help with stretched ears hygiene

[u/BrilliantPoet4228]

hello, i've had stretched ears for about six years, and have been stable at 18mm for around two.

i much prefer metal jewelry, but i have noticed that despite cleaning them daily, whenever i wear my surgical steel jewelry there's always an unpleasant smell to my lobes.

this same thing doesn't happen whenever i use silicon tunnels, but since i'm not too fond of wearing those, i've come here to look for advice as to how to wear my steel plugs and care for them properly.

thank you in advance to anyone that could help!

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[u/Froggoboingboing]

Might just be body chemistry. I've noticed steel jewelry in any piercing will give a lil funk fairly quickly even if you're diligent with cleaning. This goes away with glass or titanium though (in my stretched lobes), so I'm selective about when and where to wear steel.

[u/Sparkly1982]

I love silicone so don't often wear metal. However, I found the septum funk unbearable with steel jewellery and couldn't get silicone into my 4mm septum so switched to titanium and the funk was greatly reduced.

Either way, I take my tunnels out when I shower and wash my lobes when I wash my face and ears. Sometimes the jewellery gets a swill in the shower, sometimes I give them a good wipe and clean them with hand sanitiser before I put them back in

[u/Dom-Deer]

You could try an antiseptic test if the area has already healed to see if it eliminates the odor.

[u/Acceptable-Rest-5677]

Metal jewelry can be porous if it’s not polished correctly, so it tends to collect more oil and dead skin cells. Certain materials may just react badly with your skin as well, and unfortunately surgical steel is more of a marketing term, instead of a standard.

The best fix is honestly buying higher quality metal jewelry or using another material, such as glass or properly finished stone.

Sadly the cost does tend to go up at the size you’re at, but if you’re willing to make the investment, I recommend brands such as Anatometal or Industrial Strength, as they both use verifiable high quality metal and polish their jewelry well.

A few things that also help if you’re not doing them already, could be naked training to leave your plugs out at night and upping the times you’re cleaning them to twice a day.
Making sure to use gentle soaps for the jewelry itself and avoiding any harsh cleaners or disinfectants is good. I’ve seen hydrogen peroxide damage jewelry pretty badly before.

If you have any questions or want suggestions for some cheaper alternatives that might work for you, let me know :)

[u/xgx]

Stainless steel will stink, if you want metal that doesn't get titanium. Glass is another good choice

[u/whoiscjanyway]

I only ever wear steel tunnels. Are you drying with the earring out? I’m at 19mm and wash and oil every other day and use a micro fiber to dry everything. I notice more of smell if I’ve been sweating or swimming and letting the earrings dry in. I have like a sight smudge on the jewelry and the stink on my lobe.

Edit* clarification

[u/Routine_Many3943]

Maybe try glass or stone plugs, since I switched from metal, acrylic and silicone i havent had that problem unless ive been sweating too much

[u/AnkBert]

You can put "smelly gelly" or something similar on the lobe and jewlery and it could help neutralize the smell for (supposedly) a few weeks

[u/ModifiedSammi]

Use titanium jewelry.