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Infected cartilage piercing
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I got my rook done about 3 weeks ago but it suddenly started to swell up yesterday and now its so swollen you can't even see the bar and is quite painful and throbbing like it's just been pierced. And its also going a bit crusty so I have to clean it every few hours (but not loads). The pharmacist said to go to the doctors but I dont want to take antibiotics unless I really have to, so I'm going to wait a few days and see if it starts to go down. But what else can I do apart from take painkillers and keep it clean to help it along? Is there anything I can do for the swelling?
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Have you been able to remove the piercing? If you havent and think you can then I would suggest removing it. However if its very painful and the area swollen then its best to leave it for the time being.
Anti inflammatories such as neurofen can be useful for swelling but when its swelling caued by infection the infection usually needs to be treated first before you will see an improvement in the swelling.
Hope you get it sorted soon.
I know it's counter-intuitive but if you take it out and it closes you'll get an abcess which might need to be drained in hospital and that's really nasty, it happened to a housemate of mine.
And go to your GP tomorrow, it's ok to take an emergency appointment because they need to be sure the infection stays out of the blood stream.
If in any doubt at all, get the practice nurse to have a look.