All About Nose Piercings
93Modern Nose Piercings
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About Nose Piercings
The second most popular type of body piercing in the world after ears is the nostril piercing. A longtime presence in Indian, African and South Pacific cultures, in the last two decades this small bit of body jewelry has gone from rare to everywhere in the US and Europe. Yet as prevalent as this piercing seems, it can be tricky to heal without complications and is cause of some debate in the professional working world.
Here is information on the types of nose piercings you can get, healing and aftercare tips, options for nose jewelry, videos of nose piercings being done, how to recognize if you have an infection, some piercing "no-nos" to avoid and much more.
Take the Nose Piercing Poll!
Do you think employers/businesses are over-reacting when they make people take out or cover their nose piercings for work?
See results without votingNose Piercing Hub Guide
- Nose Piercing Blogs
News and happenings - Types of Nose Jewelry
Learn about rings, studs, bones, nostril screws and more. - Nose Piercing Links
How to care for a nose piercing and more - Nose Piercing No-Nos
What to avoid while your nose is still healing - HELP, MY JEWELRY IS DISAPPEARING INTO MY PIERCING!
How to deal with this unfortunate new piercing scenario - Piercing Aftercare Products
Suggested products for cleaning and caring for your healing nose piercing - How To Recognize An Infection
If this sounds like your nose, please go see your piercer or a doctor. - What Happens When You Take Out A Nose Piercing?
Answers for if you wish to permanently take out your nose ring. - Types of Nose Piercings
Learn more about the types of nose piercings (nostril, septum and bridge) - Nose Piercing Comments and Questions
If you've read over the whole Hub and still have a question about nose piercing, here's where you can ask the Hub author. (Be sure to read over all the previous questions too, as you might find your answer there.)
Watch a Nose Piercing
Piercing Age Laws
- Tattoo & Body Piercing Laws - US
Guidelines to find out how old you have to be before you can legally get pierced in your home state. - CBC News Indepth
The story behind tattooing and piercing in Canada - H & S Guidance - Skin Piercing
regulations in Devon, UK
Types of Nose Piercings
Nostril - this is the most common place for a nose piercing. The jewelry is placed somewhere along the rim of the nostril, either on the left or the right side of the nose. There is no significance or meaning to which side you get pierced, it's just your own preference. A ring or stud is best for starting but make sure the jewelry is not too tight to the nose if it is a stud. That can lead to healing problems.
Septum - these piercings are placed in the cartilage wall between the chambers of the nose, at the bottom of the nostrils. It's sometimes called a "bull ring" as you sometimes see cattle with this style of nostril piercing. It can be a bit sensitive to pierce, or if the ring gets snagged. This is the only type of nose piercing that can be made completely and truly invisible.
Bridge - sometimes called an "Earl" piercing after the first man to regularly get this type of jewelry, this piercing is done on the surface of the nose, through the skin of the bridge of the nose. This is the hardest to heal and carries the most potential for rejection or healing out.
See How A Septum Piercing Is Done
Suggested Soap For Healing Piercings
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Dr. Bronner - Organic Castile Soap Lavender, 32 fl oz liquid
Price: $10.19
List Price: $14.99 |
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Dr. Bronner - Organic Lavender Soap Bar, 5 oz bar
Price: $2.99
List Price: $4.19 |
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Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps Pure-Castile Soap, All-One Hemp Lavender, 5-Ounce Bars (Pack of 6)
Price: $29.23
List Price: $23.94 |
Nose Piercing Info and Links
- Nose Piercings eBook
Many people decide get their nose pierced and then have a lot of questions afterwards. Educate yourself before you get pierced and have a better experience. Learn why piercing guns are bad and get tips for getting rid of keloids. - Nose Rings and Piercings
It's only been in the last two decades that nose piercing has gained a mainstream popularity in Western culture. Presently, it is the second most-popular body piercing desired by teens and young adults. This lens will tell you about nose piercings, g - Nose Piercings
This is usually a piercing made somewhere along the curve of the nostril rim on either the left or right side as the wearer chooses. - Septum
"So what's next, a bone through your nose??!" - Nose Piercing - BMEzine
Nose piercing is very attractive, and can accentuate the face, because the nose is the face's most prominent feature - Nose piercing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nose piercing is the piercing of the skin or cartilage which forms any part of the nose, normally for the purpose of wearing jewelry.
