Small tear above earring, what to do?

Question

I got my ear lobe pierced about seven weeks ago, more or less. Last night, I was awoken by soreness in my right piercing. I had been sleeping on it so I thought it may be normal. I decided to check anyway. Turns out, there's a tee tiny (less than a millimeter) above my piercing on the back of my lobe. I cleaned it with an anti-bacterial wipe( I know, I'm going get some hydrogen-peroxide today). Should I leave the piercing in or take it out and let it heal.

Donald B. Yoo, MD, FACS · Answer

A small tear like the one you are describing should heal fairly quickly as long as you keep the wound clean.

Robert L. Kraft, MD, FACS · Answer

I would recommend that you remove the earring and see how much healing will occur on its own.  Use of Neosporin or Bacitracin ointment is well advised, too.  Only with time will you be able to ascertain whether the ear has healed well enough to attempt reinsertion of an earring.  If your earrings are not 14 karat gold, you may have developed a reaction to the metal.

Small tear above earring, what to do?

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