Hi, I know this gets asked a lot but wanted advice for my situation.
Age: 25 days (pierced April 5, 2026)
Jewelry: 18g Studex surgical steel stud, butterfly back
Downsized: no
Aftercare: 0.9% sodium chloride (no additives) sprayed on it morning and night (front and back), not sleeping on it (using a travel pillow)
Healing was going fine until a couple days ago. Now my lobe is swelling and both the front and back feel tight against my ear. It’s not embedded, but it feels close and like there’s no room. Yellow/light green puss starting.
My piercer suggested loosening the back or switching to a plastic one, but that doesn’t seem to help much with a butterfly back.
Does this sound like a jewelry issue (like needing a longer post/flat back), or is this normal swelling and I should wait it out?
Just wondering as there’s no other reputable piercers in my area and would have to travel to get changed if so.