How Can I Heal an Ear Lobe Infection?

Ear piercing is a popular hobby, but can have negative side affects such as infection. If there are signs of a serious infection, you should go see your doctor immediately. However, you can try a few things on your own in more mild cases.

How to Tell if Your Ear is Infected

• Ear lobe infections can usually be spotted by redness and swelling. If you notice this on your ear, and your ear also hurts to the touch, it's a pretty good sign that you have an infection of some sort. Seeing your doctor is the safest and most reliable way to deal with the situation, but if the pain is not too severe, you can try a few things on your own.

Treating Your Infection

• Many ear infections will cure themselves provided the infected area if kept clean. Most doctors will even recommend this course of action to start out. However, if the infection does not clear up with time, there are a few home remedies you can try before moving on to more serious measures.

  The first thing to do is to clean off the infected area using hydrogen peroxide. If the symptoms do not lessen within a day or two, try using warm salt water instead. Mix the water with a small amount of salt to start at, as too much salt could just make the situation worse. Use a non-iodized salt. Epsom salt or sea salt will work. Iodized salt can also make the infection worse. Use a natural cotton ball to apply the saline mixture to the infected area and then make sure to dry the affected area thoroughly. A hot compress will work well for this.

Other measures

• A couple of foods can assist in clearing up an infection a little bit faster. Try to eat foods high in Vitamin C and Zinc. Garlic is also an excellent natural infection fighter.

  Remember, if the infection does clear up quickly on its own, seek medical attention!