Nostril piercing 101
February 18, 2019 6:39 AM Subscribe
I’m interested in getting a very tiny stud in my nostril. I’ve had a bunch of ear piercings but that’s it. What should I know? (Am 40, dry skin, tendency toward nasal congestion, if that’s helpful.)
Agree with terretu! I had to dislodge mine from the towel and was tricky to get back in but manageable. The piercing itself definitely not more painful than ear lobe, and less painful than higher up the ear.
Main issue is re-learning to blow your nose, though less of a bother with a stud than a ring. Not had any issues around congestion, and you'll need to pay attention to moisturising around the piercing (once it's healed and you're not obsessing about it healing any more) as you'll no longer be able to hit it all in one swipe. Go for it!
posted by london explorer girl at 6:57 AM on February 18, 2019
Main issue is re-learning to blow your nose, though less of a bother with a stud than a ring. Not had any issues around congestion, and you'll need to pay attention to moisturising around the piercing (once it's healed and you're not obsessing about it healing any more) as you'll no longer be able to hit it all in one swipe. Go for it!
posted by london explorer girl at 6:57 AM on February 18, 2019
I have a anatometal stud in my nose; it's a click-type piece with no threads. I have no idea what that style is called, but I have the same style in my ear piercings. If it comes out (which it has; one night I accidentally pulled it out while sleeping), I can't get it in myself and have to go to the piercer. This is because it's pretty high on my nostril. So I have a backup nostril screw that I can put it myself in case I'm traveling or whatever and can't get to a piercer.
The stud is flat inside my nose and much easier to blow my nose with than the nostril screw. I don't have a ring. I weirdly get most of the ... dried boogers in the other nostril, so if you have one side that clogs up more than the other, that might be a factor in which side to choose.
Healing: it took probably a year for mine to heal completely. I did get some bumps of fluid (not quite keloids) while healing that I was able to drain. I haven't had any of those problems since it healed.
Piercing itself: your eyes will water. It didn't hurt as much as the earlobes, surprisingly.
DO IT!!! I love the little sparkle in my nose. I'm in my mid-30s and have had no problems in an office job, teaching, or working with toddlers. Except the toddlers want to touch it and the high schoolers want to get one.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 7:09 AM on February 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
The stud is flat inside my nose and much easier to blow my nose with than the nostril screw. I don't have a ring. I weirdly get most of the ... dried boogers in the other nostril, so if you have one side that clogs up more than the other, that might be a factor in which side to choose.
Healing: it took probably a year for mine to heal completely. I did get some bumps of fluid (not quite keloids) while healing that I was able to drain. I haven't had any of those problems since it healed.
Piercing itself: your eyes will water. It didn't hurt as much as the earlobes, surprisingly.
DO IT!!! I love the little sparkle in my nose. I'm in my mid-30s and have had no problems in an office job, teaching, or working with toddlers. Except the toddlers want to touch it and the high schoolers want to get one.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 7:09 AM on February 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Honestly, this is one of the easiest piercings to heal (I've had basically every ear piercing you can have, and a few body piercings.) It's not an area that is prone to migration, it's not super painful like swelling around cartilege. Basically, go to a reputable piercer, follow their aftercare instructions.
There are a couple types of jewelry they use. Nostril screws will be bent to fit your nose. After healing, you can get them in and out pretty easily yourself. Then there's threadless studs, which is what I currently have. Theoretically you can get those in and out yourself, but I'm not able to grasp the inside ball well enough.
After you have done the initial healing, and the swelling has subsided, you can usually have the jewelry adjusted so there is less play, and that's when you forget you even have it.
As for congestion, nose blowing, etc., if it fits properly, it won't be a big deal. You may find that you get dried mucus on the inside of the jewelry.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 7:14 AM on February 18, 2019
There are a couple types of jewelry they use. Nostril screws will be bent to fit your nose. After healing, you can get them in and out pretty easily yourself. Then there's threadless studs, which is what I currently have. Theoretically you can get those in and out yourself, but I'm not able to grasp the inside ball well enough.
After you have done the initial healing, and the swelling has subsided, you can usually have the jewelry adjusted so there is less play, and that's when you forget you even have it.
