Itchy Ear Piercing When Wearing Earrings, Recognize The Cause And How To Overcome It

Illustration of the causes and ways to treat itchy and swollen piercings (Unsplash/Kimia Zarifi)

JAKARTA – Some people experience itching and rashes on their ear piercings when wearing earrings. The most common possibility is caused by an allergic reaction to certain materials from the earrings.

Allergies are a natural response of the body, such as the body's way of fighting bacteria or viruses. It is the immune system that protects itself from harmful substances. Itching on piercings, which can be experienced in the ears, navel, lips, nose, and tongue, is caused by nickel in earrings or other accessories such as zippers, watch straps, bra hooks, coins, and eyeglass frames. Scientifically, it's not clear why certain people's bodies react to certain metals while others don't.

This allergic reaction can be recognized by a number of symptoms including a rash, intense itching, changes in skin color to purplish red, dry skin patches resembling burns, and blisters filled with fluid.

Reported by Very Well Health, Wednesday, January 12, metal is often a trigger for contact dermatitis, it is possible for people to experience allergic reactions when attaching jewelry to body piercing. Experts advise, during the piercing process, choose a professional who maintains cleanliness and practices infection control. Well, to avoid potential problems with allergic reactions, also ask what kind of ingredients they use.

Another suggestion, after your piercing has healed, avoid wearing allergenic jewelry, including stainless steel jewelry that still contains a small amount of nickel. Then choose jewelry made of 14 or 18 carat gold, titanium, or niobium.

Scientific evidence shows that the more a person is exposed to metals, the higher the potential for developing allergies. Therefore, the more piercings you have, the greater the allergic reaction. So start identifying allergies and choose accessories or jewelry materials that don't trigger these reactions.

There are two possibilities for the appearance of swelling, redness, heat, itching, and burning sensation in the piercing. In addition to allergic reactions, there are also infectious conditions. Well, how to tell the difference, allergic reactions will not improve when treated with topical antibiotic ointment. This is an indication that you may have an allergy and not an infection.

The only way to avoid an allergic reaction is to avoid wearing nickel ear piercings.