10 Reasons Why I took Out My Infected Ear Piercing

This article will explain why I took out my infected ear piercing and how I went about doing it. After all, I could have just left the piercing in until it healed on its own or until it got so bad that it would have to be surgically removed…but I didn’t want to risk leaving an infection in my ear that would eventually need medical attention and antibiotics to get rid of it.

1) It hurt

This is a big one and one that’s frequently overlooked. If an infection has set in, it doesn’t matter how you want to wear your hair or what kind of jewellery you like; it doesn’t feel good. At all. Pain is likely the main reason you woke up with that piercing in your hand. You couldn’t tolerate it and decided on impulse to do something about it—which is probably not the best course of action when dealing with piercings gone wrong.

2) My healing was taking too long

I’d never had an ear piercing before, so I was surprised when it took over a month to heal. After almost three months, I decided that I needed to take it out when it still wasn’t healing.

Given how long it had taken to heal and how much pain I was in (there was pus coming from under my ears), there was no way that thing was staying in for good. Plus, who wants to have pierced ears for six months? That sounds like torture! You probably need to do this if your new earring won’t get better.

3) I felt it wasn’t worth it anymore

First and foremost, I could never wear normal clothing while I had my nose ring. Whether it be a thick coat or a turtleneck, there was never a time when I could wear what I wanted without it getting in the way of my jewelry.

Every day, I had to think about how much pain I was willing to put up with just so that people could see a piece of metal on my face. With that in mind, it’s not worth it for me every longer. The infection freaked me out: After two weeks of having an infected piercing, after two weeks of wearing everyday clothes like every other American teenager does (at least) once every week or so, 

4) I knew it would get an infection

There was a reason I chose not to pierce my ears. And it wasn’t because of religious or traditional beliefs; I had worked in a restaurant as a teenager and heard countless stories from people who had their ears pierced only to develop an infection.

They would tell me how they could not wear certain hairstyles, couldn’t go swimming in public pools, and spent every day feeling self-conscious about something that should have been as simple as wearing pretty hair accessories.

5) The hole looked ugly

An infected piercing is not something you want to have still for too long, whether it’s due to a lack of precise case management or your body rejecting a foreign object. Unfortunately, the infection can spread quickly if left untreated. An ugly looking hole that smells bad doesn’t do much for your self-esteem. It makes sense to ditch an infection before it ruins an otherwise good piercing. 

6) My friends and family thought I was too old to have piercings anyway

Before getting piercings, I didn’t have many friends or family members with them. When I got them, they thought it was silly that someone so close to 30 would want something like that. They were surprised to find out how much they liked them, especially when they saw other people’s reactions to my piercings.

No one else would go in with me: After looking at pictures of pierced ears for weeks leading up to my appointment and hearing about everyone else’s stories from their piercings (I’m looking at you, grandma), I was excited beyond words as soon as we pulled into his parking lot on a Friday afternoon.

7) No one could stop me from doing it if I wanted to

Parents and doctors may try to convince you not to get your new piercings. Still, adults have no legal control over anyone under 18 in California. If you want your piercings, go for it! After all, it’s your body. If you happen to get an infection from one of your new piercings—something that happens more often than you think—your parents will likely be held liable for medical bills until you turn 18. 

8) I wouldn’t regret it later on in life

I wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t regret doing so later in life once I had taken it out. For example, if I knew it wasn’t working for me when I was 40 years old, I decided to get a second one that looked exactly like it after all these years. Maybe people would think it was a homage of some sort? A tribute to myself and my originality.

The best way to avoid that kind of thing is by doing what you know you need to do now instead of later when you don’t have as much time left. Nothing is impossible, but deciding what we want today will save us from having many regrets tomorrow.

9) I Did this to me, so it is up to me when to do what with it

Since you made yourself get pierced, it’s your responsibility to take care of it. That includes knowing when to take it out and when to see a doctor if it becomes infected. Ear piercings tend to cause infections more than other piercings because they’re in a harder-to-keep-clean area of your body, notes Allure magazine.

To keep an infection from spreading, remove your jewelry immediately and apply Neosporin—or whatever antibiotic your doctor recommends—several times a day while waiting for treatment.

10) There were no other external factors influencing my decision

I had to take it out because I couldn’t deal with it anymore. My parents had no input in me taking it out. The infection didn’t come from an outside source. It wasn’t like I was exposed to poison ivy or a virus while swimming and then got an infection on my earring hole. So no, there were no other external factors influencing my decision—it was all me.

Conclusion

Infections can be life-threatening, especially if caused by E. coli and Streptococcus bacteria or spread via blood or other bodily fluids. Infections often lead to permanent damage or death; however, most can be treated with antibiotics.

If you experience symptoms that seem like an infection, such as intense pain, a foul odor emanating from your wound, redness that does not subside after two days of rest, fever that reaches more than 101°F (38°C), chills despite adequate hydration and sleep, swelling that does not go down on its own within a day, or discharge coming from your wound without squeezing it, see a doctor immediately.