As for congestion, nose blowing, etc., if it fits properly, it won't be a big deal. You may find that you get dried mucus on the inside of the jewelry.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 7:14 AM on February 18, 2019
I've had a nose ring for maybe 15 years. It's not a particularly painful process and it's fairly quick healing time. I remove my stud sometimes and have no issues removing & re-inserting with a screw type back. You shouldn't plan to remove for many months to allow for complete healing.
As terretu points out, the biggest risk to the nose ring is getting it caught in something. It's not too unusual to pull it out a bit on a towel, while changing, or while washing/touching face. With the screw back style this doesn't fully pull the nose ring out but dislodges it a bit and pulls more of the stud forward. Even so, try to avoid disrupting when you have a new piercing as this disruption doesn't feel so good.
In 15 years, I've inadvertently pulled my nose ring out entirely maybe three times -- while sleeping and in the shower.
Nasal congestion doesn't affect nose ring or piercing at all. No mucus builds up or crusts around my nose ring. Very rarely a tissue will snag a little bit.
One thing to think about -- make-up in particular but also moisturizers do get applied to the nose ring as well as the face so you don't want many facets in your nose ring. If you wear a lot of foundation or make-up, I could also see it being tricky to manage application around a nose ring. When I remove my nose ring the piercing isn't particularly visible but in my earlier days I'd try to use concealer around the space and this almost always lead to disaster and seemed to accentuate the piercing rather than hide it.
On the downside, while piercings have gained mainstream popularity, there is still strong stigma against them in some places. As a senior level mid-career professional I had a fascinating interview once with a VP who didn't spend any time discussing the position but spent all the time discussing how unprofessional my nose ring was. While you (like me) doesn't care much about the opinions of others, there are instances in which the opinions & biases of others will affect you. You should think about how you plan to respond. I really hate to even include this paragraph but I will say I didn't really believe anyone would care about a small piece of metal in my nose -- until I found a few people (and organizations) who did.
I have no regrets & really like my nose ring. For a while I did remove it for work but have returned to wearing it all the time. For reference - I'm in my late 30s, in IT/higher ed management and often in leadership roles interacting with C-level execs.
posted by countrymod at 7:15 AM on February 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
As terretu points out, the biggest risk to the nose ring is getting it caught in something. It's not too unusual to pull it out a bit on a towel, while changing, or while washing/touching face. With the screw back style this doesn't fully pull the nose ring out but dislodges it a bit and pulls more of the stud forward. Even so, try to avoid disrupting when you have a new piercing as this disruption doesn't feel so good.
In 15 years, I've inadvertently pulled my nose ring out entirely maybe three times -- while sleeping and in the shower.
Nasal congestion doesn't affect nose ring or piercing at all. No mucus builds up or crusts around my nose ring. Very rarely a tissue will snag a little bit.
One thing to think about -- make-up in particular but also moisturizers do get applied to the nose ring as well as the face so you don't want many facets in your nose ring. If you wear a lot of foundation or make-up, I could also see it being tricky to manage application around a nose ring. When I remove my nose ring the piercing isn't particularly visible but in my earlier days I'd try to use concealer around the space and this almost always lead to disaster and seemed to accentuate the piercing rather than hide it.
On the downside, while piercings have gained mainstream popularity, there is still strong stigma against them in some places. As a senior level mid-career professional I had a fascinating interview once with a VP who didn't spend any time discussing the position but spent all the time discussing how unprofessional my nose ring was. While you (like me) doesn't care much about the opinions of others, there are instances in which the opinions & biases of others will affect you. You should think about how you plan to respond. I really hate to even include this paragraph but I will say I didn't really believe anyone would care about a small piece of metal in my nose -- until I found a few people (and organizations) who did.
I have no regrets & really like my nose ring. For a while I did remove it for work but have returned to wearing it all the time. For reference - I'm in my late 30s, in IT/higher ed management and often in leadership roles interacting with C-level execs.
posted by countrymod at 7:15 AM on February 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
If I were getting my nose re-pierced I would aim for a tiny hoop rather than a stud, because the reason I got rid of it was the unending horror of accidentally mashing the stud against the flat cartilage opposite it. At the time, no one had hoops and I'd done it myself anyway so I didn't really have professional advice. Talk to your piercer about stud vs hoop.
