Latest news with #piercing
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This Is The Most Common Reason Your Ear Piercing Is Getting Infected
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." POV: You finally got that cartilage piercing you've been thinking about. You picked out the perfect starter stud (but have big plans to level-up to a hoop when the time is right) and you're feeling like a certifiable cool girl. Flash forward a few days later and there's just one problem: the piercing is infected—or so you think. The healing process with any piercing might have some bumps in the road (pun intended), including infection. 'By definition, a skin infection is an unwanted bacteria, fungus, or virus on the skin,' Mona A. Gohara, MD, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine and Women's Health advisory board member, says. 'This generally requires some type of intervention to heal, stop spreading, and prevent further occurrences.' And, if it happens to you, just know you're among the nearly 30 percent of people who get an infection, per a 2022 study in the Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine. Infected piercings can occur due to sanitary reasons or just straight-up bad luck. The biggest signs you might have an infection are itchy skin, burning, throbbing, or even a skin rash. Ahead, doctors share everything you need to know about infected ear piercings—the causes, treatment options, how to prevent infections, and when it's time to call your provider. Meet the experts: Mona A. Gohara, MD, is an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine and a Women's Health advisory board member. Kenneth A. Kaplan, MD, is an otolaryngologist with ENT and Allergy Associates in New Jersey. Kim Nichols, MD, is a dermatologist, cosmetic surgeon, and the founding director of NicholsMD. Leila Mankarious, MD, is an ENT specialist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an associate professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Harvard Medical School. Tracy Evans, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and the medical director of Pacific Skin Cosmetic Dermatology. What causes an infected ear piercing? Anyone can get an infected piercing, but it usually happens due to one of two major reasons. Either your piercing site wasn't adequately sterilized before you were pierced, or you didn't take great care of it after you were pierced, Kenneth A. Kaplan, MD, an otolaryngologist at ENT and Allergy Associates in New Jersey, says. Typically, new ear lobe piercings heal in about six weeks, but if you keep touching it during that time, infection may occur. "Twisting and turning a new piercing could damage the delicate skin and hinder the healing process," says dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Kim Nichols, MD. Your hands can expose your new piercing to germs and bacteria, which can lead to another infection and scarring, she says. While infections can technically occur anywhere on your ear, getting a cartilage piercing may put you at a higher risk (try 40 times higher, per the 2022 study). 'Piercing infections are most likely to occur in areas where the blood supply is low,' says Leila Mankarious, MD, an ENT specialist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an associate professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Harvard Medical School. That's why cartilage piercings have higher infection rates—and a tougher healing process, adds Dr. Kaplan. How To Treat An Infected Ear Piercing If you trust the studio location you got pierced at, it may help to visit and have your ear evaluated before treating the infection at home, Dr. Kaplan says. But most of the time, you can treat your infection at home if you catch it early enough. Here's how, per Nichols. At-Home Treatment For An Infected Ear Piercing Start by washing your hands with soap and water. Grab a saline solution, either store-bought or homemade (dissolve a 1/2 teaspoon of iodine-free sea salt into a cup of distilled water). Do not use alcohol to clean the site, as it can dry out an infection and delay healing. Soak your piercing in the saline solution or use a cotton swab to gently clean around both sides of the earlobe. Avoid using products like cotton balls and gauze since they can catch more easily on the piercing and cause irritation. Air-dry your piercing. The less the piercing is touched and moved around, the better. Repeat three times a day. Medical Treatment "Skin infections are treated based on severity," says Tracy Evans, MD, a dermatologist and the medical director of Pacific Skin Cosmetic Dermatology. "Sometimes we can do local interventions such as cleaning the area with peroxide and water or Hibiclens soap. Other times we need to do oral antibiotics if the infection is more severe." In non-severe cases, you might be prescribed mupirocin or polysporin ointment, says Dr. Evans. If you have a major infection or it involves the cartilage of your ear, you might need to remove the piercing. 'Failure to remove hardware in a timely manner could result in the need for hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics and/or surgical intervention,' Dr. Kaplan says. Your doc may need to drain pus from the infection or even remove the non-salvageable tissue, which could be a pretty big deal and even increase chances of deformity, he warns. How To Prevent An Ear Piercing Infection A huge factor is choosing a piercing shop that's sanitary. 'The more experience someone has in doing piercings—with a reputation for good results—the better the odds of a favorable outcome,' Dr. Kaplan says. Read reviews on the shop and your piercer beforehand, and if you go into a piercing shop and it seems like it's not clean or you just don't get a good vibe, go elsewhere. You can also try to avoid cartilage piercings, specifically. 'No physician will ever recommend piercing the cartilage of the ear,' Dr. Kaplan says. If you do opt for a cartilage earring, follow the after-care instructions perfectly, even after it seems like your piercing is all healed up. 