HELP, MY JEWELRY IS DISAPPEARING INTO MY PIERCING!
If you have a brand-new nose piercing and the jewelry has sunken into it or even one end has vanished inside it, it means you picked a poorly-trained body piercer to do your nose. Sad but true.
Pierced noses swell up and the size of the piercing channel is not stable, and back when I first started getting pierced in the late 1980s, body piercers seemed to know this. Now so many people doing nose piercings have almost no training and it's literally hurting the customers. The jewelry that you start out with for a new pierced nose should NOT be the smallest you can get. This is why a reputable piercer will refuse to put in a teeny stud and why ring-style jewelry is really recommended to start. This prevents the jewelry from being pulled inside the piercing. Once your nose has healed (3 months later) then you can re-evaluate the size of the piercing and pick smaller jewelry.
If you have a stud that is disappearing into the piercing, you need to go back to where you got pierced and have them switch the jewelry to be something with a longer post and with a larger outside bead, or better yet, get a proper nose ring.
Types of Nose Jewelry
Ring - a tiny captive or fixed bead ring is very popular for nose piercings, and is the best-recommended for starter jewelry until the initial healing period is over as they make it easy to clean the piercing thoroughly and it allows room for any swelling.
Screw - a nostril screw is a style of jewelry from India and have become very popular in Western piercing. It has a short post which then goes into a small curl. This curl takes the place of a backing and holds the jewelry in place.
Bones/Pins/Studs - This is a short post-style piece of jewelry with a small bead or decoration that rests on the outside of the nostril. Items described as "bones" or "pins" often do not have a conventional backing. Sometimes they are just a straight post and sometimes the inside end terminates with a larger bead end. I get a lot of email from people complaining that bones are hard to get in and out and are painful to change. DO NOT GET THIS TYPE OF JEWELRY WHEN YOU FIRST GET YOUR NOSE PIERCED. Essentially, you'll just wind up ripping it out of your nose later if you ever want to change it.
U-Bend - this is a jewelry option just for septum piercings. It is a small "U" shaped piece that can be worn with the ends flipped up inside the nostrils, thus making the piercing undetectable. This is the only type of nose piercing jewelry that can truly be entirely invisible.
Spikes - this is another jewelry option for septums, and sometimes bridge piercings. It's essentially a straight taper worn horizontally through the piercing, with pointed ends that stick out. Not for new piercings!
Nose Rings and Nostril Screws
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18G Steel Nose Ring Twist CITRINE
Current Bid: $4.99
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13 Small Gem 18g Nose Ring Screws + FREE Nose Hoop
Current Bid: $10.95
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NEW Captive Nose Ring Open Hoop 5/16 16G 18G 18 Guage
Current Bid: $12.99
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2mm Diamond 14kt White Gold Nose Ring L shape 18g
Current Bid: $32.99
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Silver Nose Ring Hoop Captive 18G 18 Gauge 3/8 Silver
Current Bid: $9.99
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3mm Baby Pink sapphire 14kt GOLD NOSE RING 18g 20g
Current Bid: $24.99
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Nose Ring Buzz - blogs
- Every Bull needs a Nose Ring! on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
This photo used with permission from Daarks_End for this Manipulation Challenge/Daarklands Daarks_End www.flickr.com/groups/daarklands/discuss/72157620645275649/
- Abbey Lee Kershaw Brings Back the Nose Ring in July's <em>Vogue ...
Abbey Lee Kershaw Brings Back the Nose Ring in July's Vogue Nippon.