Also, when I was young and punk rock and had facial piercings, it was definitely not acceptable to wear them in many circumstances. Once the piercing had healed, I found that I could use a tiny piece of transparent fishing line with a tiny knot in it as an invisible placeholder when I had to have it out.
posted by Frowner at 7:21 AM on February 18, 2019
Also, when I was young and punk rock and had facial piercings, it was definitely not acceptable to wear them in many circumstances. Once the piercing had healed, I found that I could use a tiny piece of transparent fishing line with a tiny knot in it as an invisible placeholder when I had to have it out.
posted by Frowner at 7:21 AM on February 18, 2019
If you wear glasses, be careful when you put them on or take them off - I'm used to sliding them up and down my nose in a way that caused me a few moments of intense pain.
posted by Jeanne at 7:45 AM on February 18, 2019
posted by Jeanne at 7:45 AM on February 18, 2019
I used fishing line for the first year (melt the end real quick with a lighter and then press it against a plate or something to form a flat head), and there are retainers available now, but for the subsequent 16 years I have often gone months without anything in. If I go long enough I do have to do a little eye-watering pop through the skin of the inside of my nose, but for many people it's like earlobe piercings - it never really closes.
I appear to be in the minority, but I prefer jewelry I can accidentally yank out without doing damage, even if it means losing one every so often. I like nose bones, which just have a tiny flare on the inside. I wear a ring 98% of the time and I prefer this style that has a tiny learning curve because you insert it from the inside out but does not require pliers or professional installation. It rarely tries to back out unless I'm doing a lot of nose-blowing (at which point I take it out for a couple days, if it's going to be like that).
Anything that wants to leave substantial surface area inside my nose, like a screw or L-post, feels like having a huge booger and is also prone to becoming same, I can't take it.
When changing jewelry looking in the bathroom mirror, close the sink stopper. It only took me a hundred mad scrambles to learn that lesson.
If you think you want to routinely wear a ring, you might buy a couple in 3/8" and 5/16" sizes and hold them up against your nose to help determine what kind of look you want and where the hole should be to position it so that it curves around your nostril in the way you like and suits your nose/face. You don't want it to be actually snug as it comes around, but you also (probably, unless you do) don't want a big gap between nostril and jewelry.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:47 AM on February 18, 2019
I appear to be in the minority, but I prefer jewelry I can accidentally yank out without doing damage, even if it means losing one every so often. I like nose bones, which just have a tiny flare on the inside. I wear a ring 98% of the time and I prefer this style that has a tiny learning curve because you insert it from the inside out but does not require pliers or professional installation. It rarely tries to back out unless I'm doing a lot of nose-blowing (at which point I take it out for a couple days, if it's going to be like that).
Anything that wants to leave substantial surface area inside my nose, like a screw or L-post, feels like having a huge booger and is also prone to becoming same, I can't take it.
When changing jewelry looking in the bathroom mirror, close the sink stopper. It only took me a hundred mad scrambles to learn that lesson.
If you think you want to routinely wear a ring, you might buy a couple in 3/8" and 5/16" sizes and hold them up against your nose to help determine what kind of look you want and where the hole should be to position it so that it curves around your nostril in the way you like and suits your nose/face. You don't want it to be actually snug as it comes around, but you also (probably, unless you do) don't want a big gap between nostril and jewelry.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:47 AM on February 18, 2019
I got my nose repierced after a gap of 12 years, I found it (both times) more painful than ear and ear cartilage piercings but manageable. I switched to a ring as soon as I was able to, but recommend getting a ring thats closed with a ball rather than the two sides pushed together as this caused mine to take way longer to heal. I have dry, flaky skin and I use a baby toothbrush to gently exfoliate the area (once it was mostly healed).
posted by ellieBOA at 8:00 AM on February 18, 2019
posted by ellieBOA at 8:00 AM on February 18, 2019
I have two nose studs - one in each nostril - and had no issues healing them or keeping them happy. One of them is almost 20 years old (ohman) and the other is maybe 5? I love them. They make tiny little sparkles in the light!
