How can I reduce swelling on a Rook Piercing?
I got my rook pierced on Friday night and it didn't hurt at all. Then on Saturday it started to ache a little bit and I struggled to sleep Saturday night because I kept rolling over in my sleep and woke up with it hurting. I had not washed it or sprayed it because it seemed fine and I didn't want to make it sore when it seemed perfectly fine. Then today (Sunday) It started to ache incredibly bad and it has swollen quite a lot. The bar is still fine without any puss or blood (hasn't had any at all so far) and it is not being 'eaten' by the swelling, there is plenty of room for it. I am getting a throbbing pain from behind my ear though (the only real pain) as it feels like there is a swollen gland (not sure if there even is a glad behind your ear but its all bumpy and throbbing like heck). I struggled to get through work because it was throbbing so badly and when I got home I put an ice pack behind my ear and around my rook (where the swelling mostly is, but not bumping my rook piercing) and then washed it my piercing with salty water. The swelling is still really bad and its throbbing quite a bit again, is this normal? I know that rook piercings are known to have a prolonged healing time and that is causes swelling for quite some time. I'm worried that because I didn't wash it first it may be getting infected (although there is NO blood or puss and the piercing itself does not hurt). I'm just worried more so about what this swelling has done to behind my ear as that is what is hurting. Has anyone else had this happen to them, and if so how long did it take for it to go down? Is there anything I can do to make it better? Is there a gland/nerve behind your ear? Do you think it is becoming infected? I have tried my best not to touch it or around it and I have a bar but it doesn't look infected. I was hoping someone could let me know how to reduce the swelling if it is at all possible and mostly about behind my ear. Sorry if this is repetitive and long, please answer. :c
Is your rook piercing suppose to swell ?
mine was just the same, it was massively swollen, but its normal, although it will hurt like hell if you sleep on it. my rook took absolutely aaaages to heal, and it was mostly for two reasons - one, i didn't clean it enough, and because it is in such a complex little area, it got quite dirty - so make sure you clean it, although not more than once a day, as if you clean it to much it will go red and shiny from being too dry. also, i found the piercing so awesome that i couldn't stop playing with it all the time, and that really messed it up. as soon as i stopped fiddling with it the piercing healed in no time.
How can I get the swelling to go down on my rook piercing?
Try not to sleep on the side where you have your rook pierced for a while. Also, just continue doing the daily 3 treatments. 1. piercing wash (any piercing soap or spray) - usually when you wake up -make sure to wash it off with water and dry it with a q-tip 2. sea spray- during the day -just spray your piercings area once or twice and leave it, nothing else needed. 3. sea salt soak - at night for ten minutes -boil some water (a cup amount) -let it cool off for about 10 minutes, until its temperature is bearable for you. -add sea salt rocks, stir and let them dissolve. -turn your head sideways to soak your ear in the sea salt water. -leave for 10 minutes, then rinse. -A shower is recommended afterwards or a good rinsing is necessary. If you do these three things for about 10 days, your rook should be fine! You can definitely change your bar after about 3 months, the piercer is correct. Even if it a little swollen you can even change it now.
How long does it take on average for a rook piercings swelling to go down?
i had my rook pierced last week friday , and when it was first done i could see the bar and it wasnt even swollen , however after 2 days it started going red and now i cant see the bar.. i do sea salt soaks twice a day for 5 mins ,, is this normal ? how long on average does it take for the swelling to go down ? i would like for those to comment , who already have rook piercings , thanks :) http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l0dg1mHqD61qzbpm2o1_400.jpg
What should I do if my rook piercing is swollen?
Treat the piercing!Start by doing warm sea salt soaks on it with cotton balls and swabs. You can make your own sea salt solution using 1/4 tsp of sea salt per 1 cup of water. Warm it up in the microwave for a couple of seconds with a couple of cotton balls in it, and lay down a few swabs and tissues on a clean surface for later. Make sure the solution and and cotton balls are warm, not hot or you'll burn yourself! Drain the cotton balls a bit from the solution, but don't dry them up. Press a warm cotton ball on the piercing, to make sure it soaks in the solution, you can use a tissue to keep it from dripping over you. Do these warm soaks for 15–20 minutes a day. Once done with the soak, use the swabs to carefully clean off any pus, dried blood or debris still stuck to the piercing. You can dip them in the solution to help removing debris off. Once you are done, use a dry swab to finish drying up the area.Continue the above for however long it takes until the area looks healthy and it no longer has any pus or dried blood.In addition to that, you can clean it with a mild antibacterial soap while in the shower. Once in the morning, and once before bed.Make sure you don't sleep on it! Any pressure and any contact will aggravate the problem.The rook for me had a long healing time, and its important to take very meticulous care of it. Even years after healing, it acts up whenever if gets hit really hard or it gets continuous pressure from sleeping on it. I just take care of it for a week or two, and its back to normal.I hope this helps!