- sans nose ring on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
sans nose ring. ... sans nose ring. sans nose ring by Brooke Medlin {gemmafactrix}. To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player. ...
Body Piercing Aftercare
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H2Ocean 4 Ounce Purified Ocean Salt Water Piercing Aftercare Spray
Price: $7.25
List Price: $14.99 |
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Dr. Piercing's Piercing Aftercare Product - 36 swab pack
Price: $9.99
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Prick Fixx Sea Wipes Piercing Aftercare
Price: $7.49
List Price: $8.33 |
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Tattoo Goo's Piercing Aftercare Kit
Price: $10.55
List Price: $26.85 |
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Dr. Piercing's HOLE-ISTIC Aftercare - 36 swab pack
Price: $9.99
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See a Bridge/Earl Piercing
Some Nose Piercing No-Nos (and ways to avoid them!)
Here is the healing and aftercare info that answers the questions I get asked the most frequently. If you post a question in the comments section and it's answered here, I'm just going to delete it to save repetition.
Do not get your nose pierced with a piercing gun! These were not invented for noses and the jewelry is very blunt and often way too tight. This increases your chances of infection, keloids and scarring. But the really big reason is that the employees of places that use these tools are not trailed properly about blood-born disease transmission and the piercing guns are not sterilized properly in between customers to prevent the spread of HIV or Hepatitis C!
Do not wear sterling silver in a new/healing pierced nose! The tarnishing of this metal worn in a healing piercing can permanently stain the skin, leaving a black mark around the piercing site that will never, ever go away. New nose piercings need to be healed wearing stainless steel, niobium, titanium or 14k gold.
Do not change your nose jewelry too soon! Noses take three months to fully heal and some people find that if they take out the jewelry sooner, the piercing collapses or closes down and they can't get any jewelry back in, thus losing the piercing entirely. Changing jewelry too soon can also re-tear the inside of the healing piercing and make you start the healing process all over again.
Do not use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to clean your new piercing! They both can cause tissue burns and increase irritation, which slows down healing and increases the chances of scar tissue or "bumps" forming.
Avoid swimming pools, hot tubs and swimming in the ocean during the healing period. Chlorine and other chemicals used to maintain public pools are very bad for the healing tissues. The danger from the ocean is bacterial infection from pollution contaminants. Also, if you exercise or sweat very heavily, the toxins that the body releases in perspiration can also irritate piercings, so be sure to rinse or wash off your face when you get done playing sports or working out.
Traditional/Tribal Nose Piercings
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How To Recognize An Infection
The tissue trauma of getting a nose piercing causes some redness, tenderness and swelling and these may not show up for a day or two after the initial piercing. Being sore and a little red after getting a nose piercing is completely normal.
It's when you've got all of the following going on that you most-likely have a problem.
Infections are most-often characterized by:
- increasing redness
- increasing tenderness and pain
- increasing swelling
- discharge that is yellow or green in color
If you think you have an infection, go back to see your piercer again or go see a doctor! I am not a medical professional and cannot tell you if you have an infection or not based on a comment or description!
What Happens When You Take Out A Nose PIercing?
I'm getting more and more of this category of question as nose piercing continues to be popular, but this is one of the more gray areas of piercing.
If I have to take out a nose ring temporarily, how long does my nose have to be healed before the hole will try and close? - No clue. Some people's nose piercings are very stable after the initial 3 month healing period and some take much longer. There's no way to be able to tell when the piercing becomes stable. Some never do.
Will the hole close up after I take out my nose ring? - Mostly. No one can predict how your own nose will choose to respond once you take out the jewelry, but the hole will shrink down. However no one can predict how much. You might wind up with a small dimple or it might be barely noticeable.
BEFORE YOU ASK A QUESTION BELOW...:
- If you ask something that is obviously answered in the Hub, the question will just be deleted.
- If you have a question about cost or pricing, go ask a body piercer, as only they know what they charge.
- Information will not be given on how to do self-piercing due to legal liabilities.
