How to heal a blowout?

[patata]

I recently got a blowout and the back excess skin on my lobe is like 1/3 of my normal lobe thickness.

I am currently using Fucidin,what else besides Jojoba/Vitemin E oil should I use to cure it?

I downsized from 16mm to 14mm.


Thanks a ton guys

 

[Baelzebeard]

Don't use the antibiotic ointment for more than 3-4 days as it can cause resistant bacteria to develop, and then you'll end up with an infection. I didn't follow these directions and got a gross infection.

Clean thoroughly with soap and water daily, and only touch the area with clean hands. Personally I would use a q-tip to apply some hydrogen peroxide a few minutes before showering. It will fizz and bubble if there is bacteria present, and kill it, but it is hard on your soft tissue too, so its good to rinse it away in the shower.

HTH

 

[BryGuy]

I used to have plugs, 7/8. Don't over do the stretching and make sure you clean your ears. Take the appropriate amount of time in between stretches. Mine have closed up so much I doubt I could cram a pencil in there. Hot shower for 15 minutes or so before stretching, give a few pulls. Warm them babies up! You only get one set of ears! Saline soaks is probably a good idea and make sure if you use soap to use plain boring hand soap, no smells.

Preachy and boring, that's the ticket!

 

[Eric Christian]

Seeing your local doctor in Greece makes a lot more sense than asking for medical advice on a guitar forum. The doctor will probably put you on a cycle of oral antibiotics and give you some strong topical ointment as well.

 

[oracles]

Seeing your local doctor in Greece makes a lot more sense than asking for medical advice on a guitar forum. The doctor will probably put you on a cycle of oral antibiotics and give you some strong topical ointment as well.

He'd be a lot better off going to see a professional body piercer than a doctor. The piercer (if they're properly trained) will have a much better understanding, since it's pretty common amongst people who are impatient with stretching or don't fully understand the risks associated with it.

OP, salt soak daily, avoid touching it as much as possible, sleep with your plugs out and don't try to stretch up for at least a month.

 

[Eric Christian]

He'd be a lot better off going to see a professional body piercer than a doctor. The piercer (if they're properly trained) will have a much better understanding, since it's pretty common amongst people who are impatient with stretching or don't fully understand the risks associated with it.

OP, salt soak daily, avoid touching it as much as possible, sleep with your plugs out and don't try to stretch up for at least a month.

I'm not an expert on "blowouts" but if I'm correct it means an infected earlobe. Any type of infection on your body can be extremely dangerous, but especially ones on your head can make you the opposite of alive. Any truly professional body piercer is only going to refer the guy to a doctor as well because they don't treat infections they only poke fancy holes into your skin.

 

[angus]

He'd be a lot better off going to see a professional body piercer than a doctor. The piercer (if they're properly trained) will have a much better understanding, since it's pretty common amongst people who are impatient with stretching or don't fully understand the risks associated with it.

This is not good advice. Doctors see this ALL the same- more than you'd realize- and actually understand the biology behind the process and how to treat it. Body piercers have anecdotal and empirical evidence about basic treatments to prevent non-sterile piercings from getting infected. A doctor went to school for twelve years after high school, and deal with this stuff day in and day out. Who would you trust?

He should see a physician. This is a medical problem at this point, and if not treated properly his ear will continue to erode. At the very least, the physician needs to assess to see if it is in fact infected at all, or if the tissue is necrosing because of poor blood supply, which is a common end point for gauges.

 

[oracles]

I'm not an expert on "blowouts" but if I'm correct it means an infected earlobe. Any type of infection on your body can be extremely dangerous, but especially ones on your head can make you the opposite of alive. Any truly professional body piercer is only going to refer the guy to a doctor as well because they don't treat infections they only poke fancy holes into your skin.

A "blowout" is the result of stretching up too quickly, causing trauma to the area, NOT an infection. Infection can occur if the issue is not deal with timely or correctly, however. Blowouts are common and easily treatable without a doctor's visit. I think you're also severely underestimating what a good body piercer is knowledgeable on as well. It's a lot more than just "poking a fancy hole".

 

[darren]

Don't use the antibiotic ointment for more than 3-4 days as it can cause resistant bacteria to develop, and then you'll end up with an infection. I didn't follow these directions and got a gross infection.

Clean thoroughly with soap and water daily, and only touch the area with clean hands. Personally I would use a q-tip to apply some hydrogen peroxide a few minutes before showering. It will fizz and bubble if there is bacteria present, and kill it, but it is hard on your soft tissue too, so its good to rinse it away in the shower.

HTH

You might want to reconsider both hydrogen peroxide and vitamin E:

Why You Should Avoid Hydrogen Peroxide

 

[angus]

That guy is not interpreting some of the papers he cited correctly (ie, he keeps saying WET/moist wound is good, but wet is not the same as moist, and moist is the correct early stage healing environment). Non-medical people, and non-science in particular, often have trouble interpreting results of research papers.

That said, hydrogen peroxide is indeed a horrible thing to put on open or healing wounds. It damages the tissues ends and will prolong/delay the healing process, and can actually lead to increased scar tissue formation.

 

[Eric Christian]

While I'm certainly not in a position to judge others on their body modifications as I have several large tats I can say that I've never had a single piercing because as I understand it your body is constantly fighting to repair itself. That said, to me once a tattoo is healed then you're safe but on the other hand any piercing is an open route for bacteria, viruses and fungus to enter your bloodstream to cause blood poisoning, infections and any number of nasties. Bottom line here if you have redness and swelling around a piercing then there is an infection. What you do at that point is see a doctor ASAP. End of story.

 

[abandonist]

I used to work in a tattoo shop and deal with this all the time from kids doing stupid shit to themselves. Honestly, it depends on the severity. Your body is amazing at healing itself. If it doesn't get better in a couple days, then see a doctor, NOT your local piercing professional. We would just refer you to your doctor.

The absolute best way to stretch ears is this: Go to home depot. Buy a roll of teflon tape. Wrap it around your plug 3-4 times and put it back in your ear. It should feel a little bit tight. If it isn't going, Do Not Force It In. Unwrap a layer and try again. After 2-3 days repeat. Again, Do Not Force It. It takes time and there's no way to safely stretch (sans scalloping, which is not safe to start with) other than time. You have your whole life to stretch your ears out to your preferred size. It's not that important, and it's not a race.