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(probably dumb) question about cleaning.
Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:56 am
by AdamG
I got my ears pierced at a 6g about 4 days ago and when I woke up this morning they were very swollen. I was advised to just clean them with a saline solution by the guy who pierced me but the swelling and tenderness really hasn't gone down all day. Can I use antibiotic cream or peroxide to clean them? or should I leave them alone?
thanks for any help guys
Re: (probably dumb) question about cleaning.
Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 3:40 pm
by corazon_de_oro
Definitely don't use peroxide or antibiotic cream. Peroxide will really dry out your piercings, and kill healthy cells, which can delay healing time. Antibiotic cream won't do anything to promote healing and can actually harbor bacteria.
It's probably not an infection; they're only four days old so a little swelling is perfectly normal. It could be from sleeping on them, the jewelry getting knocked, or other reasons. What kind of jewelry do you have in them? If you have rings or something else that can move around a lot, I would suggest changing to single-flare or no-flare plugs, and never move/touch/twist them.
What do you mean by saline solution? Did your piercer tell you to use a saline spray or do actual sea salt soaks? If you're using a spray, there's nothing wrong with it, but sea salt soaks have WAY more benefits. To do them, mix no more than 1/4 teaspoon per one cup hot water, and soak for 5-10 minutes once or twice per day. It's really important not to get them too salty.