Sometimes it hurts when I put in earrings. Could my ears be infected?Dear Dr. Cory:Sometimes it hurts when I put in earrings. Could my ears be infected? Betsy Watts Macon, Georgia Dear Betsy: Yes, tender ear lobes can be a sign of infection. Other signs include swelling or redness, yellowish or bloody discharge, and unexplained fevers. An ear lobe can become infected if it was pierced with an unclean instrument, if your earrings are dirty or too tight, or if you have handled your earrings with dirty hands. Some earring earring, a personal adornment, sometimes an amulet, worn attached to the ear lobe. Since prehistoric times the ear has been pierced for the insertion of the earring; certain primitive tribes distort the lobe with plugs several inches in diameter or with heavy stones. posts, especially inexpensive ones, are made of nickel. Nickel can cause an allergic reaction allergic reaction n. A local or generalized reaction of an organism to internal or external contact with a specific allergen to which the organism has been previously sensitized. that makes your ear lobe red and itchy itch·y adj. Having or causing an itching sensation. . Make sure that your earrings have surgical steel or fourteen-karat gold posts. Remove your earrings two or three times a day and clean the posts with rubbing alcohol rub·bing alcohol n. A mixture usually consisting of 70 percent isopropyl or absolute alcohol, applied externally to relieve muscle and joint pain. . Wipe your lobes with rubbing alcohol, too. If your ear doesn't feel better in a week, you should talk to your doctor. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion