Ear piercing dilemma - Expert advice needed

[brandon26]

Hey, I need an expert on ear piercing to help me with this, or who ever can help me.
I got my ear pierced with a steralised gun on the 10th of June. But when I went to school on Tuesday, my teacher said that I am not allowed to wear ear studs, I am not even allowed to cover it up with a plaster. The people who pierced my ear said I should not take it off for 6 weeks.
I got school again from monday for another 4 weeks until sommer holidays start. I need to know, if it would be alright if I took the ear stud off for a few hours during school, and then put them back in after school, everyday (except weekends) for the coming 4 weeks?
Or, can I anyone give me a differnt way to solve my problem?

 

[Gale]

well, you could just take them out, let your ears close up, and then repierce them this summer. the most expensive part of peircing your ears is that cost of the earing, not the peircing itself. you could get really small studs and then cover them up anyway, and hope no one notices. taking the earrings out for a few hours may or may not cause your ears to close up. it depends on your body really. my sister's ears closed up really fast, she took them out for one basketball game, and they closed. mine, however, i could leave out for a day and they'd be fine. (this is right after we peirced them.) now, if you take them out for those few hours anyway, they might close a little, but usually, especially with studs because they're sharpended, you can just sort of... redo the hole yourself. but if you do that, its more likely to close the next time you take them out.

good luck.

 

[Echo 6 Sierra]

Insert a plastic toothpick cut to length from the rear and spin it occasionally to keep it open.

 

[brandon26]

Insert a plastic toothpick cut to length from the rear and spin it occasionally to keep it open.

Would that not cause any infections?

 

[Gale]

Would that not cause any infections?

not if its clean. that's a neat suggestion too. if you're worried, dip it in rubbing alchohol before using it.

 

[brandon26]

well, you could just take them out, let your ears close up, and then repierce them this summer. the most expensive part of peircing your ears is that cost of the earing, not the peircing itself. you could get really small studs and then cover them up anyway, and hope no one notices. taking the earrings out for a few hours may or may not cause your ears to close up. it depends on your body really. my sister's ears closed up really fast, she took them out for one basketball game, and they closed. mine, however, i could leave out for a day and they'd be fine. (this is right after we peirced them.) now, if you take them out for those few hours anyway, they might close a little, but usually, especially with studs because they're sharpended, you can just sort of... redo the hole yourself. but if you do that, its more likely to close the next time you take them out.

good luck.

But its almost one whole week after I pierced my ear. So don't you think, that it all should be fine? Don't you reckon that the hole will not close up too fast, since its not a freshly made hole?

 

[Gale]

it totally depends on your own body. if you want to take it out, go for it. just, there's a possibility it won't go back in very easily. you'll have to be willing to deal with that. if it does close a little, you can either force the earring back in, or let the hole close and repeirce it later.

 

[brandon26]

not if its clean. that's a neat suggestion too. if you're worried, dip it in rubbing alchohol before using it.

Well, good suggestion, but I will be in school and I won't have any alcohol on me at all. But I am going to give it a go on Monday, I will just take my earring out, and put them back in at the end of the school day, and see what happends. If the hole almost closed up, next time I will use the tooth pick method. Or Ill js keep forcing the ear stud back in.
By the way, would it hurt when I take my earring out?

 

[Gale]

Well, good suggestion, but I will be in school and I won't have any alcohol on me at all. But I am going to give it a go on Monday, I will just take my earring out, and put them back in at the end of the school day, and see what happends. If the hole almost closed up, next time I will use the tooth pick method. Or Ill js keep forcing the ear stud back in.
By the way, would it hurt when I take my earring out?

you'd dip the plastic toothpick in alchohol before school and then put it in the hole and cut it down to size. when you got home, you could take it out and replace with your stud, or, just leave the toothpick in. i think its probably a bad idea to keep forcing the earing in every day. and yes, it might hurt when you first take the earing out. if you've kept up on twisting the earing and keeping the hole clean, it will hurt less. but usually there's a little tissue that gets attatched to the ring. also, one week is not very long at all after getting a new peircings. some peircings can take months to heal entirely. a lot of this situation depends on how you've been on the upkeep of the hole.

