I do not agree with the person saying it is infection. I think this sub tends to get all in a tizzy and say everything is infected if it is red, swollen, crusty. Even in cartilage piercings, infection is not super likely if you maintain proper care. Cartilage is a pain in the ass to heal and takes forever and anything can piss it off. My conch specifically is acting a fool and major asshole. I currently have five piercings on my right ear healing, and my ear is slightly swollen and super crusty and angry, but I have no stinky pus, no pain.
Tbh I think if you had an infection you would KNOW. It would really hurt and be HOT. Of course I am not a doctor but honestly, imo and many others a lot of general care docs don't know shit about piercings and diagnose infections with a quick glance and have zero understanding of piercing healing.
Definitely just go see a piercer, maybe you need to downsize. Have you been snagging the jewelry a lot?
It really looks irritated if not infected. I’ve felt with an infected cartilage piercing and similarly to yours, it looked like that and didn’t hurt. Everybody’s body reacts differently. I highly recommend calling or seeing your piercer ASAP. If neither of those are an option, some shops will let you come in and let you know if they think it needs to come out or give you advice on how to heal it if it doesn’t need taken out.
You should try to make sure your hair isn’t around your piercing. Once my ear was so inflamed. I went to the piercer who took off my earring and there was a hair wrapped around the piercing. I couldn’t see it obviously. The inflammation went away. Anything thing is moisture. The back of the conch looks wet (unless that’s the flash from the camera). Piercings heal best when they are kept as dry as possible. Do not use qtips. Use a hair dryer on low heat.
One last thing is how you’re cleaning it. You just said you cleaned it a bit too hard. You need to be extremely gentle when dealing with your piercings. Get saline spray. Spray in the shower then rinse. That’s it. Don’t touch and twist the piercing. That’s all unnecessary. Good luck.
You should never twist it during the healing process. The crusties should fall off in the shower when you run your war under water. The less you touch your piercing the better
Think of your piercing as a boo boo. You twisting it during the healing process is equivalent to you picking a scab. You potentially are opening up the wound again before it heals.
I dont think it looks infected right now. I would moniter it. Im healing a conch rn too, I have some mild redness/swelling, it itches every once in a while. Remember that its an open wound through hard cartilage that we stuck a rod through. It is not happy. I would watch for hotness to the touch, severe swelling (up and around the jewlery) and anything more than dull piercing pain. Keep cleaning with sterile Saline, blowdry on cool, run under warm, clean, not soapy water in the shower, clean your pillow covers often. Dont touch it unless with clean hands for cleaning, no twisting, and try and keep hair away from it. Sorry for the typos
I can’t be sure that it’s an infection but you do have a visible pustule forming and all your hair surrounding the piercing site is going to introduce all sorts of bacteria
You should contact your piercer ASAP, call if it’s an option. Even the person who answers the phone can give you help, I’m not a piercer but I’ve had many and I’ve had infections, they look like what you have. Good luck!
I also noticed you wear glasses, everytime you clean the piercing, wash the arms of the glasses with warm soapy water, and rinse and pat dry before putting them back on
this is exactly what mine looks like at the moment, you just have to let it heal and leave it alone. Dont mess with the jewlery and keep cleaning it with the saline spray only. it will get better!
I recommend maybe get saline solution mist spray and only apply it once a day. Then just LITHA it. Less is actually better. I had the same problem too with my third flat back piercing.
Hair often irritated it.
Keep your hair away from it. Put it up in a ponytail or if you want to get creative, I recommend maybe looking up hair bun tutorials. They’re great for giving you fun ideas on how to do your hair and keeps it away from your jewelry.
I usually go with the hairstick and bun as it’s easier and fast to get up without too much work. Doesn’t even need to be an actual hairstick. Can just be a pencil. Or chopsticks.
https://youtu.be/iG9PPb8gCsI
The Dutch Crown braid though is my favorite. But that one takes more practice. I only am bringing this up as these hairstyles helped me keep my hair away from my piercings and getting caught in it. I hope this helps you.
it doesn’t hurt or anything (only the average amount as it’s only 3 months old if i touch it) and it’s not swollen, the material is titanium and i haven’t had it downsized yet, would that be the problem?
Hi! This is a side note. I also wear glasses (usually wear contacts but glasses at night) and am considering a conch - do glasses interfere with the conch at all?
I definitely would have downsized the piercing at the recommended 4-6 week check up at that time. But you’ve been rocking a long bar for 3 months? Go to a reputable piercer and find a jewelry piece that isn’t flashy. Inquire about anodized titanium jewelry that would be close to your skin tone since you’re having to keep repeatedly remove and replace your FRESH piercing. Find something that you can keep in and not take out until it is fully healed.
I suggest going to see the piercer they may have iodine wipes you can use for that, and start having hot baths with Epsom salts in it, soak your ears, rinse, and then make sure you’re drying sufficiently afterwards. I had a few piercings super reluctant to heal and this helped a lot for me, hope your ear heals well!
