Ear piercing generally take 4-12 months to heal completely. Usually, the healing period for ear lobe piercings is usually around 4-6 months, whereas inner or outer ear piercings may take about 6-12 months to complete healing. It may take additional 3-4 months in some cases.
But is your ear piercing not healing after 2 years? Do you still feel swelling, discharge, redness, soreness, or flaking in your ear? Ear piercing healing can be too slow for various. This article will guide the causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention of slower ear piercing healing.
What Are The Causes Of Slower Ear Piercing Healing?
The duration of ear piercing healing can be slower for the following reasons.
01. Too Tight Or Heavy Jewelry
Excessive tight, heavy, or long jewelry will cause too much pressure and rubbing or friction.
It will lead to decreased blood flow in your earlobes. This will slow down the ear piercing healing.
02. Over-caring
Do you frequently touch the ear piercing? Have you applied too many products to them?
Over-caring may lead to slower healing. Continuous touching causes the jewelry to move around.
03. Sports Or Physical Activities
Do you regularly play heavily engaged sports or physical activities like martial arts or wrestling?
This may cause contact with the ears repeatedly and interfere with healthy tissue formation. This will delay the healing process.
04. Inappropriate Clothing
Wearing tight-fitting hats, scarves, or earmuffs will cause rubbing against the ear piercing.
It results in continuous friction and affects the healing process.
05. Allergy
Do you have any allergies to low-quality jewelry?
Not wearing high-grade stainless steel or titanium may slow down the healing journey.
06. Less Competent Immune System
Innate immune cells are chief orchestrators of healing that produce proinflammatory cytokines.
If you have a less competent immune system, it may slow down the healing.
What Are The Symptoms Of Slower Ear Piercing Healing?
The followings are common symptoms of slower ear piercing healing.
01. Redness
Do you still see redness around your ears even after 2 years? Does the injured area not yet been reduced gradually?
If not, it can be an indication of slower ear piercing healing.
02. Swelling
Swelling is the enemy of ear piercing healing. Do your ears still have a significant amount of swelling?
It could be a sign of a poor healing wound as the body fails to recover from the natural reaction to any damage.
03. Discharge
Is any blood, fluid, or pus coming from your ear piercing?
The pus can be yellow, green, white, or crystal clear. This can be a sign of infection.
04. Pain
Do you still feel constant or intermittent pain in your ear piercing areas?
You may feel more discomfort after the ears. It can be a symptom of slower healing.
05. Itching Or Burning
Irritation or inflammation may lead to itching or burning issues in your ear piercing.
But excessive abuse or trauma can also cause this problem. This can be an indication of healing side effects.
What Are The Treatments For Slower Ear Piercing Healing?
Treating slower ear piercing healing on time is necessary to avoid further problems.
The following are some effective treatments if your ear piercing takes too long to heal.
01. Saline Solution
One of the practical solutions for more effortless healing is using saline solution.
They can keep your ear piercings clean from the inside and outside. Also, saline allows for flushing out piercing easily and stimulates circulation.
Make sure to use packaged sterile saline or wound-wash saline containing no additives.
Wash your hands properly before using touching your ear piercing. Apply the saline to a paper pad and place it on your ear piercing area for 5-10 minutes twice a day.
02. Emu Oil
Emu oils are a great choice to decrease the redness of the piercing area and inflammation. They can help your ear skin to heal faster. Make sure to use 100% natural oil to avoid side effects.
Apply a small amount of emu oil with clean fingers on the piercing area and massage gently for a few minutes. Use it at least twice a day.
03. Antibacterial Ointment
If your ear piercing area has any infection, you can use antibacterial ointments, such as Bacitracin, Neosporin, or triple antibiotic ointments.
But don’t use it for the regular healing process because antibacterial ointments mainly decrease the chance of infection.
04. Cleaning Ear Piercing Areas
It is a good rule of thumb to clean your ear piercing areas once or twice a day.
But don’t clean too frequently. Otherwise, it will break down the tissue and slow down the healing session.
05. Cleaning Ear Piercings
Use a mild, fragrance-free soap to wash your ear piercings gently.
Soak them in clean, fresh water to remove soap residue. Dry them properly too.
Clean them twice a day to avoid developing germs and bacteria on them.
How To Prevent Slower Ear Piercing Healing?
01. Avoid using an antibiotic, Glyoxide, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or any Benzalkonium Chloride products (BZK).
02. Don’t wear any tight-fitting or constrictive clothing that causes discomfort in your ear piercing areas.
03. Avoid touching ear piercing areas and move the jewelry repeatedly to prevent damaging the healing tissue. Don’t let other people touch the area too.
04. Make sure to clean your hands with a handwash to free them from germs and bacteria.
05. Keep the ear piercing area from the face scrubs, lotions, makeup, spray fragrances, and other beauty-related products to avoid discomfort and irritation.
06. Make sure to clean any electronic devices that come into contact with your ear piercing area.
07. Wear titanium or yellow/white gold jewelry for smooth healing. Choose either 14k or 18k gold to avoid skin irritation.
Summing UP
It is vital to give more attention to proper aftercare in ear piercing.
If you still see slow healing or complications, seek the advice of your piercer or healthcare provider.
Most importantly, be patient and consistent in aftercare. Hopefully, you got a clear overview of why ear piercing not healing after 2 years and how to treat and prevent them.