- Advice can not be given on how to convince parents to let a minor be pierced. Go see a family counselor for help in dealing with those conflicts.
- Questions about pain or potential pain can't be answered because how everyone feels sensation is different.
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Nose Piercing Comments and Questions
Hello, I've been looking into getting a nose piercing. My parents would be okay with it, but my mother doesn't think it is a good idea since when I got my ears pierced, they got very infected even when I did clean them. If I even put an earring in right now, it'll start to get red, irritated and sometimes discharge. My mother believes the same thing will happen to my nostril piercing. I'm not too sure. Do you really think that would happen? Your advice is greatly appreciated.
Sierra, 20g-`8g wires are the same size as standard earrings. And since ear piericings of that size are visible when no earrings are being worn, yes, you will wind up with a hole that would be noticed by most people.
I've been asking my mom to let me get a nose stud. I haven't explained to her that there are different gauge number's. if she were to let me I would get a 20g or 18g. If I were to take the stud out, what would it look like, the hole I mean, would if be noticeable?
prettyncali, I think it's pretty obvious you need to go back to your piercing place and either get them to fix the jewelry, or change it to a style that won't lose pieces...
i juss got my nose piecred yesterday and like 30 minz after i woke up i realized that the back 2 it had fell out...sooo i just have the piercing in my nose with no back on it...wat can i do about this??? i attempted 2 put a back from an earring in it but i cant get it in and it hurts....will a piercer be able to help me??....and what can i do for the time being...i dont wanna go 2 sleep and the whole thing comes out...HELP
Brenda, you will either want to read this Hub more carefully and figure out what the bump in your nose is, or you will want to go back to your piercer and take a look. From what you've said, I have no idea what's happening with your nose.
I got my nose pierced May 4th. I have noticed in the last 2 weeks that the stud want to "pop out" and I have to push it back in. The stud has a little bead on the end. The bead of the stud does not seem to come right thru my nostril, but I can feel a bump. Is this normal? It does not hurt and have had no problems. Should I change the stud to one of the ones you mentioned, or leave it for the 3 month period? Thank you.
Domo, no,it most certainly is not.
CM, it sounds like you might have some scar tissue forming. There are some links on this page which will give you more info about that.
Krista, I suggest you go find a reputable piercer in your area and have them evaluate what's up with your piercing and help with any potential jewelry changes.
Alexz, sounds like they gave you a "nose bone" which I don't recommend at all. Scroll back up and you can read why...
Jackie, you could wind up with more problems if the metal is either nickel or worse, sterling silver. I suggest you go see a piercer, get a proper piece of jewelry that you know is safe and have them change it.
Morgan, it sounds like you freaked out your nose and irritated it a bit. Take care of it like when it was brand new and it should start healing again.
Katie, the only people who've ever contacted me with stuck jewlery tend to be wearing nose bones. I suggest people avoid them altogether. You might try going to a piercer and seeing if they have any ideas, or you could try cutting the stud to remove it.
Is it normal for skin to grow over the piercing?
I got my nose pierced in March of this year. it was ok for about a month but recently ive noticed a *bump*, sometimes it shrinks in size but not so its completly gone other times it looks like a giant white head!! it doesnt hurt or anything, know i shouldnt of done this but after a few weeks of getting it done i had to take the jewlery out due to work, i still have it done but working hours i put it in but without the top of the stud it sits there nicely & hasnt fallen out..after work i put my normal stud back in, im just wondering if the regular changing can cause irritation or the cause of the bump. i cant really use your cleaning methods or your types of soaps as i live in a different countrybut i am planing on going to the doc...by the way when in the shower do u suggest taking the piercing out or leaving it in?
