[CelloGirl]

I've had a snug piercing for a couple months, it's just one of my 13 piercings. Its not infected and I clean it 4 times a day, but its still very sore and I can barely touch my ear. Also, my rook hurts and I got it done a couple months ago. Is there any way I can hurry the healing process or ease the pain?

[HorrorQueen]

Taking an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen may ease your discomfort, because it is the swelling in the piercing that normally causes the pain and irritation. Also, you are cleaning your piercing way too much. If you have been cleaning it 4 times daily for 2 months you have given it no time to begin the healing process; every time it begins to heal you are cleaning away all of the good bacteria.

For the first week 3 times a day is plenty, and after that I would clean it once a day for the rest of the month. If it starts to leak fluid and you get a build up, clear that away, but if you continue to clean it four times a day it never has chance to start the healing process, which is why it is still hurting.

Good luck

[ramona_]

Great advice.

[ramona_]

Snug's typically take 6 months, sometimes longer, to heal even when well looked after. They usually stay swollen and sore during the majority of that 6 months because:

• A snug piercing goes through cartilage which is simply a harder type of tissue to heal.
  
• The fold the piecing goes through tends to be fairly thick. This means the piecing goes through a lot of tissue which takes longer to heal.
  
• The shape of the fold the piercing goes through is rounded/curved. This results in a bit of constant pressure on the piercing from the jewelry, which prolongs the healing.
  
• The piercing is on the outer part of the ear, meaning it is more likely to get bumped, snagged and knocked around in the course of daily life.

For cleaning advice, HorrorQueen's answer was spot on.