Verity Discussion Board

Although off topic, still a moany post unfortunately

I need some advice...

I got my ears pierced when I was 5, which got infected so I had them out and they healed okay, but left a bump (there is a name for these but I forget) on each ear where the piercings were...

Soo 15 years on, I got them re-pierced in March 2011. And they're still gooey and sore

After 3-4 months of them not healing I saw a different piercer to get some advice n she said that my earrings weren't surgical steel (what I was told) as they had discoloured, so I figured that I'd had a reaction to the cheap metal that was missold to me. So I put some silver earrings in, and 3 months later still not healed. I just took them out to give them and my piercings a good clean and noticed one earring has gone black?

It also appears that my piercer pierced through my bumps after I told her not to, could this be why?

I'm getting a bit fed up of having to make sure I don't catch my ears etc and really want to have one female thing of having nice earrings !!

Any advice greatly appreciated ^_^

xxx

I dont think they sound as if they are silver as mine go black (and they are cheap ones). I had a second piercing many years ago and I still have the lump there even though I probably havent worn any in them for 10+ years). I would be apprehensive about having them repieced i have to say as Im not sure how they would react, so as you say, if the lady did them in the same hole, perhaps they dont like it!!

Can you wear gold? I had thought mine were 9ct gold when I had them pierced, perhaps you have a reaction to silver.

I was going to suggest you wear gold too. When I had mine pierced I could only wear gold earrings for a long time, at least a couple of years. Whenever I tried to wear silver the holes got infected and sore. I can now wear silver earrings but if I wear cheap costume earrings then after a few hours they become very sore.

The scar is called a keloid scar.

My ears were pierced with gold earrings when I 6 months old and I've had no problem with the holes, I can wear anything in them (Expensive/cheap/plastic!)

I had a second lot of holes pierced when I was 14 and I've never been able to wear earrings in them for very long, regardless what material the earrings are made from. The holes start to itch and start seeping.

Might I suggest you leave the infected ones to heal (cleaning with lots of warm salt water should help) and once they are healed, go and have your ears re-pierced in a different place (Ask to see the marks where they are going to pierce first)

Good luck x

Them turning black does sound like a reaction to the silver, my sister can only have 18c gold or titanium (which she has in the top of her ear).

Silver normally goes black when in contact with bodily fluids - like sweat, etc. unless it is coated with something. I get that all the time so I never wear silver, mostly because having a black neck under your necklace is not very attractive - I tend to wear my jewellery at night though so this probably is part of my problem with silver. I also used to get black rings on my fingers under the silver rings. Silver is better for pierced ears than gold because it has antibacterial properties, well, unless you are allergic to it, of course. I had silver earings in when my ears were pierced and I never had any problems with them, even though it leaves black stains on me, so I don't think this is a sing of allergic reaction. Perhaps give gold a try and if it does not improve quickly, you should probably abandon the idea of having your ears pierced. Sorry.

All very helpful advice

After much debating I decided to go for some silver earrings with a different fastener (I forget what it's called at this time of night/morning but it meant I could let air get into my holes). However, I left my ears earring-free overnight and then couldn't get them back in in the morning without them bleeding and it really hurting. So I've decided to let them heal as it seems I didn't really have a piercing as such, but each time just poking my earring through a wound. I think piercing through my bumps and also with a cheap metal has done this, so hopefully they'll heal up nicely, then I'll get them pierced again (by a reputable studio and with proper metal) next to where these ones were. Not willing to give up yet!

xxx

Trying bathing them twice daily with hydrogen peroxide- its about 80p a bottle from the chemist and worked wonders for me x