Over 90% of women (and a lot of men) have their earlobes pierced. It’s safe and easy, and hardly few have a problem with earlobe piercing. But in the last decade, women have begun to pierce their ears up high, through the cartilage, especially young girls. Ear piercing is common among the adolescent population, and multiple piercing of the ear has become increasingly fashionable. Often this involves “high” piercing, which requires puncture through the cartilage of the upper third of the pinna. Infection at this site often leads to loss of cartilage and to an unsightly deformity known as “cauliflower ear,” which has a poor chance of good reconstruction- according to a study published in The British Medical Journal. Cauliflower ear is more likely to occur when ear piercings have been done through the cartilage, the firm part of the pinna. If cartilage is pierced then bacteria form and start eating through it. The entire ear can be destroyed in just a few days.
The usual bacteria involved is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to which antibiotic resistance seems to be increasing. The vast majority of piercings are performed by non-medical practitioners, such as jewellers, hairdressers, or tattooists. These practitioners and their customers may not fully appreciate the implications of cartilage damage resulting from high piercing.
In the initial phase of infection, pinna gets swollen and reddens. Patients feel severe pain are. Later there is a collection of pus in the pinna. Surgical intervention is required if there are any sign of abscess or pus formation but cosmetic deformity proved difficult to avoid.
Piercing the cartilage in the upper portion of the ear is more dangerous than earlobe piercing. So, buck the trends and don’t have the cartilage pierced. Pierce the earlobe – once, twice, or more, but stay away from the upper part of yjr pinna.
