Suggest Treatment For Dark Discolouration In Ears After Piercing

Posted on Thu, 9 Jan 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 9 Jan 2014 Answered on

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Ear lobe problem. Trying make my ear lobe look more normal clean. Has been more than 1-2 years since i wore earring. For some reason my ear hole piercing remains dark brown. and the other side of ear lobe section is kind of dark (the edge and inside of the ear piercing hole on ear lobe) & not sure what type of doctor i should seek to cure it. Either a (Otolaryngologist, dermatologist or someone else ? Also if there is any creams or solutions to cure the problem. I tried alcholol & Dettol to clean but saw no changes

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (30 minutes later)

Brief Answer: occurs as a result of healing Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic The dark discolouration that you are noting is not due to the ear lobe being unclean (especially since you clean it with good agents such as alcohol and dettol), it is likely secondary to healing from the trauma to the ear. When any area of the body undergoes any type of trauma , even mild trauma such as getting an ear ring hole, a process of healing must occur. In some cases this can occur in the form of a 'lump', in other cases it can cause darkening of the area involved. A dermatologist would be the doctor to see, he or she may suggest lightening creams that would help you. Examples of creams that lighten are : topical steroids , hydroquinone cream I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (7 minutes later)

Thank you. Is this a cream would have to use forever? or like 1 month to restore its original coloring?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: no, it would not have to be used for a long time Detailed Answer: Hi It would normally take from 4 to 8 weeks for a response to be seen. It can vary from person to person. Your dermatologist would be able to tell you which would work better for you based on his or her assessment after examining you. Please feel free to ask anything else

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar