Second Earring Piercing

Rednaturalcurls

I have my ears pierced twice. Lately I have been having difficulty with the second piercing in one ear (it gets infected). So I have been thinking about just not wearing earrings in the 2nd piercing anymore and letting them close up. However my question is will they just eventually close up on there own or do I need to do something to help it? Has anyone ever done this?

Rain

It will probably shrink without closing completely unless they're not fully healed. If they're not fully healed, they might close up.

f you're having problems with infections, you might have a jewelry sensitivity. You might want to try titanium, niobium or implant-grade stainless. Even though it might seem crazy to have one set of piercings act up more than another one, it can happen. It happens to me. When I started noticing trouble with jewelry, it was in my second and third holes but not the first. It took a long time before I started noticing similar things going on with the first holes. With my third hole, I think it might just be that it's a problematic piercing because it's so close to cartilage. The second holes respond well to a change in metals though.

I'm just saying this so you know you have other options besides letting the holes close.

Rednaturalcurls

I have actually had the piercings for several years now, but I tend to have more trouble with this second set that I did with the first. That part of my ear gets red and a little inflamed and sometimes a little knot pops out from the hole sort of like a pimple (I know, ewww! :? ). It tends to occur the most when I wear posts rather than hoops. They are gold because everything else irritates me. I started taking them out at night and while that has helped, lately it just flares up, goes away for a little bit and then comes right back. So usually when it is bad, I wear hoops (which are also gold) for awhile to keep the hole open until the infection goes away. But now I am at a point where I wish I didn't have the second set so I was thinking it I just let it be, maybe they would close on their own. But since the piercings are so old, will they?

Rain

It's probably the jewelry. Gold has nickel in it unless it's 24k and a post will generally put more pressure on the ear than a hoop will. If you want to let them close up, you can try it but it probably won't happen. They'll most likely shrink without closing. Even if they do close completely, you'll probably still have a small scar.

hollyp

I have the same problem w/2nd hole. I have had the best luck putting a little neosporin on the post of the earring before I put it in the hole. Since I have been doing this I haven;t had a problem.

Ju Ju Bean

Try wearing the earing back more loosely, this works for me. I have 7 peircings and they all got infected badly fromt time to time untill I bought earings made for sensitive ears and wore the backs farther away from my skin.

Rednaturalcurls

Thanks for the tips! I haven't worn anything in the second hole for a couple days because it is so irritated. I don't know what is going on this time. Usually it clears up pretty quick but not this time. I clean it every night but then every morning for a little over a week now it feels like there is a knot in there again....like a pimple that won't go away. If it doesn't clear up soon I may see my dermatologist again.

Rain

You can try doing sea salt soaks to help with the bump. Even though it's an older piercing, it's behaving like a new one from irritation. The thing I have found is the hotter the water, the more effective the soak. I make it as hot as I can stand it and it makes a huge, immediate difference. I'm currently healing a new conch piercing (through the thick part of the cartilage, very painful!) and if a warm salt soak can make that feel better, I know it will help with lobes. Using Neosporin on a piercing that isn't infected can lead to more problems down the line. You don't have to take my word for it. Google "piercing aftercare" and you'll come up with lots of recommendations for sea salt soaks.

I copied the following information from prixbodypiercing.com (it's one of those sites where you can't link to the frames).

Piercings outside the mouth

Soak piercing in warm saltwater ( 1/4 teaspoon salt per 8oz. water)
for 5 min 2 to 4 times a day. Stop half way through your soak and clean off
any crusties with a Q-tip. Use another clean Q-tip to dry the piercing
after soaking.

You can either lower the piercing into a cup of water, or if the
piercing is on a flat area like a nipple or navel, you can flip the cup up
against your skin.

It is ideal to soak your piercing in a cup, but as an alternative
you can irrigate by squirting salt water or attempt to soak with a saturated
cotton ball.

Continue to soak throughout the healing period.

Remember these steps 2 to 4 times a day:
1)Soak 2)Clean with Q-tip 3)Soak 4)Dry

Mixing Saltwater

Please use the following ratios of non-
iodized sea salt to distilled water:
* 1/4 teaspoon per 8oz
* 1/2 teaspoon per 16oz
* 1 teaspoon per 32oz
* 4 teaspoon per gallon
* 1/2 teaspoon per pint
* 1 teaspoon per liter
* 1 teaspoon per quart

When you are mixing salt water please keep in mind that the amount
of salt to water is important. This is because we are trying to make a .9%
saltwater, just like the saltwater in your body. Since your body is mostly
saltwater we can clean the piercing without causing irritation. Irritation
CANNOT be avoided with ANY other cleanser. (alcohol, peroxide, Listerine,
iodine, Neosporin etc) This stuff is bad!

goldencurly

hollyp wrote:

I have the same problem w/2nd hole. I have had the best luck putting a little neosporin on the post of the earring before I put it in the hole. Since I have been doing this I haven;t had a problem.

I used to have this problem with my second holes too. I use neosporin like hollyp and I also clean my posts with hydrogen peroxide when I take them out and after cleaning with jewelry cleaner. I think the jewelry cleaner irritates me more than the earrings!
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