Ear Piercing Reaction

Back in my day, yes I'm old, I had my ears pierced by a friend with a needle and then cleaned them with alcohol. Later I was told that now they say the alcohol dries the skin out too much and makes it worse. Maybe that's changed again. I would have a doctor look at them and tell you what to do to keep the infection gone and then get no nickel or stainless or whatever. I still to this day have one ear that grows back up on the back if I got without earrings for a bit. So if you take them out for long they will grow back up this soon.

Look for 'Nickel Free' earrings. Many people have allergic reactions to nickel, and traces of nickel can be found in most every blend of metal out there used to make earrings. Surgical Steel should work, too, as it's nickel free (that's what body piercers use). Gold and sometimes even sterling silver can have nickel in them. Make sure to get nickel free backs to the earrings, too. Alcohol will definitely dry the skin out, and hydrogen peroxide will eat away at healthy tissue trying to grow, so stay away from those. Use antibacterial soap to wash them, triple antibiotic cream only if it's infected, and check and see if you can find Emu Oil to put on the raw skin to help heal it. Should heal pretty quickly if you find some of that.
I was a manager at a Claire's for 3 years and went on to be a certified body piercer, so these are things I tell my clients when they have problems with navel rings, eyebrow rings, etc.

I don't have any answers, but I can sympathize. I had the same problem with my daughter's ears. After struggling on and off with infections for 5 months we decided to pull the earrings out. You don't mention how old your daughter is, but I think a part of my daughter's problem was that she kept touching her ears because they were bothering her and she was introducing new germs, especially while at school. It really was such a headache for all involved. We will have to wait until she's a teenager to try again.

Go see a dermatologist. The 'hard, red' area around the earring could be a keloid developing, which you want to avoid. The irritation on the neck could very well be from the metal.
I think it could be an allergy. Again, dermatologist, or talk to an experienced, licensed body piercer.

Stainless steel, were they pierced with gold? Most places no longer do piercings with anything less then stainless, because stainless is least likely to cause a reaction.

So go back and find stainless earrings, most likely you will have to go back to trainer studs, and restart the process. Cleaning 2 times a days but do not use rubbing alcohol, use a little sea salt and water plus that bacitracin.

Once you have them healed and under control (think another 6 weeks) you can try other metals.

I can no longer wear earrings unless they have surgical steel posts.. and even then, any metal touching my ears, I will have a reaction.. So hanging earrings with the surgical steel is all that I can wear.

Could be she is very sensitive to metals.

ok first start cleaning with dial antibacterial soap. it will not dry out the skin like other stuff. next change the rings to a serling silver this is what body piercers use. some people have reactions to gold. try those two things and they should make a huge difference..

Hi I remember the healing process with my girls. One of my daughters had a terrible time and she was following the steps to keep them clean and fee of infection. We went through many bottles of anticeptic! Finally we bought Titanium hoops for her and they healed. We still used the solution suggested by the piercing place but this time they healed. Someone in my pediatricians office recoomended it and it worked. Now she is able to wear all kinds of earrings. Hope they heal soon!

It's probably the nickel in the gold, and the various treatments are just irritating the site. Go to surgical steel if she's old enough to care for her own ears. If she's little, just take the earrings away and let her heal.

Went and got nickel free stainless steel posts. Polysporin, cortaid for the rash and antibacterial soap. Keeping fingers crossed that these will help. Thanks for all the suggestions!