The only issue I have is related to the studs themselves - they have prongs holding the little gemstones in place and, when I use kleenex, those little prongs sometimes hold a bit of tissue. I have simply adapted my nose-blowing to include a quick check (with my fingertips) to make sure the prongs are clear. Similarly, I adapted my face washing/drying to not get loops from towels/washcloths caught. Otherwise, easy-peasy. I guarantee that you will very, very quickly learn what behaviours you, personally, have when it comes to your nose - and you'll adapt very, very quickly, too, to avoid anything that hurts.
posted by VioletU at 8:04 AM on February 18, 2019
The only issue I have is related to the studs themselves - they have prongs holding the little gemstones in place and, when I use kleenex, those little prongs sometimes hold a bit of tissue. I have simply adapted my nose-blowing to include a quick check (with my fingertips) to make sure the prongs are clear. Similarly, I adapted my face washing/drying to not get loops from towels/washcloths caught. Otherwise, easy-peasy. I guarantee that you will very, very quickly learn what behaviours you, personally, have when it comes to your nose - and you'll adapt very, very quickly, too, to avoid anything that hurts.
posted by VioletU at 8:04 AM on February 18, 2019
Do it! I too have two nose studs, one in each nostril, and I had one redone because it wasn't as well-placed as I like, so I've had my nostrils pierced 3 times (and my septum once).
The easiest piercings to heal are ones that go directly perpendicular to the tissue -- so, earlobes and nostrils are pretty easy. The worst part is the force/crunch it takes to go through the nostril, but with a good piercer, this will be quick. As others have said, your eyes will automatically water.
I love nose piercings (obviously) and I have yet to see someone who looks worse with one. I feel like they complement basically all faces. Get it done! And then update us here with a pic :]
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:10 AM on February 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
The easiest piercings to heal are ones that go directly perpendicular to the tissue -- so, earlobes and nostrils are pretty easy. The worst part is the force/crunch it takes to go through the nostril, but with a good piercer, this will be quick. As others have said, your eyes will automatically water.
I love nose piercings (obviously) and I have yet to see someone who looks worse with one. I feel like they complement basically all faces. Get it done! And then update us here with a pic :]
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:10 AM on February 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
I had a VERY cranky nostril piercing for some time because I was not wise like the above posters and I accidentally snagged and YANKED it in the shower with my face cleaning sponge the day after I got it pierced. This lead to some hypergranulation and the classic piercing bump for almost five months. What really helped get me over the hump was this lovely body tea; it works the same as a warm salt soak but my piercing l o v e d it.
I despaired of it ever looking good many times, but I stayed the course and now it's healed beautifully and is practically indestructible. I don't even get any irritation when swapping jewelry out. I agree with the poster who said I've never seen someone look worse with a nostril piercing -- they're cute on everyone!
posted by WidgetAlley at 8:44 AM on February 18, 2019
I despaired of it ever looking good many times, but I stayed the course and now it's healed beautifully and is practically indestructible. I don't even get any irritation when swapping jewelry out. I agree with the poster who said I've never seen someone look worse with a nostril piercing -- they're cute on everyone!
posted by WidgetAlley at 8:44 AM on February 18, 2019
I also have the click-type stud ms vegetable has and it's much better than the screw type, for me. I upgraded a few years back (also thought it was time for a real diamond) and would highly recommend, especially as someone who tends to blow her nose at least once a day. The screw would get lose and rotate itself down, I'd be picking at it a lot because of that. After a decade of those cheap lil guys it was soooo nice to get the current, and I'm able to remove it/put it back no problem (took a lil practice the first time). Also it's much smaller/flatter against my nose, which I like.
As for healing my ears were always more sensitive to the new piercings, however I do believe the first night maybe I bumped it or something and woke up with a lil blood on the pillow so maybe put a towel down the first night.
posted by ataco at 8:57 AM on February 18, 2019
As for healing my ears were always more sensitive to the new piercings, however I do believe the first night maybe I bumped it or something and woke up with a lil blood on the pillow so maybe put a towel down the first night.
posted by ataco at 8:57 AM on February 18, 2019
Take the towel advice seriously! So annoying.
The one thing I didn’t expect was that somehow the piercing is pushing down my nose hair and I have to make sure they aren’t visible. It’s a bit odd for bothersome, but I just deal with it.
posted by MountainDaisy at 9:25 AM on February 18, 2019
The one thing I didn’t expect was that somehow the piercing is pushing down my nose hair and I have to make sure they aren’t visible. It’s a bit odd for bothersome, but I just deal with it.
posted by MountainDaisy at 9:25 AM on February 18, 2019
I had my nostril piercing done 2.5 years ago-- a tiny stud. I still love it!
