Can You Get Ear Stretching Infection with Stretched Ears?

99.9% of cases go something like this:

• You’ve stretched and everything feels fine.
• Your ear stretching jewellery is shining, your lobes are soft, and you’re ready to show them off.
• Then, OH, SHIT - throbbing pain, heat, swelling, and a smell that makes you vom in your mouth.

But it doesn’t have to be all soreness and heaving. It’s not rocket science to prevent infected stretched ears when you’ve got the right approach. And if a cheeky ear lobe stretching infection sneaks in? You can handle infected gauges without losing your stretch or your will to live.

The thing is, an untreated ear stretching infection can get seriously nasty, on top of being a real inconvenience.

So, without wanting to scaremonger, here’s what you might find yourself up against if you ignore the early warning signs of an infected stretched lobe.

This is the most common type of ear stretching infection. It happens when bacteria slip into micro-tears in the skin.

You’ll start to experience symptoms like:

• Escalating soreness
• Redness and swelling
• Pus ranging in colour from pale yellow to a deep green (this might sound like too much information, but it’s key information!)

What starts as minor discomfort can end up being a massive problem if you keep stretching or don’t treat it. This is because the ear stretching infection can burrow deeper into the tissue, leading to scarring and permanent thinning of the skin.

Ignore a bacterial ear stretching infection long enough, and you might end up with an abscess. This is basically a pocket of pus trapped inside the tissue. Gorgeous - not!

Byproducts of abscesses include:

• A hard, painful lump under the skin
• Hot, throbbing pain
• Extreme tenderness

Don’t ignore an abscess in the hope it will just go away. You might be unusually lucky. But they don’t tend to clear up on their own. In fact, they often need draining by a medical professional, and can leave permanent scarring.

This is when bacteria spread beyond the surface of your lobe into the deeper layers of skin.

It causes:

• Rapid swelling and heat
• Tight, shiny, and painful skin
• Fever or chills

This is absolutely a “get to a doctor now” situation. The last thing you want is for cellulitis to spread to other areas and become a serious systemic infection if you sit on it.

The bad news is that an ear stretching infection can be even nastier when you’ve stretched a cartilage piercing, like a conch, helix, or tragus.

Telltale signs to watch out for include:

• Severe pain
• Swelling and distortion of the shape of your ear
• Redness and heat

The thing with cartilage is it lacks the lobe’s elasticity and fleshiness. This is why infected stretched ears are harder to treat when you’re dealing with cartilage. In the worst case, ear stretching infection can permanently damage the shape of your ear if ignored.

At the end of the day, infected gauges don’t mean you’re physically weak or bad at stretching. They happen, even to pros. The mistake isn’t getting one. It’s ignoring it.

For all these reasons, you should trust your gut if it’s telling you something’s wrong. After all, it might be warning you to:

• Stop stretching
• Up your cleaning game
• Get professional advice if it doesn’t improve in 48 hours

Proactivity helps you dodge or manage an infected stretched lobe. And you’ll potentially save yourself a whole lot of pain and even medical attention.

But unfortunately, infected gauges aren’t the only ear stretching risks to be mindful of.

As if ear stretching infection isn’t bad enough! Meet blowouts and tears. And prepare for a whole new level of “OMFG.”

Blowouts

Scar tissue puffs out behind your lobe, usually from sizing up too fast. It’s a red alert to downsize, massage daily with LobeLove™ Organic Golden Jojoba Oil, and take a break before trying to stretch again.

To be clear, blowout isn’t an ear lobe stretching infection. But it’s one of the most common and dreaded ear stretching risks. For this reason, it’s well worth getting yourself up to speed with our article Ear Stretching Blowout - Everything You Need to Know.

Tears

Tears can range from tiny micro-tears to full splits. They can be painful, take ages to heal, or even be unable to heal themselves naturally if your ear splits completely, leaving plastic surgery as your only option.

Thankfully, they’re easily avoidable with a bit of common sense, know-how and patience. So, don’t even think about dry stretching without LobeLove™ Premium Ear Stretching Balm. Stop if you feel a sharp stinging sensation. It’s your ears telling you they’re not happy. And allow sufficient ear stretching healing time between sizes.

