I have an ear piercing that I've had for over 20 years.
It started bothering me about a month ago so I took my earring out.
It's a burning irritating feeling.
I've been washing with mild soap and even went and bought some
Cleaning solution for piercings, but the burning persists.
Inside the hole appears red, but it doesn't look swollen and nothing is oozing out.

Anything else I could try?

Thanks

I would put a dollop of neosporin (or other topical antibiotic ointment you might have) on it several times a day. Also, keep your hair off it and don't touch the piercing unless your hands are clean. Try not to over-clean it, the more you touch or squeeze it the more it will hurt. I've actually had this happen with an old piercing too, and this seemed to work. Also cleaning it with an alcohol pad once a day before the antibiotic ointment worked. I hope this helped.

Neosporin and alcohol are very bad for piercings. The chemicals in these products are too harsh and will likely make the problem worse.

Can you remember anything that could have caused this? Did you change jewelry recently? Did it get injured (bumped, caught, pulled, etc.)?

It may have gotten pulled without me realizing it at the time.
The hole looks more like a slit now.

Oooh. It sounds like it actually got torn. Sometimes we don't notice things that happen when we are asleep. If it got caught on your pillow, or on your hair while you were tossing and turning or just simply rolling over, you might not notice until it started to act up. I get injuries to my piercings sometimes and don't even notice it until it flares up.

Also, have you been wearing any cheap "play" jewelry? Sometimes with really cheap earrings, the "gold" coating on the posts can actually flake off in your ear, which can also cause a flare up.

Wearing very heavy earrings can also cause irritation. :)

This particular hole has never had a fake earring in it, but other holes in my lobe have and I know exactly what your talking about.
This isn't sore, although it was when I first noticed it, now it's just an annoying burn feeling.
It's the forth hole up, close enough to the edge that it's not going through the cartilage, but the cartilage has that burn in it too, more so than the hole I think.
Also I had my math wrong, got first piercing over 20 years, but
This particular one only 16 years with this being the first issue like this.

The burning feeling can possibly be a very early sign of infection. The irritation could have came from something that happened in your sleep, or from something that happened during the day and you were too busy to notice.

Clean all of the holes in that ear with antibacterial soap once a day to stop the spread of possible bacteria. Since infection is possible, you should see a doctor in case he recommends you go on some antibiotics. Since it is 16 years old, there shouldn't be any fear of it closing up, so I would leave earrings out of it until it is looked at by a doctor. If you do want to put earrings in it, stick with surgical steel or gold posts. To soothe the burning feeling, you can take Ibuprofen (trust me, it helps :p), and you can also put a warm compress on it for 10 minutes twice a day. The compress works wonders in soothing piercings. Remember whenever you touch it, make sure your hands are washed first with antibacterial soap to prevent bacteria from transferring from your hands to your piercing. :)

Naut, is right on here Kay. Also, when I had my belly Piercing irriated (which is no longer:(
They also advised Sea Salt. You can get it at your grocery store. I got mine at the Acme.
However, you may want to get it from the piercing places as they can advise how much salt.

You do warm water soaks with it and it can speed up the healing.

Naut, is that right?

Thank you ladies for all the suggestions and advice.
I was afraid I was going to have to go to the doctor for an earring hole...

I haven't been wearing any earrings in that ear since this started because
The weight of them all pulled or moved my ear around too much causing discomfort for the one bothering me.
If it doesn't close up that would be great.
I thought that it might since it's red inside and probably torn.
Thanks again

Naut, is right on here Kay. Also, when I had my belly Piercing irriated (which is no longer:(
they also advised Sea Salt. You can get it at your grocery store. I got mine at the Acme.
However, you may want to get it from the piercing places as they can advise how much salt.

You do warm water soaks with it and it can speed up the healing.

Naut, is that right?

