infected ears at 00g :(

[linds3yclair3]

hello,
so i've been stretching my ears over the course over probably half a year now, and until recently i hadn't experienced any major problems.
i had a pair of 00 wood spirals in for a few weeks, my ears took a little while to heal to them but there was nothing out of the ordinary.
around a week ago however, my ears and the area behind the ear on my upper neck became very itchy. i scratched them often, just itching the lobes and surrounding area.
yesterday i woke up with very itchy ears, and one of my spacers even slid out because there was so much pus
gross, i know.
usually i put aloe on my lobes when i want them to heal but i've applied aloe 3 times and have seen no difference.
anyone have any suggestions?
i don't have a lot of money to buy expensive treatments for them.
so far i've cleaned them with salt water and rubbing alcohol.

[choclate.brownie23]

You're probably fine, it might be rejecting which just means the skin sees it as a dangerous foreign object and is trying to get rid of it. In that case, just downsize to a 0 and take care of it. How long did you wait before stretching up last time?
As for the itching, its probably caused by overuse of the alcohol. You really shouldnt use rubbing alcohol on piercings, its too harsh, and breaks down the skin and could definitely be making it itch. I would suggest discontinuing the rubbing alcohol and sticking to the salt water. Scent free, gentle antibacterial soap is fine too. Best of luck!

[corazon_de_oro]

It's not an infection. Downsize to take the pressure off your lobes, and stop using the rubbing alcohol. If you can, get some straight plugs/tunnels in 0G instead of wearing spirals, tapers, etc. because those will move around too much. The only aftercare you need is sea salt soaks. Mix no more than 1/4 teaspoon sea salt per one cup hot water. You can adjust the amount... like if you had two cups of water you would use 1/2 teaspoon. Just don't get too much salt or it'll do more harm than good. Soak your lobes in this solution for 5-10 minutes once or twice a day. If you find that your lobes are getting dry, do them less. If your lobes are producing a lot of "crusties," do more. You never want to use alcohol, peroxide, soap, or anything harsh on your ears.

[linds3yclair3]

thanks for the suggestions guys
i got this saline solution to put on them to help keep them clean, i downsized to 2g (the one ear that had the spiral slide out had shrunk up a little more) and i bought a pair of metal tunnels.
hopefully they heal soon, i've also been applying oatmeal cream to my neck to help the itchy dry skin, plus i'll soak them in some salt water soon too.