Ear Piercing Risks
In most cases, the pierced ear only features the standard risks associated with a body piercing simply because the ear is almost completely composed of cartilage and skin. There is not much else there which also means that the chances of an ear specific risk associated with the piercing is slim to none.
As far as the standard risks that are associated with virtually any piercing, there is and always will be the chance of an allergic reaction. This possibility of an allergic reaction comes in two fold, the first part has to do with the chemicals used to clean the jewelry as well as the piercing while the second part has to do specifically with the jewelry. It is completely possible to have an allergic reaction to the cleaning chemicals and solutions that you will be using to help keep the jewelry and the piercing clean. This will always be a risk no matter how you look at it. As far as the possibility of an allergic reaction to the jewelry itself goes, it is important to remember that if you are allergic to gold, then do not choose a solid gold or gold plated jewelry. Furthermore, many people are allergic to nickel yet a lot of the cheaper jewelry is made from it. Make sure that the jewelry you choose is made from stainless steel as it is always the safest choice.
After having an ear pierced, do not go swimming for a month or so. This is very important and it does not matter if it is a swimming pool or a natural water body, they both can cause issues. The swimming pool uses chlorine to keep it free of bacteria but it is the chlorine that can cause an issue. The chlorine can dry out the skin surrounding the piercing making it weak and susceptible to the jewelry being torn out. The natural bodies of water, regardless of whether it is fresh or salt water, have protozoa in it, these little critters can get in the open wound and cause a nasty little infection. As ling as there is still a raw wound regardless if it is not visible, these little guys will find it and call it home and no one wants this.
Like with any trauma to the body there is the chance of scar tissue forming in excessive amounts. Furthermore, the blunt trauma caused by a piercing can cause a keloid. A keloid is basically a really bad scar that is located deep under many layers of skin. Furthermore these keloids do not always for right at the piercing point, but they can occur as much as a couple millimeters from the actual point.
Last but most definitely not least, you need to make sure that the piercing technician is using sanitized equipment to perform the piercing or at least using disposable equipment to perform it. The reason for this is very simple. There are way too any viral infection that you can get from unsanitary equipment. You would not want a surgeon to use the same scalpel that he used on the previous patient so why would you be ok with the same needles. There is no way of knowing if the person before you had a viral infection like hepatitis B or C or worse, even HIV. Last thing anyone wants is to go in for a piercing and leave with a viral infection so make sure that every thing is clean before it gets used on you.