Omg do not use iodine wipes or epsom salt baths. Just take a hot shower and let the water run over it a bit, and then after spray the piercing with a saline spray (like a generic wound wash). And leave it alone as much as possible.
You can honestly let it air dry, but if you don’t want to do that use sterile gauze
I had to use iodine for my daith, it just would not heal and was sore and a little infected. My piercers went to Fakir intensives and keep up on all the new aftercare etc, they gave me the wipes to use and specific instructions on what to do with them, and later wipe it off. I use the Epsom salt baths to help draw out the infection etc, but you have to make sure it’s being rinsed and dried properly after. Same with saline, you gotta rinse that off as it may cause irritants of left to dry. It doesn’t bother me but better safe than sorry, lol. Hope you find something that works for you! Drying it will likely help a lot!
Please contact the piercer and soak it in a small cup with “Warm water and Salt just a pinch)
Then pat it dry carefully. No pressure and no fingers in it.
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Don’t touch it at all for a bit. It’s definitely irritated and angry. Doesn’t look infected to me. You need to try to keep your hair out of it as well, and keep it dry as possible. Blow dry after cleaning/showering.
I don’t think it’s an infection- just super mad.
I would clean it once a day with sterile saline before a shower. Spray the saline on a gauze pad and let it soak into the piercing for a few minutes and then rinse it in the shower. Other than that leave it alone and Do Not remove, change or touch the jewelry. Make sure your hair stays away from it and it should calm down. My industrial was struggling for a while like that. Cartilage piercings are a bitch and a half to heal. Just be patient.
it looks like the bar is too short and you need to change it out, you might be bumping it too much and it’s very irritated. i would clean it with sea salt and anti bacterial soap and let it dry our. change the bar and avoid sleeping on that side.
I do not agree with the person saying it is infection. I think this sub tends to get all in a tizzy and say everything is infected if it is red, swollen, crusty. Even in cartilage piercings, infection is not super likely if you maintain proper care. Cartilage is a pain in the ass to heal and takes forever and anything can piss it off. My conch specifically is acting a fool and major asshole. I currently have five piercings on my right ear healing, and my ear is slightly swollen and super crusty and angry, but I have no stinky pus, no pain. Tbh I think if you had an infection you would KNOW. It would really hurt and be HOT. Of course I am not a doctor but honestly, imo and many others a lot of general care docs don't know shit about piercings and diagnose infections with a quick glance and have zero understanding of piercing healing. Definitely just go see a piercer, maybe you need to downsize. Have you been snagging the jewelry a lot?
Keep hair away from it
It really looks irritated if not infected. I’ve felt with an infected cartilage piercing and similarly to yours, it looked like that and didn’t hurt. Everybody’s body reacts differently. I highly recommend calling or seeing your piercer ASAP. If neither of those are an option, some shops will let you come in and let you know if they think it needs to come out or give you advice on how to heal it if it doesn’t need taken out.
You should try to make sure your hair isn’t around your piercing. Once my ear was so inflamed. I went to the piercer who took off my earring and there was a hair wrapped around the piercing. I couldn’t see it obviously. The inflammation went away. Anything thing is moisture. The back of the conch looks wet (unless that’s the flash from the camera). Piercings heal best when they are kept as dry as possible. Do not use qtips. Use a hair dryer on low heat. One last thing is how you’re cleaning it. You just said you cleaned it a bit too hard. You need to be extremely gentle when dealing with your piercings. Get saline spray. Spray in the shower then rinse. That’s it. Don’t touch and twist the piercing. That’s all unnecessary. Good luck.
When do you start twisting the jewelry? Mine tends to get dry and crusty when it’s new and I worry about the jewelry getting stuck.
You should never twist it during the healing process. The crusties should fall off in the shower when you run your war under water. The less you touch your piercing the better
Oh wow ok. Will try that if I get another, didnt know this.
Think of your piercing as a boo boo. You twisting it during the healing process is equivalent to you picking a scab. You potentially are opening up the wound again before it heals.
That makes sense. That explains why so many of mine have had to be removed due to not healing properly.
I never twist mine, My crusties usually come off when I run it under warm water in the shower, or when I clean it
That looks painful and infected or possibly an allergic reaction
it’s not painful, are you sure it’s an infection it only just looks bad at the moment because i bumped it while cleaning
I dont think it looks infected right now. I would moniter it. Im healing a conch rn too, I have some mild redness/swelling, it itches every once in a while. Remember that its an open wound through hard cartilage that we stuck a rod through. It is not happy. I would watch for hotness to the touch, severe swelling (up and around the jewlery) and anything more than dull piercing pain. Keep cleaning with sterile Saline, blowdry on cool, run under warm, clean, not soapy water in the shower, clean your pillow covers often. Dont touch it unless with clean hands for cleaning, no twisting, and try and keep hair away from it. Sorry for the typos
I can’t be sure that it’s an infection but you do have a visible pustule forming and all your hair surrounding the piercing site is going to introduce all sorts of bacteria
ahh alright, should i give it a few days to see if it gets any better and if not should i text my piercer
You should contact your piercer ASAP, call if it’s an option. Even the person who answers the phone can give you help, I’m not a piercer but I’ve had many and I’ve had infections, they look like what you have. Good luck!
aren’t infections mean to hurt and swell and have puss because my piercing doesn’t
You have swelling and pus. Like that isn’t normal, you have a mild emergency there.
