I just got my ear pierced (cartilage) and it is so infected the skin is swollen to the earring in the back and the one above it is starting to get infected. Is there anything I can put on it that can help take the infection away?

alcohol

I would personally see a doctor. They may be able to place you on some antibiotics so that you can keep your piercing, clean as they direct, and clear up the infection.

The piercing place should have offered you some kind of antiseptic for you. But go ahead and put some alcohol and twirl you earring around every once in awhile or try putting some hydro peroxide ( all this is to help dry up the infection) you might want to put some neosporine at night and do some twirling as well do this until it is healed but do not take it out just work around it you will be fine. Oh you can also use Listerine it is an antiseptic too. GL
Enjoy your new piercing...

DO NOT use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol!!!!! IT WILL DRY OUT THE SKIN, CAUSE IT TO CRACK & MAKE THE INFECTION WORSE!!!!

use saline to irrigate it several times each day, i mean really soak it out, clean any puss away, and rotate the earring. use antibiotic ointment (neosporin) at least 2 times a day, and use Teatree Oil (you can get it at most grocery stores now, or walmart, vitamin shoppe, gnc, etc) it is a natural antiseptic, and will very quickly help to kill the infection. it stings like hell when you use it though!
i had the same thing happen with a couple of my piercings, and learned the hard way about things that will dry out the healing flesh... Hydrogen peroxide is also corrosive, and will damage the metal.
if you are diligent, it should clear up in a few days... if it doesn't, its a lost cause. i have one i had to take out... turns out i was allergic to the metal i was pierced with. Good Luck!

When my ears get infected because I have torn the pierced area from my earing, I take a very small bowl filled with epson salt and soak the earlobe several times a day to get the infection out. Then I use neosporin to kill the bacteria. I have several piercings in my ears and every once in a while I do have to take the new earing out and replace it with thick white thread until the area heals. I soak the same way and use neosporin, and move the thread back and forth to make sure it doesn't heal around the tread. when it is healed, I put a clean earing back in. In a new piercing I have learned the hard way, that using a cheap or non-gold earing can cause a bad infection, or using an earing that is too heavy keeps aggrivating it instead of letting it heal. It is not fun to take out the earing when it's infected, but leaving the earing in could be what is creating the problem and it will only get worse. Good luck

You need to go to the doctor. An infection in the cartlige is a much bigger deal than a normal ear ring hole infection in the ear lobe. Infections can turn into blood poisoning. Until you can get into the doctor clean it with soap and water 3 times a day and apply neosporin.

Mix sea salt and warm water in a small bowl or container that you can put over your ear without it all spilling out. Let it sit over your ear for 30 minutes. I would do this twice a day. This worked for me when I got my belly button pierced and I had a ho0rrible infection and nothing else worked.

Mine did that when I got mine pierced. You just have to keep it clean.... Like after you shower, use alcohol to clean it and, I also put triple antibiotic ointment on it. After a few days, it will heal up... But you basically have to clean it after everything.. When you wake up in the morning, after you sweat, after you shower, if you play with it, and before you go to bed... That's what I did, and it healed up fine, I don't have any problems out of it anymore.

H2Ocean http://aftercare.h2ocean.com/