How you can keep your ears safe and healthy

Aug 22, 2008

Caring for pierced ears<br><br>Pierced ears may look pretty but they need good care lest things get ugly. Just after piercing your ears, experts advise, leave the earrings in until the ears are completely healed. If you do not, your holes could close up.

By Fred Ouma

Caring for pierced ears

Pierced ears may look pretty but they need good care lest things get ugly. Just after piercing your ears, experts advise, leave the earrings in until the ears are completely healed. If you do not, your holes could close up.

You must also prevent infections. Wash your hands before touching the pierced ears and apply rubbing alcohol to keep germs away, says Dr Gregory Tumweheirwe, an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist at Mulago Hospital. Soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and apply it to both sides of the hole. Then twirl the earring several times to make sure the alcohol gets in and around the earring post.

If you think one of your pierced ears may be infected, consult the doctor. An infected earlobe may be swollen, red, warm, and painful, and it may ooze pus. Don’t wait because the infection may spread and make you sick.

For swimmers
There is what is called swimmer’s ear where water gets stuck in your ear canal causing your outer ear to get infected, swell and pain. “This can irritate the skin, exposing it to bacterial infection,” says Michael Awubwa of Mulago Hosptal. “You should see the doctor if you think you have swimmer’s ear. Special eardrops can help you get rid of it.”

To prevent swimmer’s ear, doctors recommend drying your ears after swimming and shaking out excess water. A few drops of alcohol can dry out any moisture in there. Drying your ears will keep you in the swim.

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