That is so awesome that you had your navel pierced. For some reason, I never would have pictured it; that's just because you are way too nice to be a piercing person. Haha, I don't know if that makes sense. :p

You need to be careful when using salt soaks. If salt water is overused or abused, it can do terrible things to your piercings. It can cause dryness, itchiness, flakiness, peeling, etc. Also, if used incorrectly, it doesn't speed up healing, it actually slows it down. Some people think "the more salt I use, the healthier my piercing will be, and the faster it will heal", but that is actually not the case. If you use the salt water, I want to make sure you are using it correctly so it has no negative effect. Here's what you should do :

Dissolve 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized (iodine free) sea salt into 8 oz. of warm water. Turn the cup of solution upside down, or however you need to, to form a vacuum around the piercing. Leave it there for no more than 2 minutes. Rinse the piercing thoroughly with warm water to be sure that all of the salt particles are gone from your piercing. Do this NO MORE than once a day. Do this right along with the general aftercare (antibacterial soap) of your piercing.

Good luck and I hope it heals up nicely for you. :)

Naut and Kae you both are such sweethearts.

Oh Kae I hope your ear isn't torn :(.


Naut, I had to take my piercing out :( and I loved it! But it kept getting irrittated and hurt like a toothache.

I probably didn't go to the best place. But they were very nice and did seem to know what they were doing. And where I work I sit most of the day and my clothes kept rubbing against it. Ouch:(

I went to a different place for a follow-up and the were the ones that told me just like you did, about how to use the sea salt. But I finally did take it out.

I am hoping someday to get it redone and the second place. Is it possible to have it redone?

Thanks and love you both :)

Naut and Kae you both are such sweethearts.
Is it possible to have it redone?

Thanks and love you both :)

Aww thank you, you are such a sweetheart too! :)

Of course you can have it re-done, as long as it is not overgrown with scar tissue. If its just a little scarred, or not at all, then it will be absolutely fine. :)

Naut,

I am very fair skin, but oddly enough, at least to the eye, you can hardly tell.

It won't be for a while, or even at all, but I think a little one there looks so pretty.

Thanks again!!

I think they look very pretty too allheart!
Unfortunately for me, I only get stuck by needles when it is absolutely necessary, you know for like Iv's for surgery, blood tests and stuff LOL.
I wonder how a piercing feels compared to that stuff?

Over the weekend a small bump developed, on the back of the lobe,
Above the sensitive hole .
It's about the size of a small pebble and it's under the skin.
It's very painful and reminds me of an under the skin pimple.
When this thing formed the burning feeling I was having disappeared.
If this is a pimple, which would be my guess, then I'm not going to the doctor.
Is it common for a pimple to develop on the back of an ear like this?

Those bumps are actually quite common in piercings that have just gone through some sort of trauma or irritation. They are usually filled with some sort of fluid -- either pus or blood.

To help it drain, you can put a warm compress on it for 10 minutes twice a day. The heat will help the fluid rise to the surface and drain on its own. Don't squeeze it, prick it or try to pop it in any way. That could just make matters worse. They have to drain in their own time. Bear with it, because it can take a while (sometimes up to a month!) to drain.

If it does not eventually drain on its own, and gets worse (more painful, more inflamed), you may want to see a doctor so he can drain it for you. If it does drain on its own, and the fluid is green or yellow and has a bad smell, you should see a doctor because that is a pretty definite sign of infection.

Good luck hun and I hope it gets better soon. :)

So it's not really an ordinary ole pimple then?

My main concern about going to the doctor was that he already thinks I'm a hypochondriac,
Well I am, but I'm trying not to be so much... and I really hate it when I know he's thinking
I'm nut for being there - which he would have done if I went there for a pimple.

Thanks again, I'll try the warm compress to see if that helps it.
If not, then I'll go.

Its not really just a pimple. Its caused by the irritation to the piercing. You really only need to go do the doctor of it does not drain on its own, or if it develops signs of an infection.

A lot of times, things like this go away on their own just with time. :)

I've been following all your advice and the bump is half the size it was before. It's no longer constantly bothering me.
It's been such a slow process, it drains so slowly that I don't even notice that it's draining.
Hopefully at this rate it will be completely healed in maybe 2 weeks.
Just wanted to let you know that your suggestions are working:-)

Oh good I'm so glad! Nobody likes those stupid bumps (especially me!) :p

Its normal for the drain process to be fairly slow -- it's a lot healther than squeezing it or pricking it just for fast relief. When you do that, the bump always comes back. Just keep at it and it should heal up fine for you soon! :)