to you girls

[Bellaon7]

I did not know that. Maybe that's why I like silver better.
It probably would though, since it's keeping some of the bacteria from getting into the opening, and therefore keeps more infections away than just letting it be w/gold.

... and I just realized this is in mtf. I'll leave this section back to you girls

Hey, Boys, Boys, Boys...we luv them, we luv them!

[V M]

I've had two piercings in my ears.

The first with silver studs and they healed up great. No problems

The second with gold studs have been a real pain. Particularly the right ear

It's been six weeks now. I'm thinking to switch out the gold studs with either silver or stainless

[Kurzar]

Hey piercings are piercings, no matter the gender =P

I can't wear silver and let it touch my skin. It turns it green and starts to burn like acid.  Unless the silver chain I had wasn't silver like I thought.

[Pippa]

It may be the nickel content of the gold stud.  In Europe there are regulations which ban nickel in jewellery used for peircing as a lot of people have an allergic reaction.   Try swapping to either silver, titanium or get a stud with a low nickel content

[Genevieve Swann]

I have never had problem with healing after piercing. I sounds like the metal you're using may be having a negative reaction. As mentioned, platinum or surgical stainless may be the way to go.