My helix piercing has raised skin around it?
I got my piercing about two weeks ago and had a bout with an infection (massive swelling, redness, heat and pain; though no discharge of any sort) for a few days but it went away with many salt soaks. Now that the infection seems to be gone and my ear is down to its normal size again, the skin around the CBR appears to have grown. It's not a keloid, and there's no discoloration, but it looks the way that skin does when you're pulling a barbell out of an earring hole and your skin stretches in a cone-shape around the barbell. Basically, there's slightly raised skin around the pierced area, not extending more than 1mm away from the actual hole. And it's on both the front and back sides. Question is, has this happened to you or anyone you know? And does it go away? If not, then what can I do to minimize how it looks? Sorry for the billion questions and blurbing on, but I'm one of those paranoid people who exhaust any kind of resource they can get their hands on. So thanks for any help :)
Is swelling around a cartilage piercing normal?
Friday night, i had the top of my left ear pierced. I was it would be tender for some time. Well some days later, its not as tender as it once was, and its not red, but there is some swelling. I am constantly watching it to make sure there is no infection. Could the swelling mean its infected even if its not that painful and not red? Or is it normal to swell sometimes? When i first got it, i was able to push the barbell back and for through my ear. I can no longer do that. I Can twist it, but not slide it. Any information or ideas regarding this would be appreciated.
How do i reduce the swelling around my cartilage piercing?
Ok...first of all you don't have an infection. It's a freshly new piercing, it's going to be swollen and red; that is normal. Did you sleep on your ear? That could definitely be the cause of the irritation. I would suggest to try to loosen the back up some. You shouldn't have gotten it pierced with a stud =/ That is the hardest way to clean it...but anyways make sure you are cleaning it with anti-bacterial soap and water! Rinse thoroughly since it's a stud because you don't want soap staying in between the back and stud. Also try sea salt soaks. Mix salt with warm water and pour it slowly over your ear or try to "dip" your ear in the cup. If you start to see blood or it continues to bother you go back to your piercer and have them check it out. Don't pay for a doctor's visit that you don't need...the worst that can happen is you will have to take the piercing out and let the hole close up. I've had 2 helix piercings and my first one got infected and then after I let it healed I got it repierced. You will be fine!
Cartilage piercing swelling? Red veins?
I was worried that it was disfiguring my ear and my mom said it was just swelling. Should I be worried about the swelling? Is there any way to get rid of it? I'm not sure how long I've had it but it hasn't been a really long time. I got it done with a gun and now I'm worried about what everyone says about the gun. Also, a few days after I got my piercing done these 2 red veins showed up on the part of my ear next to my cartilage but not my cartilage. I'm not sure if there veins but I think they might be. Is this normal? Bad? Unhealthy?is there anyway I could get rid of them?
Got a helix piercing over a year ago and has been swollen ever since. Today it really swelled up and is now bleeding?
Sorry it took me a couple of hours to get back to you. I was getting high, and I think I misunderstood your question. The stoned Franny thought it said your helix piercing was swollen for over a year. Not only that, but now it's super, duper swollen, and bloody as well! I just can't believe that anyone would subject themselves to over a year of pain like you have. You have to know that this isn't normal. At the very least, one of your friends must have known, right? Didn't your piercer give you after care instructions to go home with? You know what? Let's not dwell on the past. Let's get you sorted out now, shall we? Let's try to do this with avoiding a trip to the doctors office, or the hospital :Is your Helix Piercing Healed, Irritated, or Infected?A swollen piecing with discharge can make you think that you have an irritated or infected piercing, but that is actually what a normal healing process may look like. When talking about correct cartilage piercing care the terms used are an "angry" piercing and an "infected" one. An angry piercing is:irritatedswollenand can give off a dischargeIt is considered to be healing normally as it is natural that the tissue would be irritated and the pus discharge is also a part of the healing process. That cloudy discharge is what forms the crust that works to protect the piercing site as it heals. It can also bleed lightly.A site is considered infected when it:becomes red around the edgesbecomes painful to the touchgives off a foul odorThose are the most common signs of an infected piercing, but you should also:look for signs of streaks or marks in the surrounding tissue,feel the piercing to see if it is hot or warm to the touchas well as paying attention to unusual swelling beyond what may be normally expected.You must see a physician to deal with an infected piercing site to get your healing back on track fast. Cartilage piercing care is easy, but to make sure it goes well you have to address any issues as fast as possible.Well, some time has passed, and I'm sorry to say, I think a trip to the doctor is inevitable. I posted this as a formality more than anything. I wanted you to see for your self that you do in fact have an infection. Good luck to you.Franny
Cartilage piercing swelling?? normal or no?
okay so about four days ago i got my cartilage pierced. it was done at a legit piercing place that uses the hallow needle NOT a gun and the employees have alot of experience. and for the first two or three days it seemed fine, no swelling or soreness and it only hurt mildly when i touched it. only now its like swollen (you wouldnt be able to tell that much by looking at it but if you touched it you'd be able to tell it was swollen) and it really hurts. is this normal? also, is it better to use sea salt solution or claire's antiseptic? (i've had the claires antiseptic from a previous piercing, mistake i know)
Why is my helix piercing still swollen red and weeping after 4 months?  
