what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get

what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (Full Version)

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FelinePersuasion -> what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/13/2006 10:29:55 PM)
the skin of the ear by the base kind of feels slimey and the ear lobe hole has a sharp unpleasent smell. I tried washing the lobe and stuff and it still smells musty and unpleasent when i touch my ears

MlilnikkiM -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/14/2006 3:44:37 AM)
I've had my ears pierced a few times throughout my life. I've never experienced smelly stuff coming out of them. Are you positive they aren't infected? How regularly do you clean them and how do you clean them? What are you using to clean them with? How long have you had them pierced? To me it definitely sounds like some sort of infection. Best of Luck MlilnikkiM

LuckyAlbatross -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/14/2006 7:00:17 AM)
Definitely sounds like infection. It might also be a metal allergy problem. I have a slight allergy and it can get like that if I've had earrings in for too long. Best thing is to take out jewelry if it's there, clean it out with warm water and then swab alcohol on the area every few hours until it's all healed.

LaTigresse -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/14/2006 8:30:25 AM)
I agree, it may be a metal allergy. After you clean the ear really well with alchohol try using and cleaning a pure metal, gold, silver or platinum earring. Though much more expensive than cheap jewelry it is all some people can wear without a reaction. Also, I have found that if I wear earrings that are too heavy for too long a period of time they can get irritated.

Bearlee -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/14/2006 9:10:09 AM)
I think humans excrete more oil in specific places than other places. I remember my son, who has sensitive skin, would get an eczema like discharge behind his ears. I think perhaps we may forget to wash behind our ears when showering. Make sure to was all the soap off too...it can be irritating. As far as piercings go...my own ears are quite sensitive, too. I always dip the back of my earrings in a little Neosporin; not only do they go in easier...they stay healthy that way! Hope this helps a bit, bearlee edited to correct spelling.......geeze and I did so good with eczema which took me 10 minutes to find at an online dictionary!!! <shakes head>

FelinePersuasion -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/14/2006 9:14:40 AM)
Mliln My ears have been pierced my entire life, When I was a baby someone in my biological family had them pierced. That resulted in my ear lobes almost ripping completely through, because through the years the holes got caught on stuff and tore. They finally closed up to normal size holes. I wash the ears with regular soap and water. I do that when I bathe. I don't wear earrings any more I hate them they make my ears hurt and I WOULD get problems and inflamation from wearing them, but I do still have holes from when they were pierced. It could probably still be something bacterial maybe, I'll try the rubbing alohol and see if that helps. quote: ORIGINAL: MlilnikkiM I've had my ears pierced a few times throughout my life. I've never experienced smelly stuff coming out of them. Are you positive they aren't infected? How regularly do you clean them and how do you clean them? What are you using to clean them with? How long have you had them pierced? To me it definitely sounds like some sort of infection. Best of Luck MlilnikkiM

Bearlee -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/14/2006 9:17:50 AM)
Personally...I'd not use alcohol; it does not promote healing. I'd use the Neosporin...even if it's just to follow alcohol if you want to use the stuff.

Raye -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/14/2006 9:24:44 AM)
perhaps if it is the pierce itself, not the nearby area, it has in fact developed an infection. If its just the surrounding area, often heat rash can be the culprit. a more natural antiseptic thats slightly drying is witch hazel,or all natural, is pure(!!! ) lavender oil.

FelinePersuasion -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/14/2006 9:45:42 AM)
I'll definatly be sure to make sure to rinse all soaps and stuff off when I bathe, I think it's probably excess oil excreation. like Bearlee suggested.

MzMinx -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/14/2006 5:05:28 PM)
also peircings that are left open without jewelery can trap oil and skin flakes etc ... basicaly you have an open tube through your skin .... that normal washing wont effect as the soap and water doesnt get all the way through ... so useing an antiseptic fluid of some sort and specificaly working it into the area as well as possable will help.. if you do have any earings left ... particularly circular ones ... dipping them into the solution and pulling them through the holes can help drag out any excess and draw through the antiseptic fluid.. just a few twists through say once a week will make huge difference

FelinePersuasion -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/16/2006 12:46:21 AM)
I never thought of that MzMinx about the traped oil and stuff. When I was a kid I used to be able to put pencils through the holes, their tiny now, but a clean steralized needle head should work too.

