Ear piercing question....

[Fleshdancer]

My daughter got her ears pierced 6 weeks ago and this morning was her first chance to change her earrings. She freaked out at the idea of putting the new ones in after we took the starter ones out because there was a little bit of blood (she's 7 yrs old btw). I lost the battle due to time constraints.

My question is this: How quickly do young ear piercings close up? Are we totally screwed for not having posts in there for 5 hours or should I be able to put them in without worrying that I'm going to stab my spawn?

[irish.lambchop]

1. If it's only been five hours or so

should be no problem - the holes are still there - especially after six weeks of the "starter" earings. Do put posts in though - much easier to get through the first go 'round.

[Fleshdancer]

2. thanks!

I did a few google searches but couldn't find much on exactly how fast earlobes heal and reseal after a piercing. I did, however, find a ton of nasty images of badly infected body piercings. :scared:

[LuckyLib]

3. No worry. Everybody heals differently. Put those posts in, swab with alcohol,

and in no time they'll be healed. She'll love 'em!

[irish.lambchop]

5. If her ears were pierced by a professional

- I guess that could mean any 16-yr old at a kiosk, though, these days :) - shouldn't have any problems as everything was sterile - gloves, etc. When my son got his ear pierced I encouraged him to put hydrogen peroxide, via Q-Tip, on the hole each night - just as precaution.

[LostinVA]

4. I asked the Trophy wife about this, since she has a bunch of earrings

They can close up that soon. There shouldn't have been any blood switching out the earrings. If you can, try to insert the new earrings. If you have to force it, it'd be best to let them heal and get them repierced, by a real piercer, who will use a needle, not a gun.

She also recommends using a sea salt soak twice a day for five minutes. Don't ever use the ear piercing solution they give you. It's useless. The sea salt will draw everything out of the piercing. Put a teaspoon of sea salt in a cup of warm water and soak the lobe, then rinse.

On edit: Alcohol, peroxide, betadine and neosporin will all irritate it further.

[irish.lambchop]

6. Why would hydrogen peroxide irritate?

[LostinVA]

9. Hydrogen Peroxide is an irritant and can damage soft tissue

Medical professionals rarely use it for disinfection. That's not just coming from the Trophy Wife, that's coming from my sister and mother, who are both nurses.

[SacredCow]

10. Agreed....

Peroxide really does nothing for disinfecting a wound. Someone once told me it was used because all of the liberated oxygen would help to kill any anaerobic bacteria (specifically tetanus). But if the wound is deep enough for tetanus to be an issue, pouring peroxide on the surface won't do jack squat.

And, for the record, the bubbling doesn't mean that it's killing bacteria. There's an enzyme in blood that causes the bubbling.

Microbiology 1001 officially over! :-)

[irish.lambchop]

14. Thanks!

I never knew - mainly because that's what my mother always used on me. Will be more aware now.

[Fleshdancer]

7. Thank you so much

I was surprised by the blood after 6 weeks. It wasn't a lot and there were no signs of infection but I guess her lobes heal slower than average? This is what prompted me to wonder if the holes would reseal quicker than average...whatever "average" means in this case.

On edit: I wish I had known about the sea salt soak advice sooner!

[LostinVA]

13. You're welcome

Check your PM.

[LibertyLover]

8. 5 hours won't

close them permanently, but there may be a bit of dried blood or pus in the holes that could make it seem like they were closed. As you try to put the earring post in there could be some resistance and that might freak your daughter a bit. It happens to my ears still after 40 or so years of having pierced ears. My suggestions would be to swab the posts of the earrings you are going to put in with alcohol and then put a thin smear of antibiotic ointment on them. That will help lubricate the posts going in and soothe the holes. I actually swab every pair of earrings I put in with alcohol before I put them in and if I haven't had earrings in in a while, I'll use the antibiotic ointment as well to prevent problems.

[LostinVA]

11. Antibiotic ointment is not for puncture wounds

It says it right on the tube. If you need lubrication, use some diluted unscented antibacterial soap.

[LibertyLover]

21. Sorry, but my doctor recommended using

antibiotic ointment to help prevent problems I was having with my earrings causing my ears to become irritated and then infected. For some reason my lobes are somewhat sensitive - even to gold earrings. It's less of a problem with surgical steel, but they just don't make nice gold earring with surgical steel posts. Years ago I had an interesting pair of studs with a hollow surgical steel post. There was a hole along the top of the post. They permitted air to circulate into the piercing and junk to drain out. They even came with a thin rod that cleaned out the hollow post.

