Infected piercing. (top of my ear)

[bitesize]

I got the top of my ear pierced last Monday. (I have another piercing above it which I got a year ago and which never gave me much trouble.) Because the piercer only had mostly gold studs and I only really wear silver jewellery he ended up piercing it with the only silvr one he had, which was a little smaller than you would usually find. I didn't really have any trouble with my ear over the last week, although it got a bit sore after I was clubbing on Friday and got it a bit bashed a couple of times ~ but last night I hit it off something (trust me, it's easier than you'd think to hit your ear off things) and although it was really sore, it settled down after a while and I didn't think much of it. I meant to clean it but I got home late and just fell straight into bed.

Now it's pretty bad. My ear is pretty swollen and you can't really see the piercing from the front ~ I think it's been covered by skin or swollen..ness...or something. There's just a huge lump where the stud should be. I held ice on it for a bit but the swelling didn't really go down, and I've been swabbing it with salt water. I don't mind taking it out for good if I have to ~ I'm not sure I've had a piercing this infected before ~ but it doesn't look as if it'll come out...I might have to try and push through loads of skin from the back or something. Painful. And pus-involving. Mmm.

Sorry if that wasn't a very good description, but any advice..?? I have to go to bed now, it's twenty to four and I've been stressing over it since one, but I'll try to sort it out when I get up.. :/ x

[Commiseration]

Normally for infections I'd suggest the normal warm water soak with sea salt or epsoms. But I highly suggest you go back to your piercer. Or a different piercer seeing how he didn't do a very proper job at it... I mean if it's grown over the piercing and all of that, yes, definitely go to a piercer. Or to a doctor. Pushing it out yourself or trying to take it out while it's infected could result in an abcess so it'd be safer to have someone else check it out for you.

[bitesize]

Ok, thanks. Do you think it'll cost me to go and get a piercer to look at it for me..?? I don't have much spare cash :/

[Thirteen]

Depends, another piercer MAY charge you, but the one you originally went to should not charge you, because thats just dirty.

[Skeleton]

If you go back to the original piercer, they shouldn't charge you for it so I would recommend going back and seeing what they have to say. Also, don't take it out if it is infected.