Why are My Ears So Sensitive? If your ears get red and itchy when you wear earrings, it most likely means that you are allergic to a metal in the earring posts. The most common metal allergy people have is to nickel. According to experts, repeated exposure can even increase the risk of developing an allergy at any age.
Nickel allergy is a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis — an itchy rash that appears where your skin touches a usually harmless substance. Nickel allergy is often associated with earrings and other jewelry.
Smearing a little Vaseline onto the posts of your earrings forms a protective layer between your skin and the metal. This will help to prevent an allergic reaction. A layer or two of clear nail polish will also do the trick.
Ice the area until it is numb. Then wiggle the earring in the back of the ear to find where you will poke the earring through. Go to the front, and try to slide the earring in. If this doesn't work, and the earring gets stuck, take the earring out and ice your ear again to total numbness.
Crustiness, on the other hand, is the buildup of seepage that results from the body trying to heal the piercing as it would any other wound. Typically these are light or near-colorless and should reduce as the piercing, and healing process, matures.
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.
"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.
To help speed up the healing process, Bubbers recommends wearing earrings made of implant-grade metal so your body will form a healed layer around the metal. You also should avoid going any longer than 24 hours without wearing earrings for the first six months of a new piercing to prevent the hole from closing.
This is typically due to an allergic reaction by the skin to some types of jewelry. Contact dermatitis can develop over time as the skin has increased exposure to the jewelry at issue. Nickel earrings may cause one or both of the earlobes to swell, as may other non-hypoallergenic metals.
"If you have a brand new piercing, your hole can close in a few hours," Studs co-founder and CMO, Lisa Bubbers, told TODAY Style. "When you create a hole in your ear, your immune system kicks into gear and tries to heal and repair that hole."
Sterling Silver is an alloy
Nickel allergies are widespread, affecting an estimated twenty percent of the population. When nickel is in contact with your skin an allergy can develop over time. When your body eventually recognizes nickel as an offending substance, your ears will react to earrings containing nickel.
Cheap jewelry can contain nickel, lead, cadmium, and other metals that cause allergies. Long wear and exposure to our skin's natural oils, or to water, can cause these chemicals and allergens to make their way into our bodies, causing sore, itchy skin and possibly other problems too.
Hypoallergenic earrings are designed to minimize the risk of an allergic reaction in the wearer. Most hypoallergenic earrings do this by containing pure metals, such as sterling silver and gold, to provide a safe alternative for those with a nickel allergy.
The best earrings for sensitive skin are made from pure metals; specifically gold (14 karat or higher), sterling silver, titanium and platinum. Since those materials also tend to be expensive, we consulted jewelry experts for their advice on the safest and most stunning options.
In short, some site swelling and redness are just fine. However, if those freshly pierced ears remain red, itchy, and ultimately form a rash along the way, then you could very well be facing an allergic reaction to earrings.
Without jewelry inserted, most of us notice that the hole closes a bit- skin keeps growing and our bodies keep trying to heal the piercing site back like before the piercing. So after a few days, you cause a little irritation by inserting earrings and the irritation needs heal.
An infected ear piercing can also develop years after a person got the original piercing. Usually, the infections are minor, and people can treat them at home without complications. Touching the piercing too often with dirty hands or not cleaning the area can lead to infections.
Earlobe cysts, otherwise known as epidermoid cysts or epidermal inclusion cysts, grow slowly. A doctor will usually recommend removal only if there is pain, discomfort, bursting, or infection. Cysts commonly form on adults in areas that are not heavily covered with hair, such as on the face, neck, or trunk.
If your piercing is actually infected, and you remove the jewelry on your own, you may spread the bacteria. Instead, see a dermatologist, who will likely swab the area for a culture and start a course of topical and/or oral antibiotics to treat the infected skin piercing.
It is generally recommended that you take your earrings out when you are sleeping. If you don't want to take your earrings out, there are some ways to be more comfortable sleeping with them.
Some piercing establishments are of the opinion that you cannot get re-pierced in the same location. This is not true. Scar tissue (fibrosis) which has formed as a result of your piercing being removed, is quite dense. Also, it is often just the entry and exit points which have healed over.
Why do my earring holes stink? Earring holes can start to smell due to a buildup of sweat, dirt, and bacteria. To prevent this, clean your earrings regularly with soap and water. Additionally, switch out your earrings every few days to give your ears a break and reduce the bacteria that builds up around the hole.