My poor ear lobes!

Thanks for this post. Mum had my ears pierced as a 25th birthday present with little gold posts. I haven't worn earrings for about 4 months due to the pain. Tonight I found the little gold posts mum gave me and covered them with germoline as mentioned in an earlier post (other brands are available). I am going to keep them in for a few nights and then use larger earrings. So far, no pain.

I’m with Willa. Many years ago I was told that surgical spirit is oil based and will not help sore ears dry out and recover. I’m not a daily user of my earrings, so quite often end up with tender ear lobes. A little dab of antibiotic ointment usually sorts the problem.

Pierced ears are prone to infection, especially if recent or you haven't worn earrings in awhile. If earlobes get sore, try wiping the posts first with rubbing alcohol and a cotton, then lubricate them with a small amount of First Aid antibiotic ointment.

Make sure you remove earrings before shampooing your hair and especially before bedtime. Leaving pierced earrings on overnight while you sleep is not a good idea either.

Coat the part that goes through your ear with a couple of layers of clear nail polish to avoid it irritating your ears, i’ve done it loads of times and it works a treat. Best of luck!

I cant wear any earrings other than gold or silver for any length of time or my ears get sore.
They alse get sore (red and hot as described by OP) if I've not worn them for a few days and then try to force slightly lRger shafts in. Like otgers I find germolene (or Savlon cream which has a less strong smell) put on my ears helps and they get better after a couple of days.

My favourites are mostly silver. Before I put them in I spray fragrance on a tissue and wipe the posts of the earrings and the butterflies.
I suppose I could use gin instead but probably shan't!

I can no longer wear silver as my ears start to itch, I'm restricted to gold or platinum. Tbh I haven't changed my earrings for a couple of years. I'm currently wearing small hoop platinum ones that only come out when I have Mri's etc.

You may has an intolerance to some metals. Can't wear any if the chromium type earrings or silver plated. I too didn't wear any earrings for years and when going back to them found this problem. It may well be that nowadays there is so much cheap jewellery made from all sorts of stuff compared to 20 years ago. Can only wear silver and gold in my ears now.

I use surgical spirits on my ears if they get a bit sore and only wear the heavier earrings when I'm out, removing them when I get home to give my ears a 'rest' as it were.

That's the second useful earring I've lost - perhaps I should wear an unmatching pair!

My mother was allergic to nickel in the days when women wore stockings - the suspender bit was nickel and she used to get blisters. It started quite suddenly.

Jalimall08 Sorry to hear you lost an earring. You never know it might turn up inside a jumper or something! I did have some gorgeous white gold stud ones bought as a present once and lost one after about a month! I'm hopeless. I seem to be able to wear non silver/gold now, since the nickel restriction, thankfully. I can't do hoops though, I have curls. They get very tangled!

Hello all, and thank you for the responses.

I used Gemolene yesterday, and it did seem to help, so I will carry on with that and see how it goes!

Helennonotion I had a small pair of hoop earrings which were gold and cost me less than £10 from a jeweller's in Bristol which was having a massive sale a few years ago
They were my 'every-day go-to' earrings - and now I've just lost one

I had the same problem, having worn only diamond studs for years. Could only wear v lightweight gold dangly earrings for short periods. Gradually increased time they were in. Now I can wear them all the time. Hope that helps!

It is possible to develop any allergy later in life. My Mum had to have her wedding ring platinum lined as she developed an allergy to gold of all things! I think nickel is regulated in jewellery these days, but if your earrings are a few years old its possible they still have nickel in them. I remember trying all of the above tips, nail varnish etc, but nothing ever worked for me. I just had to wear silver or nickel free. (can't afford gold!)

If you put ice cubes (or even frozen food pack) anything freezing cold against the pierced hole it re-opens and the ear ring will slip through easily.

All of the above.
I had my ears syringed recently [stay on, it IS relevant! ] and the nurse asked if the olive oil had helped clear them. No, I replied, just made my earrings slip in more easily!
Give ahndcream/moisturiser/olive oil a go... good luck

I used to wear earrings many years ago. The holes have now closed up as I stopped when earrings started making them irritated. Even clip ons now make my ears sore. I've tried all sorts from plastic to gold and nothing works.

I am allergic to nickel too. I think sometimes if the earrings are old the surface of them has worn off and the nickel gets you. Treat yourself to some new earrings and see how you get on.

Like several other posters, I use Germolene on the posts when I wear earrings. Certainly helps them to go in and stops any irritation I get from cheaper jewellery. Can recommend it, especially the one with a anaesthetic in it.

Maybe the holes haven't closed completely, but have closed enough to make putting the rods through them difficult. Could you get your ears re-pierced?

I second the suggestion that you have developed an allergy that you did not previously suffer from. I used to be able to wear anything, but now find "costume" earrings irritate my ears.

I can only wear gold earrings but I always moisten the bit that goes through my lobe between my lips, (spit on it) it's always worked for me

I recommend TCP on earrings before you wear them

As you have not worn earrings for some time the holes in your ears have shrunk a little making your earrings feel a bit tight/uncomfortable. With regular wearing they will open up again, but take them out at night as the heat generated by a pillow could add to the problem. If your earrings are not Sterling Silver or Gold they may contain nickel which could irritate your skin, especially if the earrings are tight. You can get a protective liquid which you paint on to the ear wires, or try an antihistamine cream on your earlobes.