Table of contents:
- What are the things that need to be considered before ear piercing?
- 1. Understand the risks
- 2. Know the considerations before ear piercing
- 3. Check the sterility of the piercer and the location where you pierce it
- How do I treat a piercing wound?
- 1. Piercings are simply cleaned 2 times a day
- 2. Use antibacterial soap
- 3. Use a cotton swab and cleaning fluid
- 4. Avoid dust and dirt piercing
- 5. Another thing that must be considered
- How do you deal with an infection due to ear piercing?
- What signs of infection need a doctor's attention?
Ear piercing has a side effect, namely infection. Before getting your piercing, you should either follow medical directions or be under professional supervision. Earaches in the form of infection will sometimes persist after years of piercing. If an infection has occurred, you need to immediately take steps to deal with the infection due to ear piercing. Check out the explanation below.
What are the things that need to be considered before ear piercing?
There are many things that should be known and considered before deciding to get pierced or piercing ears or other body parts. Here's the review:
1. Understand the risks
When done with clean, professional techniques, piercings rarely cause bad side effects. Unclean piercing and techniques are a risk for transmission of diseases such as:
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Tetanus
- HIV
Even when done safely, piercing carries the risk of allergic reactions to the piercing equipment, bleeding, inflammation, nerve damage, bleeding and chronic infection.
Quoted from an article published in the US National Library of Medicine, delaying treating ear piercings or other body parts can cause complications in the form of:
- Abscess formation
- Nasal septal perforation (there is a hole in the nasal septum)
- Airway disorders
2. Know the considerations before ear piercing
The following are considerations that you should think about before getting pierced, both in the ear and in other parts of the body:
- If you are not yet 18 years old, do your parents allow you? Some places require you to have parental consent if you are under 18 years of age.
- Are you in school or looking for work? Most schools and some work environments do not allow students and workers to do piercings.
- What is your immunization status? Make sure you have received certain immunizations such as hepatitis B and tetanus before getting your piercing.
- Do you intend to donate blood? Some organizations do not accept blood donations from people who are pierced.
3. Check the sterility of the piercer and the location where you pierce it
Before getting your piercing, see if the person who is piercing you does any of the following:
- Wash your hands with antiseptic soap
- Put on new gloves
- The location where your piercing is clean
- Piercing equipment is pre-sterilized or single-use only
- The needles used are new, and when they are finished they are immediately disposed of in a special place
How do I treat a piercing wound?
The thing that must be considered, apart from the pain and courage to get the piercing, is treating the piercing wound. Incorrectly treating the piercing wound, which can actually cause ear infections or injury to the pierced body part. Check out how to clean and treat piercings in the ear or other body parts below.
1. Piercings are simply cleaned 2 times a day
After you pierce it, during the healing period, the wound must be cleaned every day. To clean your piercing, it is recommended not to do it too often. Especially if your piercing hasn't dried up yet, this will slow down the drying process.
In order for the piercing wound to dry quickly, you need to clean it approximately twice a day after every shower in the morning and evening. Also, cleaning your piercing is a good idea depending on how sensitive your skin feels and how much body activity you do.
2. Use antibacterial soap
Make sure that you clean your hands with antibacterial soap. However, when cleaning, it's better to cover your hands with latex or vinyl gloves. Avoid touching the piercing directly with open arms.
3. Use a cotton swab and cleaning fluid
When treating a piercing wound, you can't just use body cleansers. The reason is, not all fluids react well to piercings. You can use sea salt solution (saline solution) which is useful for healing piercings without pain.
Sea salt can also reduce pain in the ear area or where the body is pierced. Here are the steps you can take:
- Take ¼ teaspoon of sea salt.
- Dissolve it in 1 small cup of warm clean water. Do not overuse dissolved salt, because what is there can cause stinging on the skin.
- Apply it to the pierced area using a cotton ball or gauze dipped in a solution of sea salt water.
- Rinse gently, not too stressed and not too lightly touched.
- Rinse with clean water and let dry.
4. Avoid dust and dirt piercing
Take care and avoid wounds piercing Anywhere on your body, especially navel and genital piercings. Piercings in these vital parts of the body are usually quite difficult and prone to injury if not cleaned properly.
Unfortunately, if the piercing is subjected to too much pressure or friction from the outside, it can cause the jewelry to shift and cause new scars. Try taking vitamin C and supplements containing zinc so that wounds heal quickly and are well cared for from within the body
5. Another thing that must be considered
If your piercing is dry and sore, don't use ointments or creams that contain benzalkonium chloride. Why not? These substances can irritate the piercing and delay the healing process of the piercing wound.
If you want to swim or soak in water, wear a waterproof bandage to prevent water and other bacteria from getting into the piercing wound. Also, make sure that there are no traces of soap, shampoo or body cream left on the piercing area.
How do you deal with an infection due to ear piercing?
Piercing infections are usually fairly easy to spot. The symptoms that will appear consist of:
- A yellowish discharge from the piercing hole
- Swollen
- Redness
- Pain
- Itching and burning sensation
As long as the infection is not severe, you can treat it at home without having to see a doctor. Take the following steps:
- Wash hands with soap before touching, cleaning, or taking any action
- Clean the area where the ear piercing is infected by using saline solution that has been sterilized or distilled water mixed with salt, three times a day.
- Most medical professionals and piercing professionals recommend against using alcohol, antibiotic ointments, or hydrogen peroxide as these can irritate and then slow down recovery
- Do not remove the earring, as this can make the hole close and prevent the infection from healing
- Always clean both sides of the hole and dry with a dry clean cloth or towel
- Continue treatment until the ear piercing infection is completely gone
What signs of infection need a doctor's attention?
As previously explained, you can treat minor ear infections at home. However, immediately consult a doctor if you experience symptoms, such as:
- The earrings are immobile and appear to blend into the skin
- The infection doesn't get better after a few days
- Accompanied by fever
- The infection or redness appears to be spreading or spreading.
If you do a piercing in the cartilage of the ear and an infection occurs, contact your doctor immediately. Infections at these locations are more difficult to cure and may require antibiotics which you must take. In fact, some cases of ear cartilage infection require hospitalization.