I don't have dry skin, but I struggled with a bump next to the piercing for months. If I slacked off on the salt water soaks, it came right back. I found using an exfoliating cleanser with salicylic and lactic acids seems to keep it at bay.
posted by tuesdayschild at 9:43 AM on February 18, 2019
I don't have dry skin, but I struggled with a bump next to the piercing for months. If I slacked off on the salt water soaks, it came right back. I found using an exfoliating cleanser with salicylic and lactic acids seems to keep it at bay.
posted by tuesdayschild at 9:43 AM on February 18, 2019
When changing jewelry looking in the bathroom mirror, close the sink stopper.
omg omg omg cannot favorite this enough.
i used cans of saline wound wash instead of the saltwater soaks because the soaks were awkward for me. i healed well and only had the dreaded nose bump once after a particularly extra-exfoliating mud mask, so maybe chill on the fance skincare for a bit.
posted by kerning at 10:11 AM on February 18, 2019
omg omg omg cannot favorite this enough.
i used cans of saline wound wash instead of the saltwater soaks because the soaks were awkward for me. i healed well and only had the dreaded nose bump once after a particularly extra-exfoliating mud mask, so maybe chill on the fance skincare for a bit.
posted by kerning at 10:11 AM on February 18, 2019
I had my nose pierced in college, but wound up with a keloid scar on both the inside and outside of my nose. I generally take forever to heal from cuts and scrapes, so I shouldn't have been surprised when the nose piercing didn't go well! I kept trying to use washes and ointments but it was just excruciating (especially on the inside). I guess my advice is: if it doesn't work out, its okay. Not every nose will take kindly to a piercing.
posted by Gray Duck at 11:40 AM on February 18, 2019
posted by Gray Duck at 11:40 AM on February 18, 2019
Another tip-and-trick: for reasons not related to having a nose ring, a few years ago I changed to using a cheap vibrating silicone scrubber (and there are non-vibratey ones for super cheap) and they are a) less snaggy than a mesh/puff/washcloth b) do a better job of keeping your now-more-noticable nose clean. I would think that the rotating brush type face cleaner might also not be very snaggy, but I haven't ever used one.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:52 AM on February 18, 2019
posted by Lyn Never at 11:52 AM on February 18, 2019
I have had my nose pierced for about 13 years. I started with a stud but have eventually switched to a very small/delicate hoop. I had the kind of stud where the piercer bent the bar into a little swirl that sits inside the nose. I had it reshaped many times and could just never find the right balance of comfort and staying in place. For it to be comfortable on me, I needed a looser swirl and it would come out ALL THE TIME. I ended up losing several because of that. A tighter swirl stayed in place but was incredibly uncomfortable.
And yes, you'll get dried boogers and have to clean that off regularly.
I have had none of these issues with a hoop and wish I had just done that to begin with. You won't be able to change the jewelry until it's fully healed which took about a year for me.
Beyond that I don't even notice it anymore. I get lots of colds and congestion, and it doesn't cause a problem (except for the stud popping out when I blew my nose).
posted by joan_holloway at 12:41 PM on February 18, 2019
And yes, you'll get dried boogers and have to clean that off regularly.
I have had none of these issues with a hoop and wish I had just done that to begin with. You won't be able to change the jewelry until it's fully healed which took about a year for me.
Beyond that I don't even notice it anymore. I get lots of colds and congestion, and it doesn't cause a problem (except for the stud popping out when I blew my nose).
posted by joan_holloway at 12:41 PM on February 18, 2019
Oh also, I got a keloid after a few weeks of having it done, and what made it go away for me was washing with Dr Bronners unscented baby liquid soap. The piercer told me to use saline rinse but for whatever reason it wasn't enough for me.
posted by joan_holloway at 12:43 PM on February 18, 2019
posted by joan_holloway at 12:43 PM on February 18, 2019
1) DEFINITELY start washing and drying your face while avoiding your nose a bit. I remember I used to run my hands down my nose to scrape water off and that was a no-go.
