I’m on Day 3 and honestly panicking. The pain is keeping me from sleeping and the swelling is getting out of control. Looking for advice on how to handle this.
Age: 3 days old. Placement: Two lobe piercings on each side. Jewelry: Butterfly-back studs. Status: Extreme pain and massive swelling on both sides. No discharge or change in color yet, but they are throbbing constantly and feel very tight. The Timeline: Day 1: Pierced. Used an ointment. Day 2: Showered in the morning. By the afternoon, the swelling and pain were so intense I couldn't ignore it. I stopped the ointment and switched to saline + drying. Day 3 (Today): The swelling hasn't gone down. I’ve started a course of antibiotics and have an antibiotic cream (havent used it yet), but I’m worried about the jewelry itself.
I’ve read that butterfly backs are terrible for swelling because they compress the tissue and don't allow room for the ear to expand. I am currently not using saline as I was told to give it a break, but the throbbing is constant. I have Implant Grade Titanium flat-back barbells and plastic studs ready to go.
My Questions:
- Is it safe to swap to the Titanium flat-backs now to give my ears room to breathe? I'm worried the butterfly backs are literally "choking" my lobes and causing the pain.
- If I swap the jewelry while it’s this swollen, am I going to make things worse or is the relief worth it?
- Should I keep using the antibiotic cream, or will a thick cream just clog the piercing and trap bacteria? I am in a lot of pain and really need to know if the butterfly backs are the reason this is escalating. Thanks in advance!