Ear infection?

If you're unlucky, you can get an infection from an earring. The infection can be caused by various things. How you should act depends on whether the earring is in the earlobe or in a cartilaginous part of the ear. Infection in soft parts of the ear, i.e. the earlobe, is not as serious as if you get an infection in a hole in the cartilage.

Why do you get ear infections?

It is most common to get an infection of the earrings when the hole is newly pierced. The first weeks are the greatest risk, but throughout the first year it is considered that the hole is healing. Reasons why you get an infection are, for example:

• It has been damp around the earring
• You fail to keep clean
• You often get stuck in clothes or the like so that the hole is not allowed to heal alone

This is how you know if you have an infection

If the ear is red, irritated or feels warm around the hole, it is likely that you have suffered an infection. Even pain at a hole that is more than a few weeks old is a sign of infection.

Can you wash new holes in your ears with rubbing alcohol?

If you have gotten an infection from an earring, you should start by removing the earring. If it is the earlobe, you can wash it clean, preferably with an antiseptic such as rubbing alcohol, let the ear air dry and wait until the next day. If it starts to get better the next day, you can continue to keep clean around the hole, without putting the earring back. Should it not have improved by the next day, you should contact a doctor.

If, on the other hand, it is in the hard parts of the ear, i.e. cartilage, you should take out the earring, wash it clean and contact a doctor immediately. Infection in the cartilage can be dangerous and needs immediate medical attention .

Even if the hole is in the earlobe, but the infection seems to have spread far from the hole, you should contact a doctor immediately. For example, if a large part of the ear is swollen or red.