Sometimes, the area around an earring gets swollen and irritated, and the earring becomes stuck. The health care provider used special tools to remove the earring. Here's how to care for your child at home.

• Follow your health care provider's instructions for:
  • Using any medicines, such as an antibiotic skin ointment or medicine taken by mouth.
  • How to clean the area.
  • Whether your child can put an earring in or if the ear will need to be pierced again after the area heals.
  • Giving medicine for pain, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol^® or a store brand) or ibuprofen (Advil^®, Motrin^®, or a store brand). Follow the directions on the label for how much to give and how often. Don't give ibuprofen to babies under 6 months old.
  • When to follow up.
• There may be a small amount of bleeding for a day or two. If this happens, use a clean bandage or cloth to put gentle pressure on the area until the bleeding stops.
• You can gently wipe any drainage or dried blood off with a clean cloth or bandage.

• The area gets redder, more swollen, or has worsening drainage.
• You don't see improvement of bleeding, swelling, and drainage within 2 days.
• The area doesn't stop bleeding after putting gentle pressure on it.
• Your child gets a fever.

How can an earring get stuck? Sometimes the area around an earring gets irritated. This may happen because bacteria (a type of germ) causes an infection or because someone has a reaction to something in the earring (for example, nickel, a metal used in a lot of jewelry). The irritated area swells around the earring, trapping it in the skin.

What can help prevent earrings from getting stuck? To help prevent irritation, infection, and other problems:

• Only get piercings at reputable, experienced, licensed places that use sterilized equipment and high-quality, hypoallergenic jewelry.
• For at least 6 weeks after piercings:
  • Leave the jewelry in the piercing, even at night.
  • After washing your hands with soap and water, wash the piercing every day. Use a fragrance-free cleanser (NOT alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, which can be irritating), then rinse and dry the area.
  • Don't twist or pull on the piercing. 
  • Avoid putting the piercing under water, including pools, baths, lakes, and oceans.
  • Use a cotton swab to put petroleum jelly on the area once a day. Don't dip the cotton swab in the petroleum jelly more than once. And throw away the cotton swab after using it.
• When the piercing is no longer red or irritated (usually about 6–8 weeks after piercing):
  • Wash your hands with soap and water before changing the jewelry in the piercings. 
  • Don't twist or pull on the piercing. 
  • Consider using hypoallergenic jewelry. Jewelry made of 14K or 18K gold, stainless steel, or titanium is usually hypoallergenic. Try to avoid jewelry containing nickel as it causes irritation in some people.
  • The piercings can be washed during regular bathing. About once a week, clean both sides of the piercing with fragrance-free soap, then rinse and dry. This will prevent a crust from forming at the piercing.