My daughter had her ears pierced 7 months ago. They did great for the first couple months, no problems. When it came time that I could change them I put in sterling silver earings (not cheap ones), and she started getting infections. Since she had had no problems with the piercing ones I decided to put those back in. I clean them like I'm supposed to, I put triple antibiotic ointment on the posts as well as her ears, I've used cortisone cream (per pedi's recommendation for the itching), I keep her hair pulled back so it's not aroung the earings, nothing helps. It's mostly her left ear, it's red and gets yellow crusty stuff all over it. The holes dont even look healed yet. Should I just take them out and let them heal and let her get them re-pierced when she is older? I feel bad because she LOVES her earrings and begged to have them pierced, she cries when I tell her we may have to take them out.
Oh, they dont hurt her either, just ooze yellowish-clear fluid from the hole and look red sometimes.
Thanks for any advice!
Thanks for the advice. Like I said in my original post, I put the piercing ones back in when she first started having problems with the other ones (which btw, were nickle free), so she has had the original piercing ones in for several months but it's not helping. And I do use the ear care stuff from Claire's. The pedi told me not to use alcohol or peroxide as it kills all bacteria, even the good bacteria our bodies need to fight off the bad. Mabye I'll try the hoops (14K gold). I think they itch so she scratches them and makes them get infected.
The same thing happened to me when I was a child. I have never been able to wear earrings comfortably. I don't get the discharge anymore but my ears get red and itchy still and if I do wear them to much, the next day I will have crusties on my ears.
Sorry for the unhelpful advise but I think some of us just have problems with metals.
Good Luck!
Maybe she alergic. I am 59 years old and am even allergic to gold. I can only wear platinum all the time. I have to take my earrings out at the end of the day....sometimes earlier, otherwise I have a real problem. Ask her doctor.
I would try putting the back of a needle through the hole threaded with dental floss.
It sound funny, but it works. The hole is allowed to heal with air. You can move ther thread back and forth. Its clean. Does not bother someone while they are sleeping. etc.
My first two holes were done with ice cubes, dental floss and a needle. My third was done with a gun. i prefer the ice and needle method.Left the floss in for a week and good to go.
...So you weren't looking for advice?
Ummm...please don't put a needle and thread through your daughters ears!!! From a medical standpoint, that is asking for trouble. I would put in 14K gold studs, perhaps even the piercing studs that she had it (if you haven't already). Go to a piercing kiosk and buy the ear care solution they have. Apply a few drops several times a day and then LEAVE THEM ALONE. All the turning and cleaning the crusties off will just cause more redness, swelling and weeping. Give it a good couple of weeks and you'll start to see a difference. She may just be (like I was) only able to wear 14K.
~L.
Hello K., I'm severly allergic to nickel, and it sounds like your daughter may have the same problem. I cannot wear sterling silver. 18 Caret gold or purer is the only thing I can were. It is important that the fronts and backs of the earrings are nickle free as well as the post. I had to have a doctor cut out an earring due to my lobe swelling so large that we couldn't get it out any other way. Try using the original ones that she had in when her ears were first pierced, they should have been nickle free. If this turns out to be the cause, watch for snaps and zippers in clothing and clasps on jewelry may not be the same quality gold as chains are. I had surgery last Sept, and when I woke up, the hosp gown that was put on me had snaps on the shoulders, and the reaction was severe enough for them to have to treat me with steroids. Good luck.
I have three girls who have had there ears pierced since they were infants. They have had similar problems to any earrings expect the pierced ones. I think the back of the earrings would cut into their ears and start infections. What I have found was hoops. I purchased these hoops at Sally's Beauty Supply in their ear piercing display. They are a solid hoop (found in a silver or gold color)and they do not have a back. I would recommend just keeping the hoop in and rotating it in the ear a couple times a day. If my girls do wear other earrings, it's not for an extended period of time.
Hi K.,
My daughter and I can only wear pure yellow gold or our ears get infected. I'd suggest trying little gold hoops (the kind that slide thru) in her ears and keep them in rotating and cleaning them 2x a day. And the only cleaner you should need is saline solution.
Hope this helps!
~A.
You should probably take the earings out every day, clean them and her ears, and then put them back in. If it has been going on for a prolonged period of time, you may want to see your pedi to see if he can give her an oral antibiotic to help fight the infection, as well as some advice on how to proceed with the whole earing concept (keep in or discontinue).
You may also need to try different earrings. Our four year old must have Surgical Stainless Steel earings (talk about hard to find and expensive). She's allergic to every other kind. Sterling Silver and Surgical Stainless Steel are two different things. Also, you may need to avoid ANY type of coating. We usually have to ask, although the SSS is not usually a coating. I will warn you - do not leave the earrings out for more than a few hours (to offer some release and proper cleaning time) as they will start to close up really fast. I left my daughters out for 24 hours once and had to fight to get them back in - she cried and cried because it hurt so bad.
I have always had sensative ears and lately it has gotten much worse. I can't even wear Surgical Steal. While her ears are infected go get some plastic ones. The other option depending on what earings you have for her, and if they are glued or not...try boiling the earings in water for 20 min to steralize them. You can steralize the plastic ones or metal. I had my belly peirced several years ago and that is when the allergies got really bad even for my ears. After 6 months the only thing that helped was the plastic ring and nickel free earings.
I see you have already posted an update, but I also had that problem with my 2 daughters. We went to the store and bought a bottle of spray bactine. They wore their posts for almost six months before their ears healed enough to wear other earings. We still keep the bactine on hand and use it every time we have infections in the piercings (they have earings with nickle and when they wear them too long they get infected) and also use it for scrapes and cuts! :-)
Hi K.