 

[brandon26]

Right, the toothpick method sound really good to me. I shall follow that. Thanks for your help, problem is sorted.:D

 

[Astronuc]

when I went to school on Tuesday, my teacher said that I am not allowed to wear ear studs.

Try a paper clip.

You could go to the principal and find out about the school policy. The administration sets the 'dress code', not the teacher.

The objective is keeping the stud in place is to let the skin close over the wound, otherwise the tissue will grow together thus filling the whole. Until the wound is healed, keep stud and anything else in contact with the would sterilized. I used hydrogen peroxide in the past, or benzoyl peroxide (anti-acne creme). Try to avoid using any topical anti-biotic, but certain if you get an infection do that. Keep the ear clean. You don't want a staph or other infection.

 

[Moonbear]

I agree with Astronuc, you should check with the Principal. Explain that you just got it pierced and aren't allowed to take it out for 6 weeks because it needs to heal properly first. Assure them that as soon as the 6 weeks are up, you'll agree to take out the earring while in school (or next year if school will be over by then).

The additional risk of taking the earring out and putting it back in is that every time you do that, you're risking introducing bacteria. Even when you are allowed to take them out, clean both your earlobe and the earring with hydrogen peroxide and alcohol (do the peroxide second so that it rinses any alcohol off the earring so it doesn't sting when you put it in if it's not fully healed yet). Oh, and let the earring soak in the alcohol about 10 minutes before you put it in...alcohol needs time to work; it won't be sterile, but it will be reasonably well disinfected.

Maybe you could stick a band-aid (plaster...is that the same thing?) over the earring anyway, and if your teacher asks, tell your teacher that when you took out the stud, it started bleeding.

 

[Adrian Baker]

Maybe you could stick a band-aid (plaster...is that the same thing?) over the earring anyway, and if your teacher asks, tell your teacher that when you took out the stud, it started bleeding.

That is definitely the way to go. Big plaster and note from home explaining about the 'infection'. They can't argue with this.

 

[Blitz kiDD]

Blitz kiDD

Hi I'm new to this site and i just wanted some advice on earrings...this is soo embarrassing but I've had my stud in for about 2 weeks now and i don't know how to take it off...can someone help me please lol

 

[Monique]

I got my ear pierced with a steralised gun on the 10th of June. But when I went to school on Tuesday, my teacher said that I am not allowed to wear ear studs

Not allowed to wear ear studs?? What kind of school is that?

 

[Moonbear]

Hi I'm new to this site and i just wanted some advice on earrings...this is soo embarrassing but I've had my stud in for about 2 weeks now and i don't know how to take it off...can someone help me please lol

Welcome to PF Blitz kiDD. There should be a simple little "back" on the earring that you just pull off the post (hold the stud in front while you pull the part off the back). Just look at a pair of stud earrings in the store and see how the back is on them. Putting them back in sometimes takes a little practice when you've first gotten earrings too. Just make sure the earrings and your hands are clean (when you first take them off after the initial healing period, clean them well...after wearing them so long, there's bound to be some crud stuck in the back that you should clean off before putting them on again).

 

[Danger]

Hi Brandon;
I'm not an expert, but I have some experience in the area. Although both of my surface piercings grew out (I have a really strong immune system), I'm designing one that should stay put.
To start with, don't ever get pierced with a gun again. It causes excessive blunt-force trauma to the area, and most can't be autoclaved because of plastic parts. A purpose-specific surgical steel one-use needle is the only proper way to go.
As for the removal, any reputable piercing studio can supply you with a retainer made for exactly your situation. They're made of clear or flesh-tone lucite or PET and are almost invisible while maintaining the hole. If you wear one, it will just look like a small mole or bit of scar tissue.
As a side note, while alchohol and whatnot are good for cleaning the jewelry itself, don't ever let it get into the wound. That goes for things like Polysporin as well. Sea-salt water (I use kosher pickling salt instead), and a mild antibacterial or antimicrobial soap are the only safe things to introduce to the area. For proper healing, your body grows a new layer of skin between you and the jewelry, and progresses in two stages. Other chemicals interfere with that.
Healing time varies with the individual and with what body part is involved. Initial healing stage on mine was a minimum of 8 months, and over a year for completion.