Hey, after reading your info..i see that you send getting ur nose pierced wid a gun is bad!..great lol bcuz i jus got it done a week ago and i am having sum problems.The person who pierced it with the gun also used a regular earring to pierce it, which was pretty big. after a few days i notice the stud looked flat!..this was because the whole thickness of the stud is now sunken into my nose. i took it out...n see that i have the little piercing but then..a big crater like hole surrounding it. i put it bak in but its still sinking in..i dont know what to do..should i let it close? or is this normal..or should i change it the an actual nose wire n see if it closes up? Any help will be appreciated!! thank you..
Hi,
I got my nose pierced today and the guy did an awful job. He couldnt get the earing in so I had to do it myself! Also the earing he gave me was way to long and it just stuck right out of my nose! I went to the shoppers in my town and they cleaned out the hole and put a new straight stud in (my nose is really tiny) it doesnt poke through at all. Yet it has a very small bump at the end of the stem (not the jewel) is this ok? or should I just take it out?I am very worried!
Thankyou for any help!
I got my nose pierced a week ago and never experienced pain, redness or swelling. I did get a very small L shaped piercing (the wire part) and not sure what gauge size it is. The diamond fell off a couple days ago and I am thinking of switching the ring to another L shaped ring because it looks dumb without a stud in it. I went to claires and bought a package with a bigger stud then mine now (same wire wideness) but it does not clarify what its made of. Should I let the piercing heal completely before looking to change it? Im not sure I want to walk around though with just the empty stud for four monthes. Thanks.
Hi,
I should have done my research before hand but of course a 19 year old girl doesn't do that, just whatever looks cool is what you go with.
I was pierced with a needle and have a L shaped stud which I think is 16 guage. I didn't read the rule about waiting 3 months to change it. So of course I changed it when it stopped feeling tender. I waited about a month, and I put a 14 guage screw in. one night I yanked on it in my sleep and pulled it out and it started to hurt really bad so I replaced it with the L shaped 16 guage surgical steel stud again. I'm just wondering if I really screwed myself over. I had stopped getting that "normal crustiness" but now I have it again. it is definately not infected but it's pretty tender, do I treat it as a new peircing or what should I do?
thanks
Stevie, I can't say if that bump will go away or not. Either it will or it won't. How a removed piercing finally heals is unpredictable and varies from person to person.
Sarah, it can't be predicted how someone might heal and no two people heal the same, which is why you aren't finding the specific answer you're looking for. Personally, I think you should just not get pierced if you are so concerned about your future appearance and career.
Caroline, has every cut or scrape you've ever gotten stayed discolored or did they all eventually heal and turn flesh-colored? It'll heal and you'll be fine. Also, I'd suggest reporting that poor quality piercer with bad customer service to your local business bureau.
Alexis, if such casual action can remove your nose piercing, it would be best if you could go back to your piercer and get something better. They're supposed to do a better job of fitting your jewelry than that.
I have had my nose pierced for about a year now and the hold is too small to take the stud out. Any suggestions on how to take it out without damaging my nose causing infection?
Hey :),
I've had my nose pierced for about 18 months now, and I've been wanting to take it out due school reasons and future employment. So I took it out a few days ago and I'd like to know how long it would take to fully heal and if it will scar. Cause I've noticed as it has closed over it kind of looks like a large pimple, will this eventually go away?
Thank you :).
Hey, i have been wanting to get my nose pierced for some time, however i am 21 and i am wanting to get into the government so i will be having to take it out in a couple of years. The only thing that is holding me back from getting pierced is the possibility of the hole not closing on the surface, or leaving a noticeable hole/scar. I haven't been able to find a straight answer, any thoughts?
I have a nostril piercing that I've had for 3 years and I decided to get the other nostril done to match it (saturday), but the piercer did it horribly uneven and he wouldnt fix it w/o charging me again and so I called another place my friend goes to because it was really bothering me and everyone could see it was uneven(and my mom freaked out) and I wanted it out he said I could take it out myself and i just have to keep cleaning it ,so sunday I did and now its monday it's a red dot it looks like it could be scabbing over , will it forever be a red or discolored scar or will it turn flesh colored?