This is me writing about my questionI got it done by my usual piercer 4 months ago in November and it’s always been swollen red and sore. It’s stud is made of 100% titanium so I shouldn’t be having a allergic reaction to the metal and I clean it with sea salt and water twice a day. It’s swollen to the size of the bar and I saw my piercer recently and he said it’s just irritated and to gently squeeze it whilst having a bath to see if there’s any discharge. I do get crustys quite a lot but I don’t sleep on it or play with it I only turn it when cleaning. Also I had my tragus pierced in January and that has been just fine after having it switched to a longer bar and I had my daith pierced on Tuesday but they both don’t look as bad as my helix piercing.Here’s a picture of my helix:Edit: I’ve had a longer bar put in by my piercer today he said I should just carry on sss but it’s still really sore how long till throbbing and swelling and soreness goes down and how to reduce it. thanks for all the comments so far!!
Weird lump behind ear from cartilage piercing?
so i got my cartilage pierced 2 days ago and im not sure if its infeced or not. its extremely swollen, red, and painful, but i did get 2 cartilage at once. the earrings are covered in crust, and theres no room to move the earring back and forth, besides the fact its painful even without touching it. i was told the swelling is normal, but this is really swollen. but what im most worried about is the hard lump on my neck behind my ear, near the bottom, thats very painful also. its not very big, but when its touched it shoots through my entire ear and slight pain through my neck on the side. im very scared, can anyone tell me what this lump is? this has never happened before and i have 4 lobe piercings on both sides, but they said the 4th is high enough that it counts as cartilage. i also have my nose pierced and used to have my belly button, until i took it out and it closed. ive never had swelling like this, or pain. is there something wrong with my double cartilage piercing, or is it just a harder area to have pierced? im worried and i asked other people i know about their cartilage piercings and they say theres was swollen and painful for quite a while too. p.s. yes i do clean them frequently.
Is it okay that my helix piercing is red, swollen and painful? I just get my helix piercing a week ago and suddenly its red, swollen and painful. its been two days now that my helix piercing is swollen, red and painful.
Swelling and pain are all normal signs of healing for a new piercing. I’d suggest taking some ibuprofen or tylenol to help with pain and swelling. (Do not take Aspirin as it could thin the blood)If it’s oozing a liquid that’s yellow, or green, or really any colour other than clear and not blood, it could be infected.Are you doing sea salt soaks 2x a day and any time after it comes in contact with unclean liquids? (Such as pool water or ocean water) 1/4 tsp non-iodized sea salt and a cup of warm water to soak the piercing. Letting it sit under hot water in the shower to loosen any crap getting stuck there is even better. You can also buy a poercing cleanser. I suggest H2Ocean, I recently used it on my tongue and it worked WONDERS!Did you possibly hit it on something? It’s a helix piercing, it could be close to hair and get easily tugged. Same with shirts and clothing. Maybe you’ve been sleeping on it. All are big red flags to look out for. Irritations can cause swelling redness and pain.Keep monitoring it closely, and if it starts to get really hot to the touch (mild heat as it is swollen or red from being irritated is normal) or continues to be swollen, red, and warm for prolonged periods of time - if it starts to ooze anything that isn’t blood in moderate amounts or clear liquids (yellowy, puslike, brown, red, large amounts of blood, etc) go see your piercer a/o a doctor; it could be infected.Do NOT take out your piercing if it gets infected. It could close and quickly trap an infection inside. Follow through with those sea salt soaks and go see a professional.
Is is normal for my cartilage piercing to swell?
Don't follow the, "clean it as much as possible," advice. Overcleaning your piercing can be just as harmful as not taking care of it at all. Throw out the aftercare information they gave you and throw out the crappy antiseptic they gave you and switch to sea salt soaks (1/4th of a teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt to 8oz of hot water) twice a day for 5-10 minutes each soak. Do not rotate or twist the jewelry at all. Your hands should never touch the area. Please go to a real piercer next time... But yes, it is normal for it to swell. Take ibuprofen and ice it for short periods of time (10-15 minutes) to help with the swelling. Sometimes because the jewelry is so short there can be a problem with embedding...if the jewelry starts to become really tight due to the swelling please go see a professional piercer.