Help! Infected Earlobe For 3 Years Won't Go Away!

Your daughter's problem sounds like the exact same thing that has been affecting both of my earlobes for the past few years. Sometimes one, or both (usually both at the same time) of my earlobes will, over the course of two or three days, become red, swollen and hard. The lobes get to a point where they become quite painful, sometimes making it hard for me to sleep on the side of my head. I eventually get the nerve to just pick at them or squeeze them until a thick mixture of blood and puss oozes out. Unlike your daughter, however, I generally get a lot of drainage. But after I squeeze most of the white stuff out of the lobe, it goes back to normal. This has been a recurring pattern for around three years or so. It happens maybe four or five times a year. I really wish I could find some way of preventing this, but nobody seems to have any good explanation of why this is happening. I am a 23-year-old male that has never had my ears pierced.

Hi, just to update, I am bringing my daughter to an ent (ear-nose-throat ) specialist on monday april 12th. I was told by primary care md that this could be a plugged pore/follicle [some people have pores on their earlobs wheich are prone to infection, kind of like pimples]; a small body of irritating matter (eg sa patient once had a piece of an eyelash in a cut which wouldn't heal!), or a wound that is continually getting infected because my daughter may inadvertantly touch it (and today I noticed her leaning her chin/jaw/ear onto her hand while she was reading). Will keep you informed.

I had this same thing when I was little. One of my earlobes became infected right away after I got my first set of holes pierced. My mother diligently cleaned them and cleaned them to no avail. Finally we just let it go. I was heartbroken, I wanted pierced ears soo bad. Later when I was few yrs older we pierced the bad one again but not in the same spot my mom had another hole pierced right next to the bad one, just a "smidge" next to it. Guess what? It worked! But then later(can't remember how much longer) both became infected.
But!
We later found out my ears were just very sensitive and needed the "sensitive" earrings. We even got the ones that were made entirely out of plastic w/plastic backs, this was back in the 80's. But I think they are making a comeback, I saw them in the store once and was surprised to see them.
Now today I have 5 piercings on one side and 4 on the other! The following piercings never "acted up".

I hope this helps!

Hello, all. I took my daughter to the ent the other day and he knew right away what it was, a cyst. The cyst had somehow closed inside itself and new skin was growing inside the cyst, and then the cyst would swell and pop and ooze decaying skin/pus, whatever. The remedy is a very quick 5 min outpatient procedure--either with novocaine or general anesthesia--to incise the cyst, and the doctor says to repierce the area because it will help the cyst heal. The doctor/ent said that it's not hazardous but as time goes on the cyst will grow larger and larger, so it's a good idea to get it done sometime soon.

I have two sets of holes in each ear...

I've been stretching my oldest (about 3-4 years now) lobe piercings, and recently, when I got it done via a method called tapering, I've begun to swell up.

Like others have described, my lobe feels hard and there seems to be a lump close to where the ear comes to the head.

I don't get a lot of discharge, but it is yellowish in colour.

I've done a little reading, and I'm now convinced I should go to my doctor and have it looked at, and forgo asking my piercer.

Has anyone had any luck with treatments recently? (as this thread is 3 years old) I've been trying sea salt and warm water, but I haven't noticed much change.

Thanks!

It could be a biological reaction. I had it too, but mostly because i was allergic to gold....but i heard that sometimes it happens because the piercing somehow changes something in your biological structure...