Nose Piercing FAQ and Inspiration
About once a week I get an email by a reader asking me about my nose ring and whether they should get one too, so I thought I'd do a little FAQ and show you some of my favourite inspirations to make your decision a little easier. I've had my nose piercing for two years now, and I love it. It's hard to explain, but I really like the look of girls with little studs or smaller rings, especially if their style is kind of feminine or minimal. It's an interesting contrast. Overall, I would say if you want a nose piercing, get it, because it isn't permanent or super invasive. There aren't really any downsides to the piercing for me, it doesn't restrict me, it didn't hurt too much, and once I don't like it any more, I can just take it out. The most common reader questions were these three:
Did it hurt? A little, but not more than getting vaccinated or an injection at the dentist and it's over before you realise it anyway. The piercer will usually distract you which is a good thing, because the build up before would likely be much worse than the actual split second of the needle going through. If you really want a piercing don't be put off by the prospects of pain, stubbing your toe is much worse.
What is the healing process like? I also had my belly button and tongue pierced and the healing process for the nose piercing was definitely the easiest. Your nose is a pretty 'stationary 'body part and it will heal much quicker than e.g. belly button piercings and is less likely to get infected. You will have to wear a basic stud made of either stainless steel, titanium or 14k gold for the first 4 weeks. Your piercer will also give you instructions on how to care for the piercing, which usually just involves cleaning it with a special disinfectant twice a day. The healing process isn't bad; it's a wound and you have to make sure to protect it, but it's only tiny, so it's not a big deal. After the first 4 weeks, you are allowed to change your piercing and wear a ring or a different stud, but make sure that once you have taken out the old one, you put the new one in asap! At least for the first year the hole is going to start closing up super fast, in a couple of minutes it will already be smaller.
Will you wear your nose piercing for the rest of your life? Maybe not for the rest of my life, but I definitely want to wear it for many years to come. I think little studs look very elegant on older women, so I might switch out the ring for a stud at some point. Piercings are a lot less permanent than tattoos; it's totally fine if you only want a nose ring for a couple of years. After you take it out, a tiny hole might be visible for a few months, but that will close up eventually.
Nostril piercings are the most common kind of nose piercings, but recently I've also seen lots of cool septum piercings. Some inspiration:
