In fact, ears sometimes secrete a white to yellow thin liquid while healing from a piercing, and sebum from your oil glands can also collect on your piercings. “If your discharge is light in color and not accompanied by pain, redness, warmth or swelling, it is probably not infected,” Shah said.
"Earring posts can accumulate retained skin oils that help yeast, fungus, and bacteria overgrow," explains Ciraldo. You might think a simple shampoo in the shower is enough to wash away that gunk, but even leftover hair products can build up around the earring post and accumulate in and around that tiny earring hole.
Ear piercing infections may be red, swollen, sore, warm, itchy or tender. Sometimes, piercings ooze blood or white, yellow or green pus. A new piercing is an open wound that can take several weeks to fully heal. During that time, any bacteria that enter the wound can lead to infection.
Get a cotton ball and soak it in rubbing alcohol and gently rub the skin around the hole. This can be done every day or whenever you decide to clean your ears. If you can see gunk or you can tell it's infected, consider doing this multiple times a day. If there is scabbing, be gentle and dab, not wipe.
You might recognize the description even if you are not familiar with the term: ear cheese is the icky, brownish-gray gunk that builds up on your earring posts and backs, especially on the rubberized backs or clear plastic bit over the backing. “Ear cheese” is natural and is just a part of having pierced ears.
The new piercing will weep lymphatic fluid. It is a clear, yellowish discharge that would come out of any wound. THIS IS NOT A SIGN OF INFECTION AND IS NOT PUS. In actuality, it's a good sign, it shows your body is doing what it should and fighting the good fight.
DO NOT pick the crusties off—that's just introducing your dirty hands to a healing piercing and can increase your risk of infection. The best way to clean them is to soak the piercing in warm saline solution, softening the crusties which then come off easily.
A clear indication of an infected nose piercing is the presence of pus. While white pus points towards a minor infection, green or yellow pus is usually associated with a more serious infection.
Signs of an infection
Your piercing might be infected if: the area around it is swollen, painful, hot, very red or dark (depending on your skin colour) there's blood or pus coming out of it – pus can be white, green or yellow.
Once the white blood cells have stabilized the piercing site new skin cells begin to encase your piercing, closing the wound and blocking access to your body. As you can see, pus is most often an indication that your piercing is healing, not that it is infected.
Your newly pierced ears will heal faster and will be less prone to infection if they are not touched. Rotating will cause irritation or injury of the new piercings. A piercing is essentially a puncture wound that heals around a piece of jewelry.
It is also normal to experience a whitish to yellowish secretion coming from the piercing. This is called sebum, which is just your body's natural secretion and what creates crust on the jewelry. It can come an go throughout the entire healing time.
Handle your piercing ONLY after washing your hands, and ONLY when it is being cleaned. Be sure to follow the cleaning directions outlined in the information below. Overcleaning can slow healing and cause irritation. Overcleaning is just as bad as undercleaning.
"Tight and larger earring backs can accumulate more sweat and sebum, as well as make it more difficult to clean or wash when in the shower," says Dr. Patel, who points out that those big plastic backs are major culprits for gathering funky gunk.
There's no reason to rotate your piercing. You could damage the delicate, healing skin by rotating the jewelry. In the past, rotating the jewelry was recommended, but it has been found to cause damage that can lead to infection and scarring. For happy healing, NEVER rotate your body jewelry.
While some people have been able to stop regular cleanings after four weeks, it's safest to go for a full 8 weeks before you stop your twice-daily cleanings. This gives your new piercings plenty of time to heal properly and decreases the chance of painful infections.
WebMD reports that redness and even light bleeding can persist for some time after the initial piercing. It also may be normal to see a clear layer of crust or slight discoloration around the area for a day or two following the appointment.
Typically, ear lobe piercings take around 4-6 months, while upper or inner ear piercings take between 6-12+ months to fully heal. You'll know your ear is healed once any discharge, swelling, redness, flaking, or soreness stops.
Rotate the earring twice daily to prevent it from adhering to your ear. Twist the earring in both directions for a few minutes each time.
Don't eat spicy, salty or acidy foods or liquids while you are healing. Avoid hot drinks such as hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. Eat cold foods and drinks as they lessen swelling. Be extra careful when eating crunchy foods.
On the 1st day of piercing, with clean hands, rotate your earrings one full turn about once an hour, or anytime they feel itchy. After the 1st day rotate earrings one full turn at least 3-5 times per day, for the next 2 weeks only, as this promotes healing.
Surface piercings such as eyebrows, neck, nipple and wrist tend to be rejected more easily than other piercings. That's because they do not travel directly through the body, but rather along an area of skin because the jewellery is puncturing only a small amount of the skin's surface.
The most common cause is simply increased friction between the ear hole and the earring. This is most easily remedied by putting petroleum jelly on the earring post and then inserting it into the ear. The petroleum jelly will lubricate the earring to reduce friction.