Just about every girl has ear piercings. They're fun little pieces of jewelry that can give your outfits more of a pop, and a lot of them are super affordable! But did you know that they can cause some damage to your body?
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That's right: an uncared for ear piercing can get extremely infected! Think having an infection isn't terrible? Think again! If you're piercing leads to an extreme infection, that will get you a nice trip to the emergency room and severe cases have even lead to death.
There are a ton of factors that can lead to infection: where you get it done, how your piercing is pierced, and the way you take care of it.
The placement of your piercing plays a major role in infection. Cartilage piercings are much more prone to infection than earlobe piercings since they have a lower blood supply going to that area of your ear. Because of the lower blood supply, cartilage piercings take much longer to heal, which leaves the piercing more prone to getting infected.
If you go to a shady mall kiosk over a reputable place just to save a few bucks, you're guaranteed an infection. One of the biggest reasons why is because many of these mall kiosks and shady parlors use a piercing gun over a needle. Not only does this cause more pain, but can lead to tissue damage and hearing loss!
One of the biggest infection causers is your aftercare routine. If you're not taking care of your piercing and cleaning it at least twice a day, you're signing yourself up for a big infection. You should also keep the initial ring used in the piercing process for at least a month, since lower-quality jewelry can also cause infection, or even lead to your body rejecting the piercing. If you take care of your piercings right, you'll be fine!