'Not strictly adhering to the post-piercing care instructions would increase the odds of infection,' Dr. Kaplan says. Finally, touching your piercing a lot while it's still a new, open wound, can also expose it to bacteria. Hands off your new accessory, at least in the beginning. When To See A Doctor Ear piercing infections don't typically occur until three to seven days after the initial piercing, Dr. Mankarious says. Redness, discharge, tenderness, and swelling could be signs of a minor infection, but your infection might be severe if you notice increasing redness, pain, pus drainage, major swelling, abscess formation, or a fever, says Dr. Kaplan. If you have a fever higher than 100.4 degrees, you may be dealing with cellulitis, a common and potentially serious bacterial skin infection. You may also have an allergy to the hardware in your ear that can resemble an infection. But unfortunately, it can be tough for non-doctors to figure out the difference, Dr. Mankarious says. Ultimately, if you have severe irritation, your earring becomes embedded in your skin and the piercing is stuck in place, or your infection doesn't improve with at-home treatment in two to three days, it's time to consult your healthcare provider. If you start to develop a fever or the infection starts to spread, seek help immediately. Frequently Asked Questions Do only new ear piercings get infected? 'Infections are most likely to occur during the first week following [a new] piercing, but can arise later on,' Dr. Kaplan says. If you've had pierced ears for eons, you're not totally off the hook, but you are at a lowered risk of just randomly developing an infection. That said, if you pick at an old piercing or it's affected by some sort of trauma, you can get an infection. How do you treat a rejected or migrating piercing? Foreign objects like piercings can be seen as threats by your body, which can cause a negative response at the piercing site, explains Dr. Nichols. "Generally when this happens, the body tries to fight the piercing by pushing it out and healing over it," she says. If it looks like your jewelry is moving away from the original piercing site, it could be migrating and your body may be rejecting it. In this case, make an appointment with your doc who will likely remove the piercing and prescribe further treatment. 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The Sun
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Dr Pimple Popper slices ‘TURD' growth off woman's chest after date's humiliating jibe
A WOMAN had a "turd"-like growth sliced off her chest by Dr Pimple Popper after being subjected to cruel jibes by a date. Chalamar, 26, developed a thick, raised scar on her chest after getting her sternum pierced. 9 9 9 9 The piercing grew itchy after about a year an oblong, "bundled-up" scar started to grow in the same spot. Chalamar began feeling increasingly self-conscious about it. Then, while on a date, she was told the scar looked like a "turd". She recalled: "A guy literally sat across the table from me and called it a turd. 'I had met this guy online and then the first date comes, the first thing he asked me is what is that thing on my chest and he said it looked like a turd after that I didn't really want to talk to another man a day in my life.' The 26-year-old – who lives in Phoenix, Arizona – got up and left there and then, and turned her back on dating after the distressing incident. Previously know for her extravagant and colourful outfits, Chalamar refused to wear revealing clothing and insisted on covering up the keloid on her chest. Battling depression, the one-time party animal even refused to go out. Chalamar first got her ear pierced in 2018, noticing that it continued to feel sore afterwards. But she decided to follow this up by getting her sternum pierced too. She grew raised scars - known as keloids - in both spots. Chalamar tried to get the growth on her ear removed by a dermatologist, but it just grew back afterwards. "The one on my ear feels a bit like a grape, the one on my chest is bundled up like a turd," Chalamar said. Growing tired of hiding herself in hoodies and not feeling comfortable in her body, Chalamar said: "I want a better life for myself. 9 9 9 "It's not fair. I should be happy and I don't feel happy with this stuff being on my ear or on my chest. "I'm hopeful that all these keloids can be minimised, reduced or taken off so I can go back to living the life that I deserve to live.' Chalamar – who lived with the keloids for four years – appeared alongside Dr Sandra Lee on her show 'Dr Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.' Dr Lee explained that any kind of trauma to the skin - like a piercing - can trigger keloids, which are a common condition. Hearing about Chalamar's dating incident, Dr Lee exclaimed: "He's the turd!" The world-famous dermatologist anticipated that the growth on Chalamar's chest would be hard to remove and warned there was a chance of a raised scar growing back because the skin in the area gets "tugged" at so much. What are keloids? A keloid scar is a raised scar left on the skin after a wound has healed. It usually appears a few weeks to years after you damage or injure your skin, such as after a cut, burn or acne. They're thought to be caused by dysfunction of the wound-healing process. Collagen — a protein found throughout the body — is useful to wound healing, but when the body produces too much, keloids can form. Keloid scars are usually raised, hard, smooth and shiny. They can be skin colour, pink, red, purple, brown, or darker than the skin around them. You can get keloid scars on any part of the body, but they're most common on the chest, shoulders, chin, neck, lower legs and ears. It can grow for months or years and become bigger than the original wound. While it's growing, it may feel itchy or painful. You can't get rid of a keloid scar, but there are treatments that can help improve how it looks and reduce irritation. Treatments may include: Steroid injections or cream Silicone dressings or gels Cryotherapy (a treatment to freeze the keloid scar) Laser therapy Surgery to remove the keloid scar is not usually recommended because it's likely to grow back bigger. Source: NHS Dr Lee also said the procedure to remove the keloid would also likely leave a scar. But Chalamar was eager to go ahead with the operation. She said:' I finally get to show my cleavage off now there's no more chest turd.' Dr Lee sliced into the skin on the keloids, pulling out the scar tissue but leaving enough "superficial skin" stitch the wounds up neatly. She also took care to keep the scar on Chalamar's chest as small as possible, to prevent an even bigger keloid from growing back. A visibly emotional Chalamar looked down at her decolletage after the "turd" was removed. "It feels flat, I feel like I got my skin back," she stated. "I feel free." She underwent superficial radiation treatment following the procedure to prevent the keloid from reforming. And Dr Lee said: "I'm so proud of how good she looks now that turd is off her chest.' Three weeks after the op, Chalamar was ready to show of chest and hit the town. "So glad I get to be hot again," she said. 9 9