It might be infected from an allergic reaction. I know I am that way. What I would suggest is that you take out the earrings for a week, and keep putting the antibiotic ointment on. Where the original earrings gold? If so, you may only be able to put good gold earrings in her ears. What she is probably allergic to is the nickel in jewelery. I knew I had a problem around 16 when my wrist would turn black from wearing a metal wristband. I would just take it off, clean it up and thought nothing of it. I have also never been able to wear my wedding rings.
If you would like some more suggestions, help on this email me.
Good Luck
K.
Try buying some surgical steel hoops from a body piercing place (Blues Tattooz in Waterford on M-59 is where we had our two-year-olds ears pierced). Surgical steel is least likely to cause an allergic reaction (such as gold plated or sterling silver posts). We haven't had any problems with hers (had them done in March), and they are super-low maintenance. The only thing I've done for her after the first week is put in different colored balls, or different earrings once.
Also try sea salt and warm water to rinse and Bactine to "disinfect."
I would try 14k Gold posts,or a very small hoop so the area can breath. I have the same problem with my ears if I don't stick to the Gold, when I was younger I had to wear nothing but surgical steel. Keep them clean as you are doing. If all else fails you may have to take them out and let them heal over.
Its the earrings - my daughter can only wear solid not sterling.... the manager at Claires explained to me why I think she said there is nickel in sterling but anyway she was right. I had to by my daughter a new starter set for like 28 bucks :( but they are adorable and she has absolutely no issues. FYI the "for sensitive" earrings wont work on your daughter either.
When I was 7 my earing holes got infected and my mom soaked a needle and thread in either peroxide or alchohol, but I think that it was peroxide because it didn't hurt, and pulled the thread through the hole. She did this a couple of times until they started to heal. It didn't hurt but it did feel a bit wierd...kind of ticklie.
Blessings, K.
I had the same issues twice when I was younger. Once when I was 7 (my mom let them heal). I got them pierced again in 7th grade, same thing happened (let then heal again). It didn't matter what kind of earrings I used, it still happened. Finally when I was 18, I had it done at a tattoo and piercing shop where they don't use a gun, just needle. The lady explained to me that the gun stuns the ear, which then has a hard time healing. I stick to surgical grade steel or 14K gold earrings now, and have no issues whatsoever. I would say if it doesn't seem to be bothering her, wait it out a little longer to see if it clears up. Otherwise I'd let them heal and try with a regular needle at a tattoo/piercing shop when she's older.
Your daughter may be allergic to the nickel they use to harden the metal in earrings. I know several people who were, including myself. I now buy only surgical steel posts, or 18 k. gold earrings, and have no problems. The same is true of the others I know who had problems.
We had the same problem with our daugther at that age and our pediatrician told us to let them heal up and try when she is in her teen ears to re pierce them. Our daughters infection spread from her earlobe into her body. It was very quick too - she had a little crusting and redness which we thought we treated very well before she went to bed and when she woke up it was 4 times the size and very painful for her. The doctors lectured us on how dangerous a situation it could have been had the infection spread into her brain. As it was they had to treat it with shots (injections) verses over the counter antibotics to get the infection under control before it had the opportunity to spread. So we let them close up. She is 11 now and still has no desire to get them repierced. Claire's sells some very trendy clip ons and she is content for now with those.
I hope this is not too late to post. I have the same thing and my ears have been peirced for 34 yrs. The only thing that I can wear is gold. If I wear anything else, even solid silver, I get drainage and crusting, and itching. I do wear other ones but I have to make sure and only wear them for a few hours and take them out.
Honestly, I think that is way too young to have her ears pierced. I would let them grow back and wait until she is older to have them pierced.
I know you all ready did your "what happened" but I wanted to add something that nobody else said. When I was young I had to have surgical steal posts. The have got harder to find but are out there(Fashion Bug had a small spinner on the counter near the check out a while ago). Maybe try those with your daughter.
K.,
She's allergic to the nickel in alot of earrings. I too have this allergy and can only wear gold. Everything else makes my ears itch, red, swollen, etc just as you described. This happens to me after just a few hours and is very painful. You may need OTC medicine for ecezema (it's what I've used in the past)
You should be able to get her a small pair of gold earrings at Walmart/Meijer for $20 that will do the trick. After this all of her problems should clear up.
:)
Buy only gold and make sure the post is gold also not just the earring. Clean 2-3 times a day with peroxide and use aloe vera gel on the ear.
hi
Have you tried wooden ear sticks, or a thin peice of just
dried sturdy grass, chopped to just fit into the ear( Nailcutter does a good job of cutting them before or after inserting them) to fit the ear. Disinfect it and put it on her, make sure there is nothing left hanging on either side.this works wonders, w/o allergic reaction and its cheap too. Also have you tried cleaning it with
tea tree mixured with olive oil? Ps the grass idea seem kind of out there but this is what we use in my culture loa!
K.,
I would try to use either gold or maybe even surgical steel. I have sensetive skin to "fake" metals and I can only wear gold, but I had my navel pierce many years ago and they used surgical steel and my body didn't try rejecting it which was a fear of mine. It healed really good with no problems. In the end I hope whatever you try works out for you and your daughter.
~Good luck!
I have the same problem with my ears, and they have been pierced for 20+ years! I don't wear earrings on a daily basis, but when I want to wear them, I put the earrings I will be wearing (and the backs) in a little cup of hydrogen peroxide for about 20-30 minutes prior to putting them in. It works like a charm! As a kid I put my earrings in the peroxide every night when I went to bed and put them back on each day. My mom also coats her posts in clear nail polish and she says that helps her. Hope your daughter can keep the earrings!