2) you may see it in your peripheral vision especially if you get something shiny. Your brain will adjust.
3) I always liked nose screws. I would bend and adjust them myself with pliers. They can show you how. Anything that has to be forced in and out can be painful and cause trauma to the tissue.
4) You also can’t change it for a number of weeks so pick something that will be less likely to catch that you like.
5) if you go to change it and it won’t go in give it a few minutes and use a little ice for the inflammation to settle. Some people also like using a little oil.
6) it never affected my breathing but you can get boogers stuck to the inside. Careful when you blow your nose.
7) after it heals it doesn’t feel like much of anything - just like an ear piercing.
8) if you remove it later you will have a tiny scar. Mine looks like an enlarged pore. I had one for 7 years.
Overall I say go for it! They’re fun and minimal. At the same time I can say I enjoy not dealing with mine anymore.
posted by Crystalinne at 12:47 PM on February 18, 2019
2) you may see it in your peripheral vision especially if you get something shiny. Your brain will adjust.
3) I always liked nose screws. I would bend and adjust them myself with pliers. They can show you how. Anything that has to be forced in and out can be painful and cause trauma to the tissue.
4) You also can’t change it for a number of weeks so pick something that will be less likely to catch that you like.
5) if you go to change it and it won’t go in give it a few minutes and use a little ice for the inflammation to settle. Some people also like using a little oil.
6) it never affected my breathing but you can get boogers stuck to the inside. Careful when you blow your nose.
7) after it heals it doesn’t feel like much of anything - just like an ear piercing.
8) if you remove it later you will have a tiny scar. Mine looks like an enlarged pore. I had one for 7 years.
Overall I say go for it! They’re fun and minimal. At the same time I can say I enjoy not dealing with mine anymore.
posted by Crystalinne at 12:47 PM on February 18, 2019
Mine has closed up over the last 20 years, I developed a bit of a metal allergy and it just became to much hassle (ears also). It was done back then just like ears with that piercing gun and a plain pointed and notched shaft and a regular ear like back. I also eventually went to just a small silver closed loop where you open it up a little bit to release and poke the skinny part from the inside to the out and maneuver it into the hollow part of the ring and squeeze it enough so it won't come out easily. Didn't have much problems with towels etc. pulling on it.
Getting it done and healed was no worse than ear lobes.
posted by zengargoyle at 12:49 PM on February 18, 2019
Getting it done and healed was no worse than ear lobes.
posted by zengargoyle at 12:49 PM on February 18, 2019
I am the outlier here. I had a nose ring /stud in my twenties. While I liked it, my body didn’t. It was constantly getting infected, regardless of how much I babied it. Blowing my nose was hard, I would get stabbed on the inside of my nostril and if I took it out for any length of time, the hole would start to close up very quickly and I’d have to force the ring through again. Eventually I took it out once for an hour, it closed up and was so painful to try and get back in that I just never bothered and left it out altogether and that was the end of that.
My body clearly rejects foreign objects (my earrings were the same) but given anecdotal experience above, this is not normal. I would go for it, you’ll hopefully be one of the 99% that are fine.
posted by Jubey at 6:46 PM on February 18, 2019
My body clearly rejects foreign objects (my earrings were the same) but given anecdotal experience above, this is not normal. I would go for it, you’ll hopefully be one of the 99% that are fine.
posted by Jubey at 6:46 PM on February 18, 2019
This was the easiest piercing I've ever healed (have had multiple earlobe, cartilage, and body piercings) but was more uncomfortable to have done than I had expected. I have pretty much constant sinus congestion, and I could really feel the pressure in my sinuses when the piercer was working.
I switched to a ring from a stud because my glasses kept getting caught on the stud. Other than that, what people have said before about towels and nose-blowing stands. The other thing I will say is that when I had the longer stud in (while it was healing), the back of the post would sometimes make me sneeze when it would hit against my septum cartilage. Once I switched to a shorter post, a few weeks into healing, this resolved.
I don't like nose screws as the little swirl does't sit right inside my nostril. I like a straight nose bone or a threadless stud with a labret post on the back, if I am not wearing a ring.
