An ear infection is one of the dangers that one can face after a piercing. Infections from piercing of the ear are usually caused by the opportunistic skin bacteria. Opportunistic skin bacteria are bacteria that usually exist on parts of the body causing little problems but if a better nutrient source opens up, like a wound, the bacteria become infectious. Some of the prime candidates for skin infections in this regard are streptococcus and staphylococcus bacteria.
It is important to understand the basic mechanism of healing of a body piercing. When the ear lobe is pierced, a basic wound is made on the skin and a piece of jewelry is placed on the pierced part. It is of utmost importance that the jewelry is not removed for at six to eight weeks to ensure that the healing occurs around and along with the metal of the jewelry. Skin infections of the ear lobe would happen at this point chiefly because of using infected or non-sterilized piercing instruments or because of a lack of skin hygiene. It is also useful to ensure that the area of the piercing is cleaned with a solution of brine. This will serve as an antibiotic to the area of the wound. Once the area of the wound has healed completely, the jewelry must be taken off and cleaned thoroughly to avoid making this nutrient rich mixture fodder for more bacteria. If an infection has already occurred, then the best treatment is to use some tea tree oil in the region. This works as a wonderful broad-spectrum antiseptic for topical applications. However, again it is important to state that the jewelry not be taken off unless you are instructed to do so by the medical professional. This is required because when you take off the jewelry, the now empty area would be filled with toxic material from the infection and this would go on to form an abscess.
Some of the other risks that are associated with ear piercing include the transmission of hepatitis and HIV viruses from the use of piercing guns and tools that have not been sterilized. In some odd cases, swimming in open water bodies that are not sterile could also leave you open to infections from protozoa as well. One of the scariest things that could happen, though extremely rare, is the development of keloids. Keloids are scar tissue that ends up healing in a wayward formation. This scar tissue is mostly benign but the growth of this scar tissue is so uncontrolled that they can end up over growing the site of the injury itself.