Hi, I recently got my cartilage pierced (around 3 weeks ago) and two days after it turned red, and got very hot. After a week of cleaning it didn't work I went to the doctor and he prescribed some antibiotics and told me to take it out to help it drain or I would get cauliflower ear.
I didn't take the piercing out cause I'd heard this was the worst thing you can do, and I checked in at the piercing place and they told me the swollen cartilage right above the piercing would go away.
I've finished the meds now and still have the squishy bump and it feels like its almost getting hard.
I cleaned it the first few days with Spectro Derm and bactine but since then it's just been dove soap and water and as of last week its been rarely that i've cleaned it.
....but the squishy cartilage above the piercing and behind is still swollen and growing hard. Will the bump ever go down, or is it deformed from the infection?
*The piercing was done with a needle
If you got an infection that quickly, your aftercare was probably at the root of the problem.
You did well not to remove the jewellery as not only would have lost your piercing but the infection had no place to go and could have developed into a cyst.
You also have been OVERCLEANING your piercing and this is why the bump has not changed. You were also using harsh products like bactine and if you go to the section called aftercare products you will find some interesting information about bactine and the manufacturer.
We strongly recommend that you STOP cleaning and turning the jewellery. Leave it alone! The more you do something to it, the longer it will take for the bump to dissipate.
You should start to see a reduction in its size in about 4 days, because the body will think that you are still irritating the piercing.
You will also notice some crusties forming. If this happens, then take a warm cloth and place over the piercing. After a few minutes, take a Q-tip and remove them (you may want to have someone do this part so not to damage the tissues more). The piercing may look dry or chapped, if so, take another Q-tip and some moisturizer and apply until absorbed. Do NOT put into the piercing, just on the tissues around it.
After a week, if you do not see improvement, please write back.
Bumps still present.
Please stop using the cream as its only to be used for about 2 weeks any more than that and you will cause different problems.
Once you develop any problem with a cartilage piercing it can take a long time for the body to heal itself. Why, we are not sure but once you have a problem, it does not take much to irritate it again.
The itchy feeling could mean that your piercing is trying to heal and itchiness is a normal part of healing. But you have also squeezed it, and this could cause more irritation. There is no puss inside this bump but some fibrous tissue and the more you squeeze, the more tissue will be sent to the area. The body believes that its being irritated and sends out the defense system to protect it. You have to stop doing all these things to your piercing and allow the body to heal itself.
We will send you by private email a method we recommend to help reduce the bump.
Thank you veeeeery much for your care and concern, I am constantly kicking myself for not checking with the doctor a few days after the piercing when the redness didn't go down. I'm not sure if this will be lucky for me or not but I lost the tube of fucidin that the doctor prescribed...judging by your recent post i'm gonna go with it being lucky because my dependancy on it will be gone.
My piercing some days has gotten hot and then stopped on it's own while I was on the cream but since I've lost it it hasn't been and a soreness (pressure) that I've felt beside my ear, in my head has gone (not sure whether or not it has to do with my jaw and my braces).
It's very hard to ensure that I don't bump the ring because I have insanely long hair that has a tendency to get caught around it.
I also just want to be sure if were talking about the same bump and not just like a zit type bump, it basically just looks like between the entrance and the exit of the piercing there is a round bump underneath the skin.....almost like it's just swollen, the piercing is going through this lump, so it looks as if my regular cartilage has fattened up in this area in a round form, it looks a little normal but in comparision to my other ear you can definitely tell something is odd there.
I just wanted to be sure before I started using your trick if we were on the same page so i dont cause any further damage.
I just want to say though thank you for all your care and concern, I am looking forward to your reply and hoping that it's postive so i can try to eliminate the bump.
Once again, thanks so much.
The description you have given us of your bump is what we see when someone has been overly abusing and irritating the piercing.
Yes, the trick will work for this bump. It is just been so abused that the tissues are trying to protect itself by producing extra fibrous tissue. It is in the area so that it is ready fit and when its needed. The problem is that you have a ring in the area and its not coming out.
Once we 'dry' out this fibrous tissue, the bump will shrink and the piercing can then heal. The body cannot do both at the same time; it is dealing with the irritation and abuse, and not healing itself.
Keep in touch with your progress.
Hello, thank you sooooo much for the advice, the size of the lump has gone down a little but it is still there but less painful.
