How Can An Areola Sore With Itching And Pus Be Treated?

I had my nipple pierced about 18 years ago. I took it out after a year. Every few years it gets sore and itchy, and the skin starts to crack, then it becomes weepy. It it so sensitive and extremely itchy. It takes months to heal when it gets like this, sometimes up to a year. The sore is mainly on the areola ( not the pointy bit) just around the old hole from the piercing, on one side. What should I do to help it heal?