Before getting your ears pierced, there are a number of things you need to pay attention to, from selecting the piercer to the cleanliness of the tools used. In addition, it is also important to understand how to properly care for ear piercings to prevent infection in the area around the piercing.
Ear piercing is one way to make your appearance more attractive. In fact, certain cultural traditions encourage girls to wear earrings as a gender identity, so they need to have their ears pierced. However, nowadays ear piercing has been done by anyone, both women and men.
Ear piercings are generally not very painful, as the ears don’t have as many nerves. The pain that appears when pierced is usually like a pinch and only lasts for a few seconds.
Not only on the lowest earlobe (lobe), but almost all of the outer ear can be pierced. Even so, there are parts of the ear that can hurt more because the cartilage is thicker and the nerve tissue is denser, for example in the area of cartilage folds, near the ear canal.
Important Things to Note before Ear Piercing
Before deciding to get your ears pierced, there are a number of things you need to pay attention to, namely:
- Understand ear piercing safety
Ears are one of the safest parts of the body to get pierced. However, if you have certain health conditions or problems, it is recommended that you check yourself and consult a doctor before getting your ears pierced. Some of these conditions include:
- is pregnant
- Have skin problems in the area to be pierced, such as a rash, bump or cut
- Have a history of keloids
- Suffer from a blood clotting disorder
- Have heart disease
- Have diabetes
- Choose a professional piercer
The second step, choose a professional piercer who is certified in the body piercing process, including ears. Ask relatives for recommendations or look up reviews of trusted piercing places on online sites .
In addition, there are some tips on choosing a piercer that you need to know, namely:
- Visit the piercing to see if it’s clean.
- Ask about the sterilization process for the piercing used.
- Take a look at the piercer’s portfolio and references.
- Browse the selection of jewelry used.
- Determine the base material for the jewelry used
It is no less important is to determine the base material of the jewelry that will be used for ear piercing. Selection of the right ingredients can reduce the risk of allergic reactions and infections.
Some safe jewelry choices include titanium, niobium, platinum, and solid gold 14 carat or higher, which is not coated with other materials. If you are allergic to nickel, you should choose titanium and niobium-based jewelry materials because they do not contain nickel.
Various Risks of Ear Piercing
Ear piercing is done by piercing the skin using a special tool to form a hole for placing earrings. When the manufacturing process is not according to the procedure or the tools used are not sterile, it is not impossible that ear piercing can pose a risk.
The following are some of the risks of ear piercing that often occur:
Infection
Ear piercings can become infected when bacteria gets into the piercing area. Symptoms of infection that appear are swelling, redness of the skin around the piercing, pain, itching, burning, and discharge or pus from the piercing site.
Infections due to ear piercing generally occur for various reasons, such as:
- The piercing process does not use sterile tools.
- Ear piercers do not use clean gloves.
- Contact the piercing with dirty hands or tools.
- The earrings are too tight and don’t leave room for holes.
Allergic reaction
Ear piercings can also cause allergic reactions in some people. Allergies usually arise because they do not match the basic materials contained in jewelry, for example nickel. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the basic materials of jewelry that will be used before doing ear piercing.
Bloodborne diseases
Unsterile piercing tools can be contaminated with blood from people infected with a virus. If used by other people, these used piercing tools can become intermediaries for transmitting dangerous viruses, such as HIV , hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Keloid
Keloids are scars that grow in size, protrude, and widen. These scars usually take the form of bumps. If you have a personal or family history of keloids, you are at an increased risk of developing keloids from ear piercing.
How to Take Care of Ear Piercings
Ear piercings can be completely healed in less than a month if you take care of the piercing properly. With proper care, you can avoid infection.
The following are different ways to care for ear piercings:
- Don’t touch the piercing with dirty hands.
- Clean the front and back of the piercing 2–3 times a day by spraying with saline or wiping with salt-soaked gauze.
- Gently wipe off any scale that forms during cleaning.
- Dry the wet piercing area with a clean towel.
- Do not swim for at least 24 hours after your ear piercing.
- Cover the pillowcase with a clean cloth and change it every day.
Basically, if you want to get your ears pierced, choose a professional piercer and a place that practices good hygiene. For a few days after the piercing, the piercing area will look red, hurt to touch, and a crust appears.
If these symptoms get worse and show signs of infection, immediately consult a doctor to get the right treatment.
