Infected ear piercing

[Heavenly]

My daughter got her ears pierced 13 months ago and she has had problems ever since.  We've determined that she can only wear 14 karat gold or higher because everything else reacts.  She has had an infection in her right ear lobe for awhile and we are trying anything we can to treat it.  We bought a new pair of gold piercer earrings, we've been cleaning them 3 times a day with the ear care solution the jeweller gave us, we've been using polysporin.  It was finally starting to get a bit better and then this morning my daughter woke and her earlobe is all swollen again and tons of pus.  We always make sure to wash our hands before handling them and like I said, have been treating them.  What are we missing? She doesn't want to let them grow over.

[BubbleMa]

My daughter has the same issue, and so do I (and my mom too, for that matter).  We can only wear real gold, or plastic.  I found some cute plastic earrings a while back that DD can wear.

Anyway, I would stop using that solution, and the polysporin.  Clean them with peroxide.  The earrings and the ear lobe.  You can put the earrings back in, but try not to make them too tight.

[MaJoie]

I've had trouble even with gold. The only thing I can safely use is surgical stainless steel.

[Heavenly]

Today I tried to take the earring off and it literally pulled a chunk of skin off her ear.  We're doing the peroxide and polysporin and now we are putting gold hoops in instead of the gold studs.  The studs sit right against her ear and every time we try and turn the earring it rips her skin off so we are hoping the hoops will give her ear a chance to heal.  My youngest daughter will not be getting her ears pierced for a long, long time because this is just way too much trouble.

[BubbleMa]

Originally Posted by Heavenly 

Today I tried to take the earring off and it literally pulled a chunk of skin off her ear.  We're doing the peroxide and polysporin and now we are putting gold hoops in instead of the gold studs.  The studs sit right against her ear and every time we try and turn the earring it rips her skin off so we are hoping the hoops will give her ear a chance to heal.  My youngest daughter will not be getting her ears pierced for a long, long time because this is just way too much trouble.

Oh yes!  Hoops!  Great idea. :)  I would not put the polysporin on it though, it needs air to dry out.  The polysporin will keep it moist.

[Heavenly]

The hoops didn't work!  This morning when she got up the whole earlobe was scabbed over and the earring was completely stuck in place.  Starting to think she might not be able to keep the piercing.  We're going to try keeping it moist with vaseline so the earring stops sticking to her ear and ripping the skin off.