I feel so dumb....

[sami0201]

Back to the original problem....getting the backs off. Do the studs come out easily? If I can manage to get the backs off, can I just leave them off for a bit w/ the studs in and let it air out until I go to bed?

The backs of the starter pair are always hard to get off, just don't be scared to pull really hard The studs should come out pretty easily once you get the back off, but if they don't then I wouldn't force them out because the hole must not be big enough yet...You can do what anitram said and maybe just leave the backs off for a little while and clean around it if you don't want to take the whole earring out. But if you can get the studs out fine once you get the back off, I don't think you would have a problem with keeping them out for a few hours.

 

[Liesje]

Update: the backs are OFF and my ears can BREATHE! The goo thing was not clearing up, so I got the courage to yank everything out and give it all a good hose down of ear solution and alcohol. The studs are in now without the backs. I think the left ear will be fine. The right ear was in pretty bad shape behind the earing back. I won't get too nasty, but lets just say I had to relieve some swelling before attempting to get the stud back in place.

Hopefully they're crustified in place for the night without backs...

Thanks for the advice and support, ladies! I'm getting better at this being a girly girl thing....I think....

 

[Got Philk?]

Update: Watching her as she "relieved some swelling" was disgusting.

EEEeeeeeeeeeeeewwww...so gross.
now who's the girly girl...or girly man. hahahaaaa

Sorry it's late.

 

[sami0201]

Glad it's looking better!!



Phil

 

[Kristie]

my ear piercings get infected frequently and I've had them for a bit... first ones at six, second holes about 2 years ago. Both of them I kept in the original studs for six months.

but anyway
the backs will probably get easier to remove the more you do it, that's how it worked for me.. I'd probably take them out daily, clean up your ear, clean up the stud and back, and put them back in.
I don't know what to tell you about the rings, I know if I sleep with small rings in it causes more irritation... with moving around in the night I think they get pulled on more than studs.


Claire's kind of messed up mine too, my second hole on the right side is at an angle (not straight through the lobe).

 

[Liesje]

I had mine done at Claires, so I hope they turn out OK! The girl that did it took her time getting everything lined up and seems confident about it.

I got the backs off, which included some pretty disgusting surprises, but I didn't have anything else to put in, so I left the studs in without backs overnight. The backs of my ears were swollen, so the tips of the studs were barely poking out so yesterday I bought tiny rings. I had no idea which are OK to use or if I have an allergy, so I got the 14k white gold to be safe. I've had these in for 24 hrs and have had no pain and no more goo. If this helps the irritation in the back clear up, I'll probably leave them in indefinitely. The nice thing is that they are so thin, I can still circle them through so they don't get stuck in one position.

 

[Kristie]

good luck!

though I think white gold is responsible for more allergies than yellow gold... I doubt you're allergic though, I think you'd be having more problems than you are.
In the future you might want to stick to nickel-free earrings (or sterling silver) just in case... I mean, if you don't get gold ones. Apparently you should stay away from sterling silver if your ears are healing though, I guess the fluid that oozes from your ear makes them tarnish and can discolor your ear.

I don't know if this'll help, but wikipedia has a list of materials used in piercings and their pros/cons:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_piercing_materials

 

[Liesje]

Thanks, Kristie. I went with the white gold because my engagement ring and piercing studs were white gold and I've had no infections or irritations until this point. They did have nickel free ones for $4.50 and sterling silver for $7, but I figured white gold was the best since it was $12.

The lady at the store did mention that you can't use peroxide to clean ears with white gold earings because it damages the ear rings.

 

[Carek1230]

I have several piercings in each ear and think it is strange I've never, since age 13 with the first piercing had ANY problems with swelling or infection of any kind and can literally put any kind of earring through and hole in the fleshy part of either ear. It's the cartlidge piercings that I've had horrible problems with. They seem to get infected too often so I've let several of the holes just close up.

 

[u2bonogirl]

I'm allergic to gold. It makes your ear swell up so bad that you can't even see the stud anymore

I've always had problems with my left ear, but the right one always seems to heal well. I wonder why that is

 

[sonicsmurf]

My cousin pierced my ears with just a stud and the back of a pencil eraser, not once, but twice because the first one was crooked. He said he knew what he was doing. A long time ago...