Fashion & Style

Generally it takes up to eight to ten weeks to fully heal an ear piercing, and that is if aftercare is done correctly.

The ear lobes are one of the fastest healing body parts a person has. Ear piercing has long been a tribal custom that has devolved into an American fad. Generally it takes up to eight to ten weeks to fully heal an ear piercing, and that is if aftercare is done correctly. There are only a rare few problems that arise from ear lobe piercing; upper ear cartilage piercing however has been plagued with problems. Granulomas, small lumps that surround the piercing, are common. Due to strain on the wound, they will need hot compresses to shrink. Keloids are another problem. These are a bit more tricky and will need cortisone to heal.

Things to do in aftercare

1- Clean your piercing only once a day, preferably in the shower while lathering up your hair. If you clean it more than once you risk weakening your body’s own natural defense to heal itself.

2- Take a B vitamin with zinc. This promotes healing. Also, add a multivitamin to your regime to speed up healing and boost immunity.

3- Check for hair around the ear piercing. Hair can transmit hair products, bacteria, dirt, oil, and other irritants into the wound. A small pin can remove the hair if its wrapped tightly, just don’t accidentally poke the ear itself.

4- Clean pillowcases more often than normal so that the bacteria don’t have time to breed and move into wound.

5- Avoid public telephones. Again, just a bacteria and irritant reduction technique.

6- Use your head when using shampoos and hair care products. These can work into the wound and inflame or irritate it. Always use dye free or perfume free products while you are in the healing stages of a piercing.

7- Rinse with saline to remove the crust that builds up. This crust is from clear fluid that gets secreted called lymph. It is harmless, but the crust has sharp edges that may damage the skin around the wound.

Things not to do in aftercare

1- Don’t touch the piercing except to clean the area. Wash your hands before you touch it also. A gentle rotating is all it needs to keep from crusting up.

2- Don’t remove the piercing for the first three months. This gives optimum healing time, plus it keeps the wound from being further damaged by the ear ring going in and out.

3- Don’t use alcohol, witch hazel, or hydrogen peroxide on a healing ear lobe or ear cartilage. These products have been known to promote scarring in tender flesh like an ear.

Piercings go through two very distinct key healing phases. The first is very prone to infection and inflammation; extreme care should be taken in the first 6 weeks of this healing process. This insures that no scarring or keloids will form. Once the scar tissue is there, it is very difficult to get rid of easily, if ever. The second phase completes the healing process and ensures that you can maneuver the piercing as you wish, whenever you wish.

Written by Tina Samuels – 2002 Pagewise