[Connonym]

23. big part of the problem with antibiotic ointments

is that a significant percentage of people have an allergic reaction to Neosporin. It can be really irritating to the skin as a result. Sort of like what you describe with hydrogen peroxide and alcohol and such. It's just too damaging to the tissues. Sterile saline solution is a necessity in any first aid kit.

[yellowdogintexas]

22. I do those exact same things, certain earrings will irritate for some

reason. While antibiotic ointment isn't treatment of choice for puncture wounds per se, this is a mostly healed punture that is open on both ends as opposed to say a cat bite that is closed at the bottom.

The neosporin or whatever aids with the placement of the post, and assures you have extra germ protection on the earring itself.

I have used this first aid for years and years with great success.

I even have a pair of "therapy earrings" that I put in when I am having a particularly annoying round of irritation; plain gold handmade had for years hoops about the size of a dime. Very light weight, pop them in and snap them closed and leave them in for about 3 weeks. Good air circulation, and very comfortable. And they are kind of cute too.

[Deep13]

12. So what possessed you to punch holes in a seven-year-old?

Seems a bit of an unnecessary ordeal.

[Fleshdancer]

15. she wanted her ears pierced. I consented.

She's old enough to decide whether she wants her ears pierced and she's old enough to take proper care of her piercings. I wasn't "possessed" at all actually.

[LostinVA]

17. Good answer

[malta blue]

16. Any news on getting those earrings back in yet?

I had a similar situation with Little MB when she got her ears pierced too. The starter earrings have that pointy post, so those will be more uncomfortable to put back in, but relly try to get something in there soon.

[Fleshdancer]

18. I received a PM with what I think will be the best way to approach this

Had I known then what I learned today about the various problems with the piercing gun, I wouldn't have taken her to the mall to get this done. She's still freaked out about the blood and now the back of her right ear looks slightly scabbed which makes me think forcing a post through will be more trouble than either one of us signed up for.

I've decided to keep the posts out and let her ears heal and close up. If she wants to pierce them again, I'll take her to a professional piercer who will use a sterile needle. I'll also have her apply sea salt soaks as well.

[malta blue]

19. Glad you got some resolution....Little MB's ears got really

infected a few weeks after that and it turns out that she is allergic to anything other than platinum :banghead:. She can wear antique gold jewelry without any problems, but anything that I have tried that is less than 15 years old will give her an infection.

Little MB's dad took her to the mall gun-lady - I am terrified of needles and could not do it, but she really wanted them (she was 7 y/o as well).

[carly denise pt deux]

24. she will probably be able to put in earrings again

after they heal, really soak the lobes then try to put an earring thru. Use really long posted ones and put the backs just where they lock towards the end of the post. This really helps keep the back of the ear from being irritated.

My kid's ears were first pierced at aged 2....she has 3 more sets as well as a belly button ring since then, and every one of them got irritated and infected during the healing stage.

I had my first set of earrings done in the mall with a gun. I have always had trouble getting my earrings in, I wonder if she didn't pierce them crooked or something. When I stick the post thru, I have to fish around to get to the other side, otherwise the post is poking unpierced skin on the back.

[kath]

25. I've read some of the anti-piercing gun stuff as well, and I do have to wonder if it belongs in the

"don't believe everything you read" category or not. Especially when it comes to ear piercings, which are not as risky as piercings of other body parts.

Brazillions of people have had ears pierced with those guns, the VAST majority without any problem. My take on it is that a) the gun is sterile, and b) most important of all, it is FAST - the sharp point is propelled into the earlobe so quickly that you barely feel it. It's hard to imagine that someone with a big honkin' hand-held needle could be as fast.
I'm a bit needle-phobic, but by the age of 24 or so was able to screw up my courage to have my ears pierced with a gun. No way can I stomach the thought of someone doing it with a big needle held in her hand, ...

It's always a little tricky (and a bit gross) to insert that first pair after the starter earrings come out. There's always at least a little crusting or scabbing that you have to get the post through and possibly a little bleeding. But I think you can get through it.

Just my two cents.

[Deja Q]

20. How about a Candirú?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candir%C3%BA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSLKZzuLC00

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6977394

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