 

[Astronuc]

Hi I'm new to this site and i just wanted some advice on earrings...this is soo embarrassing but I've had my stud in for about 2 weeks now and i don't know how to take it off...can someone help me please lol

It should have a post extending from the artwork and on the back side should be round hollow clip. You should be able to clasp the front piece (decoration) between two fingers of one hand and the clip with two fingers of the other hand, and then pull the clip back off the post.

If you have trouble, ask your mom if that's possible, sister if you have one, a female friend, or as a last resort, one of your male friends.

Just saw Moonbear's post so mine is somewhat redundant.

Adding to what Danger mentioned, hydrogen peroxide or benzyl peroxide (anti-acne cream) are good antibacterial agents. I try not to use antibiotics, in order to prevent anti-biotic resistant bacteria.

 

[lipgloss_black85]

Okay, so it's been a long time since anyone has posted on this subject, but maybe I'll get lucky and get a reply. Danger is definitely correct. Guns are NOT sterile, and a hollow stainless-steel needle is the way to go. Having said that, I've got a big problem! I had my ears pierced a couple of weeks ago (by a gun, stupid me) and one of them got extremely swollen and got badly infected. I tried to take the stud out, but it was very sore, and after a few tries, I finally realized that the back of the earring had partially sunken into my ear! I had my fiance come and try to grab it with some pliers to help me get it out, but being male (ugh) all he succeeded in doing was pushing it the rest of the way in... now I have an earring back inside of my earlobe, and I can't get the damn thing out. I went to ER, and the doc gave me antibiotics and told me that once the swelling went down, the back would come out. Well, obviously, that doc was an idiot, because it's no longer swollen or painful, but I still have the back stuck in there... has anyone else had this problem, or have any ideas what in the world I should do?

 

[Gale]

i've heard of that happening before, that's why when you get a piercing its important to take good care of it. obviously, it wouldn't have gotten that way if you applied antibiotic or peroxide every day and turned the piercing. but some people forget to. Danger also didn't say that the guns weren't sterile, he just said that hollow needles are much better suited for piercing, (and they are.) they use a sharpened stud which is obviously only ever used once.

anyway, as far as what you should do... i'd probably ice your ear to numb the pain and reduce the swelling and then try to pull it out. if you have longer nails, that will help, but i wouldn't try the plyers again. if you can, you might just want to cut the earing so you can take it out, and get a new one instead. whatever you do, take better care of your piercings next time.

 

[Astronuc]

the back of the earring had partially sunken into my ear!

I've never heard of such a problem. Is it an elaborate stud?

I had a simple Lone Star stud on a simple post. The clip just slid on and locked in place by friction.

Also, when one gets skin/body piercings, one should wash the area well beforehand - with soap - and then with alcohol just before the piercing. Also, piercing needles or whatever, should be properly sterilized.

Strains of streptococcus and staphlococcus are common bacteria on the skin - around the face and neck, and into the ears, nose and throat. That is why one should wash very carefully before piercing the sking and one should use properly sterilized implements. Afterwards, wash the piercing with alcohol (and peroxide) and continuing washing with soap regularly for a week or so.

 

[heartless]

Why do people pierce their ears?

