All 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 different types of nose piercings that exist, information and advice for before you get pierced, options for nose jewelry, videos of nose piercings being done, some piercing "no-nos" to avoid and much more. Clicking on one of the links in the table of contents below will take you directly to that section of the Hub.

If you are looking for info about the healing or aftercare for a nose piercing, click here to go to the Nose Piercing Healing Issues Hub.

Noses allow for a few different variations in piercing. The nose is cartilage, so this tissue is tougher to pierce and can be more problematic to heal compared to ear lobes, which are soft tissue.

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. Anything you hear to the contrary is just urban myth. 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.

Sadly a lot of people refer to any and all types of nose piercing jewelry as nose rings, which is inaccurate.

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. Only circular barbells, loops or hoops are really "nose rings."

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. A more modern variation on this style is the "L-bar" which has a straight piece on the inside end instead of a curl.

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 A NOSE BONE 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!

Here are some very simple questions that everyone should ask their body piercer BEFORE they get pierced. If your piercer says they have an aftercare sheet to give you, be sure to get them to go over it with you before you sit down and get pierced. That way you can be sure you understand everything, and that way you don't forget after you are pierced when some people are a bit lightheaded.

Ask about what products to use to take care of your healing nose - Find out if the piercer recommends any special soap or aftercare product for your nose. Be sure to mention any allergies to ingredients or fragrances you might have so they can help you avoid those.

Ask how your chosen nose jewelry works, or how it goes in and out of your nose - Some people get there noses pierced and then months down the road they want to change the jewelry and don't know how. Your piercer should be able to easily show you.

Ask about any medical concerns you have - If you are worried about colds, allergies or activities, bring these up with your piercer.

And as with all body service situations, if you don't like the answers that you are given, or feel like the piercer is blowing you off, or treating you like you are dumb, don't get pierced by them! Go find someone else with better training and a more professional manner.

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.

1. 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 (bumps) 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!

2. Do not wear sterling silver or plastic in a new or healing pierced nose! A) Sterling Silver - 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 go away. I have no knowledge of any method for getting rid of the staining. New nose piercings need to be healed wearing stainless steel, niobium, titanium or 14k gold. If you find out you have sterling silver in your new piercing, go see a reputable piercer and have them switch it out for a safe metal. B) Plastic or nylon - although hypoallergenic, these materials are porous, and they can absorb body fluids that can lead to infection, the plastic discoloring or the jewelry sticking to the healing piercing.

3. Do not change your nose jewelry too soon! Noses take three months or longer 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. If you have some sort of crisis with a piece of jewelry and you really have to change it out, go back and see your piercer who can swap the jewelry in a way that doesn't let the piercing close down on you.

4. 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.

5. 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.

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.

What happens if I take out my nose piercing (nostril or septum) before it's done healing? - It will heal shut. You may or may not wind up with a mark or dent of some sort. I know this may seem obvious to some, but clearly it's not to others, as I get asked this fairly regularly.

My nose ring got accidentally knocked or pulled out of my nose, and I can't get it back in. What do I do now? - Many healing nose piercings close up really quickly if the jewelry comes out during the healing period. So that you don't cause too much trauma and wind up with scar tissue, it's best to let your nose completely heal before you get it pierced again.

You should not get your nose pierced if....

...your school or participation in sports doesn't allow it. If you think you are going to successfully take it out constantly while healing or somehow hide it and not run into healing problems, you are wrong.

...your job doesn't allow it. If you think you can wear clear jewelry or cover it up, note that both of those things actually make it really obvious you have a nose piercing to all but a blind person.

...you are worried about what it might look like if you take it out or stop having it later in your life. The hole is about the same size as an ear piercing. Sometimes the hole stays open once the jewelry is removed, sometimes they shrink down a bit. But most often, some sort of dimple remains afterwards. If that makes you concerned, don't even go there.

...you are worried about how much it might hurt. Every person feels pain differently, so you can't ask others what their experience was like and get an answer that will be accurate to what you own experience might be. You won't know how much a nose piercing hurts until you get one. Please note that not all body parts will hurt as much as others, and that the skills of your piercer can add to or lessen how painful the piercing process is too. (Emailing me and saying "but really, how bad is it?" is not going to get you an answer. Your body is not my body.)

BEFORE YOU ASK A QUESTION BELOW...:

• If you ask something that is obviously answered in the Hub, you'll be told to re-read that section.

• 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.

• If you are looking for info on Healing or Aftercare, click here to go to the Nose Piercing Healing Issues Hub.