I've never had to remove a piercing before, I really don't want an odd colored scar but I know thats the price i could pay for getting a piercing
I ggot my nose pierced about a month ago. the stud i was given has a small ball on the back but always seems to come out a little and i dont even realize. the other day, i was itching my nose and accidently ripped it out. now there is a tiny bump under the stud, and it does not hurt, or anything but i was just wondering what it could be. i would like to change my stud to one with a more L shaped post, when could i change it?
Jill, you're probably correct in assuming that your nose piericng is starting to close up already. Either you have to find a way to get the jewelry back in, or you have to find a body piercing shop to help you. If not, the piercing could close up too much and you'll have to let it heal before you can repierce.
Josephine, your nose and skin may just be that way. I've had stretched ears for close to 20 years now, but they still start to tighten up and shrink back when I take the jewelry out for just a few hours.
Tori, your nose piercing is still "very young" and some people's noses stay that way for a long time.
Hi,
I ripped out my nose piercing about 20 minutes ago in my sleep and I can't put it back in! I think it has already started closing...It's memorial day and no shops are open around me (I got mine done in another state where I go to school exactly 2 weeks ago). What do I do?!? should I wait till tomorrow to go somewhere? I'm afraid if I continue to try, I'll damage the piercing. Thankkkss,
~Jill
I have had my nose pierced for 10 months and it still attempts to close up everytime I take out my stud (even for just an hour). What am I doing wrong?
every time I change my nose ring out its hard to get it too go all the way in. It like the inside grows up that quick. I wear studs in it. My nose has been pierced for about 4 months.
Emily, if you don't feel up to the time and effort to care for it properly (nose piercings do take some dedication), then it would be best to take the jewelry out.
Should I take the jewelry out and let it heal? Or should I leave it? I think it is infected now because this morning there was a bit of yellow on it and a little red inside as well. I am scared.
Emily, for what to clean a nose with, go back and read "suggested soap" and "body piercing aftercare." If you are using non-natural soap, that may be irritating it. Getting your nose repierced without letting the first piercing heal shut fully and having the piercer repierce right next to the original may have traumatized your nose/piercing. If you take the jewelry out, it will heal shut in about three months. Go see a doctor to determine why your cut ("the bubble") is lingering.
HELP!!
I got my nose pierced for the first time in march and about 2 weeks after the stud came out and I lost it. I had originally used surgical steel and everything was fine within those two weeks or so. However, the day after it had come out I went and had it repierced. However I believe he didn't put it in the same hole where the original piercing was. And I believe they used 14k gold and not surgical steel. For a week or so after that it was red around the area of the piercing and a little itchy. One night while I was cleaning it with saline solution the piercing came out and I had to go have it put back in as I could not do it myself. About 3 days after having it put back in I noticed a small bubble on the side of the piercing. The bubble was red and lookedl like a bubble of blood. Someone had told me to just wash it a little more than usual with just saline solution and soap and I did as followed. However I don't know how but the red bubble popped and it started bleeding. For like a couple days now there is like a cut next to where the stud is and it won't go away. its not pussing or anything and there is just a tiny bit of blood once in a while. I am not sure if it is infected and what exactly to do?
How much should I be cleaning it? What exactly should I use? Should I take it out??
PLEASE HELP!
Kristina, why not just save yourself the trouble and just wait until your sister's wedding is over to get pierced?
Hey, I have always wanted a nose ring i was plan on getting one at the beginning of the summer when I go to the beach, my sisters wedding is 2 weeks after and my family does not want it in the pictures but i was wondering if i took it out before the wedding if it would grow up in that little time?
Brenda, you might want to review what I've said on this hub about metal sensitivity, as that could be a factor. Also, I think you'd do better off cleaning your nose at least once a day, instead of only every 3 days.
relache says:
9 days ago
Katie, if you react just from putting in earrings, it sounds like you might have a metal sensitivity. You'll want to get tested and confirm or deny that before doing anymore piercing of anything.