Piercings in the nose can be placed through the cartilage of the nostril or just below the cartilage of the septum. Because a septum piercing does not actually penetrate cartilage, it has a shorter healing time than a nostril piercing. With a good piercer and proper aftercare, successful healing of both piercings is fairly simple.
Nostril Piercing Procedure
Before piercing your nostril, your piercer will clean the inside and outside with surgical scrub. The optimal position for a nostril piercing is right on the crease between the tip and the side of the nose. A piercer makes a single dot to mark the entry point for the needle, then inserts a hollow surgical steel tube into the nostril. He positions the receiving tube just beneath the dot and pushes the needle straight through, with the tube keeping the tip of the needle from nicking the septum. A nostril piercing should not be done at an angle with the needle pointing toward the nostril opening, as jewelry will not sit correctly. It should also never be done with a piercing gun.
Septum Piercing Procedure
A septum piercing is done with the client lying on her back on a table. Her head hangs off the end of the table, upside down. The piercer cleans the septum with surgical scrub and marks a dot on either side, just below the cartilage dividing the nostrils. She uses either Pennington forceps or special septum forceps in which the needle passes through a hollow tube. Many people find that the clamps cause greater discomfort than the actual piercing.
Appropriate Jewelry
According to the Association of Professional Piercers, the best jewelry for an initial nostril piercing is either a captive bead ring or a nostril screw made of surgical stainless steel, titanium or niobium. Captive bead rings are C-shaped and hold an indented ball in place between two prongs. Nostril screws are long studs bent into a U-shape to hold the jewelry in place without a clasp back. Captive bead rings also work well in septums, as do horseshoe-shaped circular barbells. The standard gauge for a nostril piercing is 18, while 14 is standard for a septum. Ear piercing studs are inappropriate for use as nostril jewelry and can actually become embedded in the skin due to their short length.
Aftercare and Healing Time
Saline soaks made of a mixture of 1 cup warm bottled water and 1/4 tsp. non-iodized sea salt should be applied to the piercing for five to 10 minutes per day. For piercings around the nose, it is often easiest to soak clean cotton balls or sterile gauze with the solution, and apply them to the piercing as a compress. Any blood or plasma crust on the inside of the nose should be cleaned with a cotton swab dipped in this saline solution. The outside of the nostril should be kept free of moisturizers and cosmetics and washed with antibacterial or antimicrobial soap. Alcohol and peroxide are too harsh for cleaning piercings.
When properly cared for, a septum piercing should heal in four months. A nostril piercing may take six months to one year.
Potential Issues
A piercing is a puncture wound, and any puncture wound can become infected. The most common source of infection is touching your jewelry without washing your hands first. You should keep your hands away from your piercing as much as possible. While some irritation, redness and swelling are normal, a red and swollen piercing that is hot to the touch or oozing pus may be infected. If you think you have an infection, visit your piercer or physician immediately. If you are having fever and chills, go straight to the emergency room.
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