Pain, puss, blood

[Totaltaco]

So I went from a 4 to a 2 a few days ago and I'm afraid it's either infected or torn. Possibly both. There has been a little puss today and minor blood but nothing worse than a fresh piercing was for me. It is swollen as well. Can anyone tell me if I should downsize?

[StrickyCub]

Yes you should downsize. If there's blood that means you've torn it.
Even if it's only a small tear, you need to take the pressure off it to let it heal properly.

[Deano]

Exactly what Stricky said, blood is telling you you've done something wrong. Take it out, baby the hell out of it, SSS, and don't even think about moving back up for several months.

[Totaltaco]

I took the 2 out this morning to stop from anymore bleeding. What exactly is SSS though?

[StrickyCub]

Sea Salt Soak.
Add 1/4 of a teaspoon of Sea Salt (NOT Iodized table salt) to 1 cup of shower warm water. Soak your ear in it for 5-10 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day.

[corazon_de_oro]

Also, make sure the mixture isn't too salty. This is the most important thing because it'll do more harm than good if there's too much salt. The idea is to get it as close to the salt content of your own body as possible, which is 0.9%, I believe.

And the stuff that's coming out of your ears probably isn't pus. If it's a white-yellowish or even clear substance, it's called lymph and it comes out of all wounds. A lot of people see it and think it = pus which means infection, but that's not the case. Infections are really rare and if you had one you'd know it; they're accompanied by lots of swelling, redness, intense pain, and dark-colored or even bright pus.