Loss of elasticity

Overstretching can thin your lobes and make downsizing difficult. Take a break from stretching and massage with LobeLove™ Organic Golden Jojoba Oil to encourage healthy tissue.

Persistent odour known as ear cheese

Totally normal, but totally gross! Thankfully, you can keep on top of it by regularly removing and washing your ear stretching jewellery. And switch to glass, surgical steel or titanium plugs or tunnels to minimise buildup.

Let’s call out the biggest offenders:

Normal stretching discomfort should ease in a day or two. Whereas an infected stretched lobe is louder, uglier, and more dramatic. Expect:

• Redness and heat
• Persistent or throbbing pain
• Swelling and a feeling of the skin being too tight around your ear stretching jewellery
• Green, yellow, or rank discharge
• Fever or swollen lymph nodes (time to see a doctor if you get to this stage)

On the other hand, why not drill down into safe ear stretching healing time? It can go a long way to saving yourself the bother.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to avoid ear stretching infection is giving your lobes time to heal between stretches.

So, what are the golden rules most stretchers swear by?

NEVER SKIP SIZES!

Keep your finger on the pause button if your lobes are still sore, swollen, or irritated at the end of your wait - everyone heals differently, and these times are only a guide. Pushing ahead too soon will only set you back if your ears aren’t ready.

It’s not back-breaking to maintain clean and happy lobes. Just get into a daily routine to help keep earlobe stretching infection at bay.

Morning:

• Wash your hands thoroughly
• Gently clean your lobes with warm water and fragrance-free soap, or spritz them with LobeLove™ Professional Saline Piercing Spray to be on the safe side
• Dry with a clean towel or paper towel, never a shared towel or anything fluffy like cotton wool or tissues, which can shed.

Afternoon:

• Do a quick check for redness, swelling, or pain
• Massage lobes with LobeLove™ Organic Golden Jojoba Oil

Evening:

• Douse again with LobeLove™ Professional Saline Piercing Spray
• Clean your ear stretching jewellery, dry it thoroughly, and reinsert it
• Sleep smart. Use a travel pillow or sleep on your back to avoid pressure while healing.

In addition, always stay hydrated, 24/7. Your skin heals better when you’re hydrated.

And be careful what ear stretching jewellery you wear before your stretch is fully healed.

Not all plugs and tunnels are created equal. Here’s what you should and shouldn’t wear while stretching, to avoid ending up with an infected stretched lobe:

What if your lobe is red, angry, and screaming for help? Keep your hair on and follow this calm, step-by-step plan to fix it:

• Keep your ear stretching jewellery in - Removing your jewellery can trap bacteria inside. Only take it out if the swelling is extreme.
• Clean meticulously but gently - Bathe and rinse gently. No harsh rubbing. And do saline spritzes twice daily.
• Try warm compress therapy - Apply a clean, warm compress for 5 - 10 minutes to soothe pain and help drainage.
• Downsize if needed - Does your ear stretching jewellery feel too tight? Step down a size to relieve pressure while the ear stretching infection heals.
• Seek professional help for serious cases - Get to a doctor if you’ve got a fever, spreading redness, or pain that’s not going away. Antibiotics might be needed.

Q. Can I keep stretching if I have an ear stretching infection?

A. No. Heal completely first, or you risk permanent tissue damage.

Q. How long does it take infected stretched ears to clear?

A. Mild cases can normally resolve in three to five days. Conversely, severely infected gauges might need a week or more and medical treatment.

Q. Do infections ruin stretched lobes?

A. Not usually, if you treat them early and correctly.

Q. Is soreness normal after stretching?

A. Yes, for 24 - 48 hours. Pain beyond that means you need to slow down.

Q. Can I use alcohol or peroxide for ear stretching aftercare?

A. Please don’t! They’re too harsh and can hinder ear stretching healing time. Stick with saline.

Reassuringly, ear stretching infection isn’t the end of the world. And it’s definitely not the end of your stretching adventures. But you need patience, proper stretched ear infection care and the right gear to keep your lobes healthy and achieve your dream size without any more drama en route.

At Stretch It Body Jewellery, we’ve got you. Simple as.

Think of us as your one-stop HQ for ear stretching jewellery to aftercare products to pro-level guides.

Visit our website for everything you need to stay infection-free and keep your lobes looking - and smelling - amazing.