The squishy cartilage above my ear is also still there, and straight up to wear the upper ear lobe looks like it's alot bigger than the other side and feels a lot softer. Is this normal? Will it ever go down or is it cauliflower ear starting to form? And is there anything I can do to help it go down or just speed along the overall healing?
I've been pretty good lately to not snag it on anything and haven't been cleaning it at all but im still concerned about the squishy tissue above the piercing and the bump on the back which is fairly rough hard.
Again thanks for the help.
Glad to read that the bump is starting to shrink. This should continue as long as you do not start irritating it again. This can be difficult but please be patient.
It is NOT cauliflower ear, so please do not worry about it.
A keloid takes several months to form and as long as its 'squishy' then it has fluid inside and this will dry up as the body reabsorbs this fluid.
If you do not notice a big difference in about another week, then please write back.
Hello again, thanks for the advice my ear feels a lot better but the bump is still about the same size. I went back to the piercer and he told me that I have a developing keloid and should put witch hazel around the earring 3-4 times daily. I read in your aftercare section that witch hazel isn't good for it, and you've also said keloids take 7 months to develop so i think im just gonna leave the piercing alone for now, as you've said.
I did touch the bump the other day and it hurts to touch and it looks pretty weird. It's a bump but the tissue on above it is swollen too, is this normal?
How long SHOULD it take for it too go down without any snagging of it on anything.
Once again thank you, sorry im a little paranoid.
We are very happy that you are going to follow our recommendations. We are sorry that we cannot give you a timeframe for the shrinking of the bump. Each person is different and it will depend on how your body heals.
Our concern is that the bump hurts to touch it. Try and use a warm compress on the bump each night and see if that does not help some. We really do not want to do much more as it is still a fresh piercing. The bump is filled with fluid and is so swollen that its like a pimple and will pop to relieve the pressure. Please DO NOT pop this, if it pops on its own that is fine. This could be a reaction to the antibiotics that you have been taking as well, its difficult to say for certain.
The more you do, the worse it will be. Please try to relax about the piercing and let your body do its job.
Keep in touch with your progress.
Hello,
Still no change, it still gets red, hot and hurts.
I was wondering if maybe there was a possibility that the ring may be to big and heavy, it's a captive bead ring but the actually ring part of it looks a little big, would switching to a stud be better.
It's been 8 weeks but not a full 2 months to date since I've gotten it pierced, would it be too soon to switch to a lighter ring to try to heal the bump? I haven't tried the warm compress on it but i'm gonna tonight to see if it helps some.
**Bad News! Last night I got bit by a mosquito right above the piercing. Ahhh, I have the greatest luck.
Thanks again.
If the piercing is truly hot to touch and hurts, then there is a possibility that you have another infection.
This is possible if you did not have an infection in the first place or that the antibiotics did not do their job. Because the ear lobe does not have a good supply of flowing blood, getting antibiotics to the area is sometimes difficult.
Please seek medical attention. Maybe this time your doctor may prescribe a topical cream as that may absorb better into the area.
The ring is not the cause of your problem so changing the ring will not do anything other than irritate you even more. And now that you have been bitten, the area will be even more tender for a jewellery change. The stud will probably not fit properly as the tissues are still swollen.
Hello again,
Last week i took your advice and went to the clinic. The doctor there this time was much more helpful than the last one and was actually very understanding since his daughter had problems with her belly button piercing.
He prescribed exactly what you said a topical cream called Fucidin. He told me to apply it twice a day to the bump and surrounding area and even to the ring and turn it slightly to get the cream inside.
Thank you very much for your advice, the bump has shrunk a little but i've knocked it a few times so its doesnt look much different from when it's infected. I was wondering if you also had any thoughts on the medication or applying it? Should i be turning the ring?
Thanks very much.
Hello, I've had the piercing for 2 months now and the cream is really helping, there has been a decrease in size of the bump but nothing too significant. I'm afraid that I my piercing may become very dependant on it since it gets very red when I forget to use it but returns to normal colour when I do.
I've also forgot to ask you about the make of the jewelry. Currently I have the regular captive bead ring made of the surgical stainless steel, but my earlobes have this problem where if i don't wear jewelry in them that is made of gold they get lumps in them (between the entrance and exit of the piercing) for a few days after I wear them.
I was wondering if this may be the case with my cartilage piercing, should I try and switch to a gold ring or will it harm it even more?
*it still at times hurts to touch the bump, not poke it lightly but actually squeeze it. Normal? And my ear gets itchy?
Thanks as always
