Really Swollen Tragus Piercing

[whitelies]

So here's my story:

I got my tragus pierced about 3 and a half months ago in a proper shop with a professional piercer. She used a titanium labret and for the first month and a half it had been healing pretty well. I never experienced any sort of pain, redness, swealling, absolutely nothing at all. I had been cleaning it about three times a day with Blue Wave Saline Spray as recomended by my piercer.

A month and a half passed and I started noticing my piercing was getting a bit swollen and I had a small red bump around the hole. First I thought it was infected but then I realized I didn't had any pus or pain and the area wasn't red. Just the bump and the swealling. I started using hot compresses and after two weeks the bump went away. The swealling never went down. Then, a week later the bump comes back again. I started getting verry frustrated and decided to leave it alone. It so happens that the bump went away, however my tragus it's still really swollen. It's been three months now since I had it pierced and for the second half of the time it has always been swollen. I actually don't know what to do with it anymore. Ice hasn't worked, hot compresses haven't worked. Please help me...

I guess I have a small bump appearing on the back that I coulld only see in a picture I took because I'm not really able to see it, even with two little mirrors... I don't really know what to do anymore.. =S (unfortunately I can't post images because I'm new to the forum, but I will, once I can)

[Boo]

Ditch the spray it won't do anything, give it a proper soak and maybe add a chamomile teabag if you're not allergic, information can be found here.

Does the bar seem to be too long? Does it get knocked much? Do you sleep on it or play with it?

3.5 months is early days for a cartilage piercing, you may find it takes a good 12-18months to settle fully and be healed.

How swollen is really swollen? Is it eating the bar? Might want to go back to your piercer so they can inspect it in person.

[whitelies]

I have been soaking it for two weeks now... I do it in the morning and after I go to be.
I've never slept on it and try not to touch it, except when I'm cleaning it.
The bar is not being eaten because it is kind of long... I've been to my piercer already, at the time it was just swollen and didn't had any bump and she said I should keep with the soaks and shouldn't touch it..

The chamomile teabag you talk about is one of those regular ones you can purchase on the supermarket?

Than you so much for answering me, I've been freaking out since it is my first "real" piercing and I'm so unexperienced...

[Boo]

Are you using the correct ratio of salt to water? 1/4tsp to 250ml? Are you rinsing it aftrerwards? As long as your piercer is happy I wouldn't worry. The bumps are called hypertrophic scarring (bad term as it will not leave a scar) and are extremely common with cartilage piercings, I have one on my daith that flares up and down and that's about 8 months old if not older. May want to see if the bar is too long as if it is moving back and forth this causes irritation and this can assist with the bumps.

Chamomile tea can be bought in supermarkets yes just make sure it's just chamomile and nothing else, you can also use the teabag as a hot compress.

Your other option is to just leave it alone and to it's own devices, a method I sometimes follow for my piercings but don't necessarily recommend, also don't get obsessed with it, I'd soak it once or twice a day, rinse well and only check it occasionally or it will start to really annoy you lol.

[whitelies]

Yes, I think I'm using the right ratio... and rinsing it afterwards. I've thought of taking it out and everything, but I really want it to work. I haven't really thought it through before I pierced it, it was just spontaneous.. I'm actually a med student but I haven't had the need to use a stethoscope ever since I pierced it but eventually I will have to and I know it won't be a good idea. I have a friend who also as her tragus pierced and she seems to get along just fine with using the stethoscope and headphones and all.

Could you please take a look at the picture and see if you think it looks that bad
altnation.com/forums/attachments/tattoos-piercings-chat/78838d1308781532-really-swollen-tragus-piercing-dsc07875.jpg

just put the www after it.

[Boo]

I'm not a piercer so can't say nor compare to your other tragus but a pro may be along soon to help

[whitelies]

Ok, thank you anyway!! =)

[Dark Matter]

It looks okay to me. I'm just comparing it to my tragus that I got about a month ago. I'd say its just going through the normal healing process. Sometimes the body just likes to let us know that its doing its job. Its not red, the bump is only small, it doesn't look very swollen. A professional will be able to tell you better, but I wouldn't worry unduly if I was you.

[whitelies]

Ok... great, then! =) Thank you..
I've been worried because I used to have a huge part of the bar that wasn't covered by my flesh.. and when compared to the other side it really is swollen... but I guess it is just healing. I'm really anxious for it to go down because it get kind of itchy and I would really like to be able to downsize my jewelry in about a couple of months, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

[Addicted]

I'm actually a med student but I haven't had the need to use a stethoscope ever since I pierced it but eventually I will have to and I know it won't be a good idea. I have a friend who also as her tragus pierced and she seems to get along just fine with using the stethoscope and headphones and all.

Shouldn't be an issues with stethoscopes, I'm a nurse and until very recently had my tragus pierced for years and had no issues. Headphones also work fine, but I would be gentle. I'm pretty sure knocking my tragus around while using headphones is a key contributor to the fact that my tragus migrated. Use over ear ones if possible but if you just use headphones every now and then it should be fine.