Hi

My advice is take it out immediately and then sterilise the area with an antiseptic wash and then get yourself some antibiotics if the swelling is over 7 days old.

The blood is a sign of rejection and the swelling is where the infection is getting in. If you leave it you are at risk of hypertrophic scarring (red lump that goes a sort of fibrous brown when settles).

Ok that said you are going to google and you will hear the following;

Tragus can take a real long time to heal and its ok to pour blood out of your ear for 2 months and I was fine.

I will put this forward in that it is my own opinion (not a medical one).

Everybody reacts differently to piercings and tattooing. Everybody heals differently and at different rates/speeds.

That said if you are having swelling, bleeding, pus or the scab monkey busting out of your piercing you have 2 choices;

1. As above retire it, clean the wound, let it heal, move on.

2. Persevere with it and tough it out. This works for a few and ends in infection, pain, and tears or at worst blood poisoning for many.

You know your body if it is not getting any better then get it out. The internet likes to boast of successes but how many people will post up and say yep I buggered this up?

However should you want to try and keep it in this is what you do

1. Always wash your hands before touching the piercing – the more you play with it the worse you can infect it.

2. Take a cotton bud or sterile cloth and soak it in salt water or tea tree or other mild antiseptic solution.

3. Cleanse the area with industrial alcohol (yes this will likely sting and burn) otherwise vodka is very efficient.

4. Wipe the area down firmly but no squeezing with the soaked cloth.

5. Repeat 3 times a day.

Again consider getting some antibiotics if the infection does not reduce. Also try some anti-imflammatories such as ibruprofen (check first depends on existing health)

Under no circumstances do any of the following;

Try to pop the bubble – this can lead to blood poisoning

Let any animal saliva or human saliva (or human body fluids) near the piercing. This includes a partner kissing, licking, or blowing in your ear.

Pour any of the alcohol or antiseptic into the eardrum – it aint funny and can cause swelling and irritation.

Attempt to remove the piercing yourself or a friend to do it. You need a trained piercer or medical profession to do this or you will have a ripped lug.

Oh tragus piercings cannot cause blindness – that is an urban myth it can lead to multiple organ failure if you let an infection turn septic but that is extremely rare as long as you keep it clean. 😉

That said if it is 6 mths old you have prob got hypertrophic scarring starting.

Take Care
Matthew

Mwahaha

It is only in the rarest of cases that a person will get sepsis but would you want to be that one in a million? 😉

I always say if you have just put a hole in your body you had best damn well make it up to yourself because your immune system is going to be mega pissed off.

I mention it because I have actually seen gangrene from a bad tattoo in the middle east and made me realise that actually it can happen even if it feels like it never will.

Take Care
Matthew

Hi

Well I was not there at the start but from what I pieced together his mate did a religious hand tattoo with a needle and indian ink on the back of his hand (a common practice amongst many arabs).

The tattoo went bad so he picked at it and left a major open wound. He was a nomadic worker who worked with cattle and decided that he would just wash it and did not want to lose any pay by taking time off to drive to the nearest hospital which was 2-3 hrs drive.

Handling cattle is dirty business and the hand went really bad and he collapses but didn’t tell the foreman.

I spot him a week after ( I was working in the pens) and he is really bad by this point his hand had gone black n purple and was spreading up his arm.

Rush him to the hospital who state he has gangrene and cut his arm off to his elbow to save his life. (Turns out he had diabetes which didn’t help at all).

Sad tale but made me ultra cautious over cuts and scrapes.

Take Care
Matthew

I had this problem and the cure was simple. Crush an Asprin and add a little water to make a paste, rub this on the lump.
repete this daily and it should kill the tissue that formed the lump. It may scab up several times during this process over a week. (dont do it any longer)If this doesnt work you will probably need to remove the jewelery. Strangely i was told not to use any products on my tragus as it may agrevate the healing. All is well now though after the Aspirin treatment and 3 years down the line it is ok.

Hi Britt

Glad you made a decision you are happy with.

Wasn’t my intention to scare you but just wanted to cut through a lot of bullshit and let you have facts for an informed decision.

No I always say if I want to scare ppl I say come out drinking with me 😉

Take Care
Matthew