Nose Piercing Advise & Aftercare

Before The Piercing

Piercing Method
Ask the piercing parlour whether they use a gun or a needle. Using a gun on a nose can cause micro-organisms to be transmitted between anyone who has had the gun used on them. This could be porentially fatal due to the proximity of the nose to the brain. Nose piercing should always be done with a needle. If the parlour does not use a needle do not let them pierce you.

Ring vs Stud
The piercing can be done with a ring or a stud. A ring can be placed in various spots, whereas a stud has a definite spot. If you get a nostril piercing with a ring, get it done in the location of a stud, incase you want to change to a stud at a later date.

Metal
The jewellery should be hypo-allergenic. One use the following metals for a fresh piercing: Titanium; 18ct White or Yellow Gold; Platinum; Niobium; Palladium.
Silver should never be worn during the healing process. It oxidizes and can cause allergic reactions and lumps, and could leave a permanent black mark on the nose.

After The Piercing

Healing Time
Nostril piercings piercings take about 4-6 weeks to heal. A septum piercing will take about 1-3 months to heal. A bridge piercing can take up to a year to heal. The piercing may swell up a bit but should pass within a few days.
If the stud comes out the hole will close up in less than a day for the first 2-4 weeks. For the first 6 months do not remove the piercing for more than a day.

Touching The Piercing
Never touch the piercing with dirty hands. Always wash your hands before touching it but avoid touching it as much as possible. Only touch it when you are cleaning it.

Cleaning
Clean the piercing 2-3 times each day using a saline solution. Get one in a drugstore or make one yourself. For fresh nose piercing cleaning use a cotton bud. Change them when cleaning inside and outside of the nose to avoid contamination. Once you’ve cleaned the piercing wipe off excess moisture with a cotton bud.
To make a saline solution: Dilute 1 teaspoon of sea or table salt in 1/2 glass of boiled water..

Makeup
Avoid covering your fresh nose piercing with makeup. This also applies to lotions, cleansers, hairspray, and other similar products.

Granulomas
Nose cartilage does not heal the same way as flesh so even with proper care there may still be problems with healing. Granulomas are small lumps which form around the piercing. They usually occur when the piercing has been knocked or the jewellery has been changed before the piercing is fully healed.
To heal Granulomas, apply a hot compress to the piercing twice a day. Leave it on until the heat is gone.

Changing the Piercing
Do not try and change the piercing before it is fully healed, otherwise you will damage the new skin which has formed inside the fresh piercing.