Daith Piercing Infection – Causes, Prevention & 5 Ear Care Tips
Daith piercing is very common these days. While it may look cool when you sport a cartilage piercing, you are still creating a wound in your ear, and you are at risk of developing an infection if you fail to care for the wound properly. That said, infected cartilage piercing is not fun at all.
To keep your daith piercing looking its best and prevent any long-term complications, you must keep it clean and follow the correct ways of managing it.
Daith Piercing Infection – What Is It?
Ear piercing is commonly done in the earlobe. However, a popular trend these days is piercing the cartilage area of the ears. Just like regular piercing on the earlobes, cartilage piercing can also become infected.
Daith piercing infection occurs when bacteria contaminates the piercing in your ear. This condition typically occurs early in the healing process, as the wound from the piercing is still open.
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Unlike earlobe piercing, it can take about a three months or more for a cartilage piercing to become fully healed. That said, you should take extra care in preventing daith piercing infection.
Also, this type of infection can be mild, affecting only the surface of the ear or severe, affecting the cartilage itself. When the infection spreads to the ear cartilage, it can cause further complications and tends to become difficult to treat.
Daith piercing infection can also cause unsightly bumps forming at the site of the piercing.
What Causes Daith Piercing Infection?
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There are several reasons that can cause death piercing infection. Here are some of them.
Signs and Symptoms of Daith Piercing Infection – How do You Know if a Piercing is infected??
You should not wait until your cartilage piercing becomes severely infected before starting any treatment. Thus, it is important that you know the signs and symptoms that indicate daith piercing infection.
To catch a cartilage piercing infection in the early stages, you have to check for the following symptoms.
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If you observe the following symptoms on your ear piercing, chances are it has already become infected.
You should start treating the infection right away to prevent further complications that will require more expensive antibiotic medications and other surgical interventions like incision and drainage of the affected area.
How Can You Prevent Daith Piercing Infection?
To avoid daith piercing infection, you have to make sure that your ears are pierced by a professional. You should not do it at home by yourself.
Also, you should also ask whether or not the tools are clean and sterile. The earrings that you will use should come out of a new and sterile package.
After you get your ears pierced, you can prevent it from getting infected through cleaning your ears twice a day using a sterile saline solution.
You should avoid turning or touching your earrings until your piercing is fully healed, as this can create trauma to the affected area and cause infection. Instead, you can lean around the piercing without necessarily removing the earring.
While it can be tempting to play with your ear piercing, you should avoid doing such as this is one of the most common ways for the infection to start.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Treating an Infected Daith Piercing
Here are some of the dos and don’ts of treating an infected daith piercing. Following these interventions can ensure faster healing and recovery.
1 Do NOT Remove the Earring
The first thing that you need to know about treating an infected daith piercing is that you should not attempt to remove the earring, as this can help the piercing to drain.
Allowing the piercing to drain will help flush out the wound and removal of the bacteria.
2. Increase the Frequency of Salt Water Soaks
Also, you should also continue with proper wound care and clean on a daily basis. Cleaning the piercing include soaking the piercing in salt water or a premade saline formula (9/1000).
It is recommended that you thoroughly clean your piercing three times a day with saline or salt water solution. Increasing the number of times that you soak your piercing will help clear out the infection quickly.
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3. Apply Warm and Cold Compress Alternately
Aside from soaking your piercing with warm salt water solution, you should apply warm compress. To do this, you can put a clean and warm cloth soaked in salt water in the infected area. Another way to apply warm compress is through using a chamomile tea bag that has been soaked in hot water.
You should apply warm and cold compress alternately to the infected area, as this can increase blood supply to the cartilage and promote faster healing.
4. Use Tea Tree Oil
Essential oil like tea tree oil has natural antibacterial properties. That said, it can be used to help soothe inflammation.
In using essential oil in treating daith piercing infection, you can mix at least two drops of tea tree oil with coconut oil or jojoba oil and gently apply the mixture to the infected piercing. You can use this mixture two to three times daily.
5. Mustard Oil and Turmeric for Piercing Bump
According to Christine, one of my friend with Piercing hobbies, you can use mustard oil and add a pinch of turmeric. Slightly warm it or microwave for a few seconds and apply to the affected area....It can relieve the pain and heals the area in just a day!!! (remember to clean your bump after use)
What Should You Do If the Infection Persists?
If the infection becomes worse or persists for more than five days even when you are diligently treating it, you should consult your doctor.
Infections can spread through the cartilage to the other parts of your ear, which can cause long-term damage. Your doctor can accurately assess your condition and may prescribe a stronger antibiotic treatment to treat the infection aggressively.
The Bottom Line
Daith piercing has become very popular over the years. Having one can be cool. However, you are at risk of developing a daith piercing infection if you fail to care for it properly.
To prevent infection, you should follow the aftercare instructions provided by a professional piercer. Also, you should avoid excessive handling of your piercing.
It is also good to know the signs and symptoms that indicate an infection.
This way, you can spot an infection early and start proper interventions for the treatment of the piercing infection. If the infection persists, you should seek medical consult right away.