9/10, would do again, can't believe I waited until I was 30 to do it.
posted by assenav at 10:15 AM on February 19, 2019
I switched to a ring from a stud because my glasses kept getting caught on the stud. Other than that, what people have said before about towels and nose-blowing stands. The other thing I will say is that when I had the longer stud in (while it was healing), the back of the post would sometimes make me sneeze when it would hit against my septum cartilage. Once I switched to a shorter post, a few weeks into healing, this resolved.
I don't like nose screws as the little swirl does't sit right inside my nostril. I like a straight nose bone or a threadless stud with a labret post on the back, if I am not wearing a ring.
9/10, would do again, can't believe I waited until I was 30 to do it.
posted by assenav at 10:15 AM on February 19, 2019
I got my nose pierced in 2011 and I still LOVE it! Here's everything I wish current me could have told past me.
When I went to get it done, the piercing guy said that, pain-wise, I should expect something similar to the sensation of pulling out a big nose hair (a pinch, some involuntary eye watering more because of the location than the pain, etc.), but I was fortunate in that I didn't even feel that much—and it was over so quickly!
Beyond the initial piercing, there was some achy soreness during the healing process, but I followed the directions for cleaning and rotating the screw with clean hands regularly, and I had relatively little trouble and no infections. I was kind of a nail biter at the time, which occasionally made getting a hold of the stud a little tricky, but if you have nails, it'll be a little easier.
I really liked having a nostril screw while I was healing up because it was all one solid piece, so it made it easy to keep it clean and to grab the stud and just twirl it a bit when needed. I still primarily use nostril screws and have had no trouble with them, even when I buy them by the six pack from Claire's.
The nose screws will sometimes start to slide out, but because of the way they're designed, it's really rare that they'll fall ALL the way out of your head before you notice them making a bid for freedom. This has only ever happened to me twice in eight years, and in both cases, it just fell out when I was sleeping and I was able to just sift through my sheets to find it and pop it back in.
Re: nose blowing, you may have the occasional unpleasant surprise if you squeeze your nostril too hard into your septum, but this mostly happens when your nose screw is at a bad angle. It didn't take me long to develop a sort of unseen orientation re: the location of my nostril screw, and when in doubt, I just twirl mine a bit until I KNOW it's where it's supposed to be before blowing my nose. As long as most of the more vigorous nose wiping or squeezing is happening down closer to your nostrils, the nose screw shouldn't really get in the way.
Face washing was, as others have mentioned, a little bit of an adjustment, but if you're patting your face dry rather than rubbing (or just skip your nose when rubbing the rest of your face), you'll be just fine, especially once the piercing heals up. You might also want to pick up a low- or no-pill towel for drying your face (I use muslin cloths mostly) just because most terry cloth towels can snag on the stud even when you're careful, and while that doesn't hurt me now, it was the sort of thing that DEFINITELY stung a bit back when I was still healing!
When I need to wash my nose now, I just tip the nose screw out a bit so I can clean around it easier and pop it back into place after rinsing. With moisturizer, I kind of rub in small circles around the piercing, but I might check with your piercing person about what kinds of products are okay to go near your piercing while it's healing just in case. I rarely wear foundation, but when I do, I take the nose stud out completely so I don't have to clean all the foundation off of it afterwards.
Re: crusty boogers: maybe a handful of times a year, you might get a little bit of stubborn...buildup on the screw that makes spinning it or removing it difficult. A cotton swab and warm water will help, but honestly, nothing works better than your own fingers. There, I said it. Presumably you'll be in the bathroom when correcting this issue, so privacy and follow-up hygiene are sort of a given, and the fact that you're considering piercing your nose in the first place suggests you're not super squeamish about boogers anyway, so it should be all good. :)
posted by helloimjennsco at 11:07 AM on February 19, 2019
When I went to get it done, the piercing guy said that, pain-wise, I should expect something similar to the sensation of pulling out a big nose hair (a pinch, some involuntary eye watering more because of the location than the pain, etc.), but I was fortunate in that I didn't even feel that much—and it was over so quickly!
Beyond the initial piercing, there was some achy soreness during the healing process, but I followed the directions for cleaning and rotating the screw with clean hands regularly, and I had relatively little trouble and no infections. I was kind of a nail biter at the time, which occasionally made getting a hold of the stud a little tricky, but if you have nails, it'll be a little easier.
