I got an ear cartilage piercing about a week and a half ago. I've been cleaning it with a provided saline solution 3x a day and showering daily. I rarely touch it without washing my hands. It was doing really well up until about 2 days ago. Now it's swollen, red, hot to the touch and irritating. I went to my piercer and he told me that it's not infected, but I'm worried. The friend I went with also got her cartilage pierced and hers are severely infected. She had to go to the hospital.