 

[Evo]

Okay, so it's been a long time since anyone has posted on this subject, but maybe I'll get lucky and get a reply. Danger is definitely correct. Guns are NOT sterile, and a hollow stainless-steel needle is the way to go. Having said that, I've got a big problem! I had my ears pierced a couple of weeks ago (by a gun, stupid me) and one of them got extremely swollen and got badly infected. I tried to take the stud out, but it was very sore, and after a few tries, I finally realized that the back of the earring had partially sunken into my ear! I had my fiance come and try to grab it with some pliers to help me get it out, but being male (ugh) all he succeeded in doing was pushing it the rest of the way in... now I have an earring back inside of my earlobe, and I can't get the damn thing out. I went to ER, and the doc gave me antibiotics and told me that once the swelling went down, the back would come out. Well, obviously, that doc was an idiot, because it's no longer swollen or painful, but I still have the back stuck in there... has anyone else had this problem, or have any ideas what in the world I should do?

Go to a doctor and have it removed and dressed. When I first got my ears pierced, I discovered I have a rare allergy to gold, that was before they went to surgical steel.

 

[Mk]

Why do people pierce their ears?

I was thinking about this today at lunch. We look at weird African jungles that pierce holes in their lips to put plates in them. Then they try and get the biggest plates possible in, over time, you can put bigger and bigger plates in, and the local women with the biggest plates (if you know what I mean) has somethin goin for her! http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/photogalleries/africa_faces2/photo6.html. We also kind of do it by piercing holes in our ears, eyebrows, tongues, noses etc. And all piercings tend to be looked down upon, as kind of "low-class" however earrings are the piercing that are respected. Well, if they're worn by females. If they are worn by males (usually one ear), it is more of a street look.

I had my fiance come and try to grab it with some pliers to help me get it out, but being male (ugh)

Well, if you want to be like that, I could say maybe he didn't succeed because you were screaming and crying. :grumpy:

 

[Astronuc]

Why do people pierce their ears?

It was a simple act of recalcitrance on my part. I went out with a friend and we just happened to pass a jewelry store (in a busy mall) and decided to get our ears pierced - it was purely spontaneous.

The girl who did our piercing mentioned that they had never had a guy come in a get his ear pierced - she was startled. That was back before it became popular for straight men to get their ears pierced.

While we did it, there were quite a few adults look at as very disapprovingly :rofl: , which was the desired effect.

My mom did not notice it for many months, since I had long hair and my ears were covered. She finally noticed it one day when I was sitting in a chair, and she looked over and just about screamed - "What's that in your ear!?" I explained, and she was very upset. Parents! Mothers!

 

[heartless]

Alright, so you pierced the ears just to do something different than common people - broke up the stereotype that only girls should wear earrings. But nowadays, this rule does not exist. People don't look strange at you if they see your pierced ears, piercing them nowadays doesn't mean 'doing something different' or going against something anymore since many people do that. Still, why would a male or female or whatever pierce their ears nowadays?

 

[Astronuc]

Alright, so you pierced the ears just to do something different than common people - broke up the stereotype that only girls should wear earrings. But nowadays, this rule does not exist. People don't look strange at you if they see your pierced ears, piercing them nowadays doesn't mean 'doing something different' or going against something anymore since many people do that. Still, why would a male or female or whatever pierce their ears nowadays?

Well people do it now to be 'chic', or fit in with a peer group. Now it is not just ear lobes, but multiple piercings around the ear and at various locations around the body. Not something I would do myself.

 

[Danger]

I'd agree with Evo on this one. Get it removed by a doctor. You wouldn't like to end up like my old cat, with his ears all crumpled up from damaged cartilage.

 

[Moonbear]

I'll add a third to the opinion that a doctor should remove that earring back. And I agree with the assessment that the ER doc was an idiot not to remove it at the time you were seen there. It would have helped the infection clear up too to remove a source of irritation. They could have just numbed it up with a local anesthetic and removed the earring back at the same time they cleaned out the wound.

 

[Danger]

Do I detect a malpractice suit in the making?
You'd be able to afford all of the jewelry you want.