I really liked having a nostril screw while I was healing up because it was all one solid piece, so it made it easy to keep it clean and to grab the stud and just twirl it a bit when needed. I still primarily use nostril screws and have had no trouble with them, even when I buy them by the six pack from Claire's.
The nose screws will sometimes start to slide out, but because of the way they're designed, it's really rare that they'll fall ALL the way out of your head before you notice them making a bid for freedom. This has only ever happened to me twice in eight years, and in both cases, it just fell out when I was sleeping and I was able to just sift through my sheets to find it and pop it back in.
Re: nose blowing, you may have the occasional unpleasant surprise if you squeeze your nostril too hard into your septum, but this mostly happens when your nose screw is at a bad angle. It didn't take me long to develop a sort of unseen orientation re: the location of my nostril screw, and when in doubt, I just twirl mine a bit until I KNOW it's where it's supposed to be before blowing my nose. As long as most of the more vigorous nose wiping or squeezing is happening down closer to your nostrils, the nose screw shouldn't really get in the way.
Face washing was, as others have mentioned, a little bit of an adjustment, but if you're patting your face dry rather than rubbing (or just skip your nose when rubbing the rest of your face), you'll be just fine, especially once the piercing heals up. You might also want to pick up a low- or no-pill towel for drying your face (I use muslin cloths mostly) just because most terry cloth towels can snag on the stud even when you're careful, and while that doesn't hurt me now, it was the sort of thing that DEFINITELY stung a bit back when I was still healing!
When I need to wash my nose now, I just tip the nose screw out a bit so I can clean around it easier and pop it back into place after rinsing. With moisturizer, I kind of rub in small circles around the piercing, but I might check with your piercing person about what kinds of products are okay to go near your piercing while it's healing just in case. I rarely wear foundation, but when I do, I take the nose stud out completely so I don't have to clean all the foundation off of it afterwards.
Re: crusty boogers: maybe a handful of times a year, you might get a little bit of stubborn...buildup on the screw that makes spinning it or removing it difficult. A cotton swab and warm water will help, but honestly, nothing works better than your own fingers. There, I said it. Presumably you'll be in the bathroom when correcting this issue, so privacy and follow-up hygiene are sort of a given, and the fact that you're considering piercing your nose in the first place suggests you're not super squeamish about boogers anyway, so it should be all good. :)
posted by helloimjennsco at 11:07 AM on February 19, 2019
Just the other day I was admiring a girl on the train with a nose ring and thinking it looked super cute and I should get a nose ring, and then I remembered that I HAVE ONE.
my nose stud and even the ring I wear now both constantly get boogers on them but whatever, just get comfortable with picking them off quickly :P
The piercer will tell you that you can't be allergic to surgical steel or titanium, but you absolutely can because I am. I had my nose pierced and it felt like it consistently wouldn't heal for years, it would just sort of start hurting again when I bumped it sometimes. When it finally stopped hurting occasionally I just kind of moved on with my life, but then a few years ago I put in a rose-gold coloured surgical steel ring, and that whole situation was back. I can do sterling silver, or any karat of gold, even low-karats and nickle whites, but anything other than precious or semi precious metal sends my nose back into it's angry teenage years.
good luck! mine hurt a lot but I also made the piercer move the dot into a place he told me was going to hurt more.
posted by euphoria066 at 2:58 PM on February 19, 2019
my nose stud and even the ring I wear now both constantly get boogers on them but whatever, just get comfortable with picking them off quickly :P
The piercer will tell you that you can't be allergic to surgical steel or titanium, but you absolutely can because I am. I had my nose pierced and it felt like it consistently wouldn't heal for years, it would just sort of start hurting again when I bumped it sometimes. When it finally stopped hurting occasionally I just kind of moved on with my life, but then a few years ago I put in a rose-gold coloured surgical steel ring, and that whole situation was back. I can do sterling silver, or any karat of gold, even low-karats and nickle whites, but anything other than precious or semi precious metal sends my nose back into it's angry teenage years.
good luck! mine hurt a lot but I also made the piercer move the dot into a place he told me was going to hurt more.
posted by euphoria066 at 2:58 PM on February 19, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by terretu at 6:48 AM on February 18, 2019 [3 favorites]