formenteralady -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/16/2006 1:27:26 AM)
Don't fear, I can answer this question for you, and the good news is, it is nothing to worry about. I have a septum pierceing, and much to my upset I noticed after it healed up (after I stoped cleaning it out with a mild anti-bacterial soap twice a day) that sometimes I'd get this rather nasty smell on it. So I looked up some info to make sure my nose wasn't going to fall off, and, well, I think this will explain it far better then I will: *What is this gunk on my jewelry? I thought my ears were healed...* If your ears are healed and you seem to have some funky suff on your jewelry when you take it out, this is most likely dead skin cells. Your entire body sheds dead skin cells as it grows new skin, you just don't see it (guess what a good part of the dust in your house is!). Since there's a signifigant amount of skin touching your plug, those dead skin cells don't have anywhere to go, so they build up on your jewelry. This effect and the smell that goes along with it varies from person to person and from material to material, with metals generally seeming worse than other materials, like organics. See the materials section for more information. (taken from http://www.onetribe.nu/catalog/stretching.php ) Honestly the best way to deal with this dead skin build up is to just use a mild soap while you have posts in (I do this inj the shower), and turn and move the posts around so the soap gets in thier pretty good, then stick your ear in the shower stream and twist it around more to make sure i rinse the soap out. Then yay! squeeky clean! If you don't have/don't want to use posts you can just soap up your finger and make sure to massage your lobe really well, then do the same when rinsing. Now the big NO-NO's here are useing things like neosporin, alcohol, oils, astrengents, or anything like that. What will happen if you use these things is that your skin will dry out, and your body will go into oil over production, which will also make the situation worse, and actualy opens you up to the chance of infection. So as you can see, it's natrual, it's normal, and easy to fix. :D

YourhandMyAss -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/16/2006 7:46:00 PM)
formenter thank you for that info:) I was a little self contious about asking here, but every one has been kind and considerate. I washed really really well with soap today I will see if that hasn't helped:D

Arpig -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/16/2006 8:32:14 PM)
Um...isn't this the sort of thing you should be asking your doctor?

FelinePersuasion -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/16/2006 8:55:28 PM)
Arpig you could if you thought it was life threatening or serious. It's neither serious nor life threatening it's just kind of gross.

MistressWolfen -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/17/2006 6:22:09 AM)
I have seen this problem develop with some of my clients when I was still piercing. In a number of cases it was a mild yeast infection. Alcohol is not the way to address this problem, sometimes a mild wash of tea tree oil will help and in some more persistent cases an over the counter antifungal/antibiotic cream is helpful. Bearlee is bang on about the excretion of sebum and also remember the natural sloughing off of skin cells that get trapped in all those little warm moist crevices. So gentle cleansing twice a day with phisoderm perhaps and a topical treatment should help you a lot. This can be a real problem with those that "stretch" their piercings.

Arpig -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/17/2006 7:10:33 AM)
quote: Arpig you could if you thought it was life threatening or serious. It's neither serious nor life threatening it's just kind of gross. ?????? Since when was seeing your doctor only for life-threatening issues....if it were then nobody would ever get viagra. This is not meant as a personal attack, but your statement is simply The Best arguement for socialised medical care I have EVER come across. You have some sort of infection, any infection can quickly become very serious, therfore, consult your physician. As well-meaning as we all are, we are not doctors, we are perverts, and therefore in a situation like this we really are just farting in the wind.

FelinePersuasion -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/17/2006 9:02:13 AM)
yes Arpig, but in this case" the farts in the wind" are right on, It's oil secretions and dead skin cells.

MisPandora -> RE: what's that funky smell pierced ear lobes and back of ears by head get (8/19/2006 2:25:16 AM)
That would be an infection, especially if it's only in ONE of the two ears. If it's in both, it's likely a reaction to the jewelry -- try an acrylic or titanium, or solid gold. Management of problem piercings: 1) Wash daily with provon soap (or another antibacterial.) 2) Warm salt water soaks (either immerse the earlobe or put a soaked gauzepad front and back on the affected hole) several times a day. 3) Application of a mixed tea tree oil/lavender oil in a base (grapeseed or apricot oil). 4) Keep hands and cosmetics FAR away.

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