[bebeETOILE]

6 days ago (almost a week), I had my ear cartilage pierced. Now, it's a little red and swollen but doesn't hurt.
It DOES hurt though when I touch it or when I try to sleep on it.
I'm really worried
Is this normal? Do I have an infection? What can I do to make it less painful?
Thank you in advance.

[Xiaoba1tu]

6 days is still too early for the ear to heal.
Keep it clean and disinfect it if needed. (Try not to sleep on it..)
Swelling and redness is a normal reaction from the body.

If it's too painful; painkillers would help I guess.

[sus]

yea its normal for it to hurt
takes at least a year for cartlidge to fulli heal

[justlovely12]

wahhh you make me want to start crying again
i pierced my own cartilage yesterday and my mom made me take it out a couple hours ago
i loved it SO freakin much.
hmm my ear looked perfectly normal like my other unpierced ear, but remember you're not supposed to sleep on it! and it's probably not infected, just a little sore from getting it pierced. wait a few days, but if you're really worried, have it checked out really quickly at claires or something.

[<3goesDOKIDOKI]

it takes 6-8 weeks to heal and not hurt anymore

[klx13]

It's normal. DON'T touch it or sleep on it or else it'll irritate it. Don't play around with it either, the germs from your fingers could cause the piercing to get infected.

[0HMi_M0CHi]

Ear cartilage piercings are a bit harder to heal. Did you get it pierced with a gun? The only time my cartilage piercings failed [I've had 4], is when I got it done with the gun. It's really terrible for your ear and are more prone to infections.

Try soaking it in warm sea salt water, use the saline they provided for you, do NOT touch it at all, don't use that ear when you talk on the phone, don't sleep on it, don't use neosporin or rubbing alcohol [they will make it worse].

A swollen, itchy or red ear isnt terrible as long as you're not doing anything to make it worse. When I got it pierced with a gun, it got so infected that it was twice the size and made my face swollen. If it becomes really really sensitive to the touch or aches around your ear, go to the doctors.

[Nana]

Sounds normal, it's cartilage and it will take up to 6 months to COMPLETELY heal. 4-6 weeks for it to stop hurting and heal enough so you can change the piercing if you choose to.

P.S. There's a piercing thread in the beauty section if you ever have future questions.

[tangerine_kisses]

What kind of earring do you have?
If you're using the one with like a "key" the detachable part, that you put behind the ear...
Some people have problems with those kind of earrings, like me.

My ears tend to wound up and water if I wear those kind of earrings.
So I wear little loop earrings.

But if you're not using this kind, just wait for it to heal, I guess?

[Msehuang]

wahhh you make me want to start crying again sad.gif
i pierced my own cartilage yesterday and my mom made me take it out a couple hours ago tears.gif
i loved it SO freakin much.
hmm my ear looked perfectly normal like my other unpierced ear, but remember you're not supposed to sleep on it! and it's probably not infected, just a little sore from getting it pierced. wait a few days, but if you're really worried, have it checked out really quickly at claires or something.

What?
Pierced your own cartilage, as in you sat at home and did it yourself?
I gave myself a normal lobe piercing with a disinfected sewing needle when I was twelve, but Cartilage piercing??
XD

[lananhcali18]

nah it think it's normal. Mine took a year. can you believe it? Still now, if i wear some pointy earrings, it still hurt.

[xxtine_21]

yea its normal for it to hurt
takes at least a year for cartlidge to fulli heal

wow really a year?
cause its ACTUALLY been EXACTLY a year.
i got it pierced on march 20th LMFAO (a day before my bday, thats how i remember)

and it still kind of hurts when i sleep on it. so i guess thast normal?

[shoptoday]

6 days ago (almost a week), I had my ear cartilage pierced. Now, it's a little red and swollen but doesn't hurt.
It DOES hurt though when I touch it or when I try to sleep on it.
I'm really worried
Is this normal? Do I have an infection? What can I do to make it less painful?
Thank you in advance.

http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?sho...&start=2580 <-- Try going there. c: It's really helpful and cartilage questions have been asked there 3987520983750293875823 times.

HAHA. And the last few pages we've been talking about sea salt soaks.

Anyway, it's NORMAL to have pain after only a week of your piercing. Cartilage piercings have one of the longest healing times.
It actually takes around a year for a cartilage piercing to FULLY heal. And you should probably wait at least 3 months before changing your jewelry.
Did you get your cartilage piercing with a gun? Getting cartilage piercings done with guns is NOT advisable and can cause additional discomfort.
And DON'T TOUCH IT. Keep it to the minimum! When you MUST touch it, like when you're cleaning it, make sure you wash your hands before you do. Try your best not to sleep on it too. That will cause additional pain and the chance of infection will be greater because of the bacteria on your pillowcase.
The jewelry you have in also might be a problem. Do you have a stud earring? A captive beaded hoop? Barbell? Or something else? The quality of the jewelry can also impact how your ear feels and heals. o: If you got it done at a tattoo shop, you're free to swing by and ask them questions about your piercing.

You might also be having problems because of your aftercare. What do you do to clean it?

DO warm sea salt soaks daily for proper aftercare though. Don't use "piercing cleaning solution" from a boutique.

http://tattoo.about.com/cs/beginners/l/blpiercingtlc.htm <-- Information for salt soaks is there. Not only will they clean your piercings, but they're also very soothing. You might be having extra pain because your aftercare and cleaning aren't being done properly. If you want your ear to heal as quickly as possible and in a healthy way, you need to take care of it properly. Research/googling stuff can really help. c: Oh, and don't use harsh antibacterial soaps to clean your ear. Try using only these:

Provon Medicated Lotion Soap
Satin Therapeutic Skin Cleanser

If you have any more questions, go to the thread I posted before and ask them there. c: There's plenty of helpful people there.

WOW LONG POST LOL.

[`LANE]

i've a question, i have 2 friends who have told me that when they had their ear cartilage pierced, the skin was like growing around/over the piercing sort of and they had to like. rip off their skin and what not ? is that normal ? and for what i know, both of them had it done by gun >,>;;