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Is my cartilage piercing infected?

Is my cartilage piercing infected?

  • I had gotten my cartilage pierced in September. I have not taken the earring out yet. My cartilage has been hurting lately and whenever I touch it, it hurts. There is a bump on the back of where my cartilage is. Its not small, but it isn't big either. I have been cleaning it with alcohol. Is my cartilage infected? I don't want to take the piercing out. What can I do?

  • Answer:

    The bump is called hypertrophic scarring and it's not an infection but you need to watch it because it could lead to one. I have it too on the entrance hole to my piercing - pierced in August. Daily sea salt soaks worked like magic and the bump would shrink instantly with pain relief too! However you have to be consistant if you want the bump gone permanantly. The hypertrophic scarring is caused by irritation like hair getting caught or sleeping on your piercing.

Ally at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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As Bea posted, sea salt soaks can clear this right up. That's 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt mixed into a cup of very warm water. Soak the piercing twice per day, for five minutes at a time. You may see the irritation start to improve in as soon as 1-2 days, but keep the soaks up for much longer than that, to really make sure the issue is gone. Do them for a few weeks. Be consistant about it. Stop using the alcohol. Alcohol can dry out the piercing, and irritate it. Do the sea salt soaks instead. Keep the earring in the entire time. Don't take it out. Even if it does become infected, don't take it out, because that can trap the infection in there.

RoaringMice

Mine was quite red and painful for the first 6 months, but it settled down and now it's been 4 years that I've had it. If there is a bump though, you should talk to the person who pierced your cartilage and get professional opinion. Try tea tree oil or epsom salt soak if all else fails :)

sammy, 6/15/2012

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