[Tiger Bass]

I got my earlobe pierced to 14g almost 2 years ago at a professional piercer. He used a hypodermic needle straight out of it's packaging. As it was healing, I think it got infected a little bit so I used Neosporin to try and help it heal faster. I have since read that using oil based ointments can mess up the healing process if it was infected and I think that this might be my problem.

But on to my actual problem, I have a bump located on the top of my piercing. There is one in the front and one in the back that are connected. It is kind of hard and I can feel it run through my earlobe along the piercing. The bumps tends to be very sensitive to me sleeping on my earring the wrong way or messing with them too much. When it becomes swollen, I will get a small amount of discharge from the hole of the piercing. However, when I try to lance the bumps and drain them, they don't contain any puss and just bleed horribly instead. The bumps also produce a very sharp pain while they are swollen. When they are not swollen, the skin tissue appears to be fairly healthy, painless, doesn't itch, and are approximately 2 to 3 times smaller than when swollen.

Here are a couple pictures of the bumps swollen. And as it stands, I have decided to leave my piercing out and am trying to get a doctor appointment.
Front of Ear.
Back of Ear

[nauticalstar420]

That looks like keloid scarring. What are the bumps like when they are not swollen? How big are they? It looks to me like you need to take the piercing out and let it heal fully, and you will probably not be able to get the lobe pierced again, for the same thing could very well happen.

To soothe the pain, place a warm compress on your ear for 10 minutes twice a day. Also, take some Ibuprofen, this will relieve pain and swelling.

Neosporin is not a good thing to put on piercings. Piercings need oxygen to heal, and ointments like that block oxygen from getting to the piercing.

[JohnSnownw]

It is a keloid, info can be found here:

Keloid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Tiger Bass]

That looks like keloid scarring. What are the bumps like when they are not swollen? How big are they? It looks to me like you need to take the piercing out and let it heal fully, and you will probably not be able to get the lobe pierced again, for the same thing could very well happen.

To soothe the pain, place a warm compress on your ear for 10 minutes twice a day. Also, take some Ibuprofen, this will relieve pain and swelling.

Neosporin is not a good thing to put on piercings. Piercings need oxygen to heal, and ointments like that block oxygen from getting to the piercing.

They usually are about half this size and just appear to be raised bumps in my skin, in that they do not look like scarring. They also are not painful when they are not swollen and never itch like is common with keloids. Other family members have never had this problem before in their piercings. Not even in their do-it-yourself cartilage piercings.

[nauticalstar420]

I have had my lobes pierced a couple of times, and when I pinch them I can feel little tiny bumps in there, maybe half the size of a pea. Are they like that when they are not irritated? When I do something to irritate them they swell and bleed sometimes just like yours, but they are nowhere near as big.

[rankrank55]

Star I think you should be deemed the body art expert!

[Tiger Bass]

Well, not quite the news I was hoping to hear, but I truly appreciate the quick responses so I know what I'm dealing with before I go to the doctor now.

What would you recommend as far as me wanting to keep my piercing? Is there something I can do to prevent the keloid if I get the piercing again, or should I stick my piercing back in and let the keloid be treated while the hole is still there?

[nauticalstar420]

Well, not quite the news I was hoping to hear, but I truly appreciate the quick responses so I know what I'm dealing with before I go to the doctor now.

Going to the doctor is a very good idea. You need to rule out infection, and if it is infected, you need antibiotics. In the meantime, leave it alone. No more lancing! :)

I had them in both ears. The right one went away on its own, and the left one is still there. Just remember the more you play with it, the more irritated it will get. Also, it is a good idea to clean it with antibacterial soap to make sure it is clean and bacteria free.

Good luck and update on what is going on! :)

[nauticalstar420]

What would you recommend as far as me wanting to keep my piercing? Is there something I can do to prevent the keloid if I get the piercing again, or should I stick my piercing back in and let the keloid be treated while the hole is still there?

There is no real cure for keloids. There is a myth that you can treat it with crushed aspirin, but it is just that, a myth. Nothing in aspirin can cure scars.

The best thing you can do is keep the piercing out of your ear to prevent it from getting any bigger.

[Tiger Bass]

There is no real cure for keloids. There is a myth that you can treat it with crushed aspirin, but it is just that, a myth. Nothing in aspirin can cure scars.

The best thing you can do is keep the piercing out of your ear to prevent it from getting any bigger.

Well, as far as treatment goes, I read up about steroid injections and such that doctors can administer and that's what I was referring to.

I am also somewhat interested in tattoos. Is this likely to be a problem with that also?

[nauticalstar420]

Well, as far as treatment goes, I read up about steroid injections and such that doctors can administer and that's what I was referring to.

I am also somewhat interested in tattoos. Is this likely to be a problem with that also?

I thought you were looking for "at home remedies" :p

Steriod injections are given once a month, and the keloid will disappear within 3-6 months. It could take a couple of injections before you start seeing results, so don't fret if you don't see results right away.

If this turns out to be a keloid, that means you could be prone to them, and it is possible that a keloid can affect your tattoo.

Also, if you are prone to keloids, any kind of trauma to your skin can produce a keloid.

[nauticalstar420]

Tiger Bass agrees: I think that's all my questions. Thanks so much for all the help!

You're welcome hun and good luck! :)