Why is my surface piercing swelling?
What type of surface piercing is it?Describe the swelling, is it pink? Near the balls? Near the centre? Is there any visible blood/scab?It could be swelling for a variety of reasons. Without more information I would guess that it's either been bumped or you have cleaned it with something too harsh or cytotoxic(like alcohol or very salty solutions and peroxides)
Rook piercing swollen ear.. what to do?
have you slept on it? rooks get irritated pretty easy from being slept on. what kind of jewelry do you have in? a ring or a curved barbell? if curved barbell, check it to make sure that it hasn't swollen to the point that your balls are touching the cartilage. if it is, or if you got pierced with a ring, you may need to go back to the piercer and get fitted with different jewelry that will allow for swelling better. for some more immediate relief, ice and the strongest ibuprofen that you can get your hands on will help significantly. how are you doing your sea salt soaks? from my own experience, holding a cup over your ear to soak will help with the tenderness and sometimes even help with swelling. if the swelling persists or gets worse over the next day or so, go back to the piercer and have them look at your ear. as for the proposition of it being an infection. the piercing is really too new for it to be an infection. it is true that infectios in cartilage are not good, but even if it were an infection, don't take the jewelry out, you will only trap the infection inside your ear. signs of infection: green, brown red or some other unusual color of secretion (clear, white and slightly yellowed are normal) foul odor to the secretion hot feeling to the touch usually accompanied by streaked redness EDIT: if you're going to do the cotton ball method....do it for about 5-10 minutes. when you feel the cotton ball start to dry out, get out another one and dip it in your sea salt solution and reapply. :)
Swollen rook piercing?
Contact solution often has some chemical additives in it and isn't really sterile saline. I'd definitely switch over to doing your own sea salt soaks....mix 1/4th of a teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt to 8oz of hot water for the solution. Soak it twice a day for 5-10 minutes each soak. I usually just double the solution, put it in a clean bowl, and tilt my ear into it so it can soak. Keep up with the ibuprofen for the swelling. Stop moving the jewelry around...that drags in crust and bacteria and tears up the fistula on the inside that is trying to heal. You don't need to move it around to clean it properly if you're soaking it. It is completely normal for a six day old piercing through a thick piece of cartilage to have dried blood and crust around it. Try hard not to sleep on it, if you have one of those curved pillows that help support your neck I've found those make it more comfortable to sleep with a new ear piercing. If it was infected you'd have excessive redness, hot to the touch, and yellow/green pus usually with an odor. What you're experiencing is completely normal. Just start doing the soaks, cut the contact solution, and stop moving the jewelry.
How long does a rook piercing stay swollen?
How long it remains swollen depends on your body. It's a thick piece of cartilage, could be a few weeks. It's also normal for a fresh piercing to be red and sore. Make sure you're not ever laying on it. You should keep it clean by doing sea salt soaks twice a day the entire healing time so 6-12 months.
How do you take care of a rook piercing?
I recently got my rook pierced a few weeks ago and I’ve had no problems with healing or infections thus far.This has been my cleaning routine:Saline Wash - I clean my piercing twice a day (once in the morning when I wake up and once at night before I go to bed) with a saline wound wash spray. With a fine mist spray, I spray the top and bottom holes of my piercing thoroughly and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then I take a clean q-tip and carefully clean off any dried blood or crusties around the piercing. Dried blood will loosen and come off after time so do not rub or pry too hard. Alternatively, if you’re using a full stream spray, you can directly spray a q-tip with the saline wash and clean around the piercing. Remember to use a clean q-tip/q-tip side for each hole! My piercer recommended the NeilMed Piercing Aftercare Spray but I’ve used CVS Saline Wound Wash Spray too and both work fine.Soap - I wash my piercing once a day or once every other day with a fragrance free, moisturizing, antibacterial soap. I usually do this step in the shower. I first wash my hands with normal antibacterial soap to make sure they are clean. Then I’ll get a very small drop of my piercing aftercare soap in my fingers and lather it up. Gently, rub the soap around the top and bottom holes of the piercing. It is NOT necessary to move or rotate the piercing while you’re doing this. Afterwards, I just let the soap rinse off in the shower and let my ear air dry. DO NOT use regular antibacterial hand soap because it will dry out your piercing - use soap specifically made for piercing or tattoo aftercare!The most important step to healing your rook piercing is to leave it alone. Never touch your piercing with dirty hands or play with your piercing as it will leave you prone to infections and prolong healing. I also try to keep my hair away from my ear and avoid using earbuds in my pierced ear which can carry dirt and bacteria. Of course, always listen to your piercer because they will know the best way to take care of your piercing!