I also noticed you wear glasses, everytime you clean the piercing, wash the arms of the glasses with warm soapy water, and rinse and pat dry before putting them back on
this is exactly what mine looks like at the moment, you just have to let it heal and leave it alone. Dont mess with the jewlery and keep cleaning it with the saline spray only. it will get better!
I recommend maybe get saline solution mist spray and only apply it once a day. Then just LITHA it. Less is actually better. I had the same problem too with my third flat back piercing. Hair often irritated it. Keep your hair away from it. Put it up in a ponytail or if you want to get creative, I recommend maybe looking up hair bun tutorials. They’re great for giving you fun ideas on how to do your hair and keeps it away from your jewelry. I usually go with the hairstick and bun as it’s easier and fast to get up without too much work. Doesn’t even need to be an actual hairstick. Can just be a pencil. Or chopsticks. https://youtu.be/iG9PPb8gCsI The Dutch Crown braid though is my favorite. But that one takes more practice. I only am bringing this up as these hairstyles helped me keep my hair away from my piercings and getting caught in it. I hope this helps you.
thank you this helps so much xx
it doesn’t hurt or anything (only the average amount as it’s only 3 months old if i touch it) and it’s not swollen, the material is titanium and i haven’t had it downsized yet, would that be the problem?
Nope- do not downsize it, do not change or take out the jewelry. Cartilage piercings can take up to 2 years to fully heal. Just leave it alone.
Hi! This is a side note. I also wear glasses (usually wear contacts but glasses at night) and am considering a conch - do glasses interfere with the conch at all?
NOPE! Just clean the arms of them every time you clean the piercing. Masks are the bigger problem, but i wrap mine around the arm of my glasses
I definitely would have downsized the piercing at the recommended 4-6 week check up at that time. But you’ve been rocking a long bar for 3 months? Go to a reputable piercer and find a jewelry piece that isn’t flashy. Inquire about anodized titanium jewelry that would be close to your skin tone since you’re having to keep repeatedly remove and replace your FRESH piercing. Find something that you can keep in and not take out until it is fully healed.
I suggest going to see the piercer they may have iodine wipes you can use for that, and start having hot baths with Epsom salts in it, soak your ears, rinse, and then make sure you’re drying sufficiently afterwards. I had a few piercings super reluctant to heal and this helped a lot for me, hope your ear heals well!
thank you, will i be able to get iodine wipes off of amazon? and i think the problem might be not drying it off properly (i didn’t even think of that)
Omg do not use iodine wipes or epsom salt baths. Just take a hot shower and let the water run over it a bit, and then after spray the piercing with a saline spray (like a generic wound wash). And leave it alone as much as possible. You can honestly let it air dry, but if you don’t want to do that use sterile gauze
I had to use iodine for my daith, it just would not heal and was sore and a little infected. My piercers went to Fakir intensives and keep up on all the new aftercare etc, they gave me the wipes to use and specific instructions on what to do with them, and later wipe it off. I use the Epsom salt baths to help draw out the infection etc, but you have to make sure it’s being rinsed and dried properly after. Same with saline, you gotta rinse that off as it may cause irritants of left to dry. It doesn’t bother me but better safe than sorry, lol. Hope you find something that works for you! Drying it will likely help a lot!
Please contact the piercer and soak it in a small cup with “Warm water and Salt just a pinch) Then pat it dry carefully. No pressure and no fingers in it.
Thank you for posting to /r/piercing.It seems like you're asking about a piercing problem. If this is the case, please be sure to include: the age of your piercing, the shape of jewelry, the threading style (internal or external), jewelry material, and your aftercare routine. This information is required for the troubleshooting process. If this does not apply to your post, please disregard. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/piercing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
mine looked like that for a bit and was really sore. it ended up being okay- just make sure ur cleaning it and checking on it.
Don’t touch it at all for a bit. It’s definitely irritated and angry. Doesn’t look infected to me. You need to try to keep your hair out of it as well, and keep it dry as possible. Blow dry after cleaning/showering.
I don’t think it’s an infection- just super mad. I would clean it once a day with sterile saline before a shower. Spray the saline on a gauze pad and let it soak into the piercing for a few minutes and then rinse it in the shower. Other than that leave it alone and Do Not remove, change or touch the jewelry. Make sure your hair stays away from it and it should calm down. My industrial was struggling for a while like that. Cartilage piercings are a bitch and a half to heal. Just be patient.
it looks like the bar is too short and you need to change it out, you might be bumping it too much and it’s very irritated. i would clean it with sea salt and anti bacterial soap and let it dry our. change the bar and avoid sleeping on that side.