Nose piercing is the second most popular form of body piercing after earlobe piercing. If you are thinking about getting a nose piecing, it might interest you to know how long it takes for a nose piercing to heal. This article will not only look at the general healing time expected for different types of piercings on the nose but also explain why its healing time is relatively longer than that of other forms of piercing. In addition we’ll discuss some helpful ways in which you can minimize the a newly pierced nose healing time.
Nose Piercing Healing Time
Unlike navel and ear piercing which are done on flesh or fatty tissues, nose piercing is done on cartilage which doesn’t heal the same way as flesh. Consequently, piercing on the nose take relatively longer to heal and are more susceptible to complications especially if proper piercing aftercare is not observed.
Nose piercing healing time is one of the nose controversial topics online with some people holding that a piercing on the nose will heal in less than two weeks and others maintaining that healing can take up to six months.
For the sake of clarification we’ll break down the healing process into two categories namely:
- Clearing away of obvious nose symptoms that may come after your pierce your nose and
- Full healing of the pierced nose
Obvious symptoms of nose piercings such as swelling, tenderness and redness in the skin around the piercing typically clears away in 10 to 15 days especially if proper aftercare measures are strictly observed.
As for the latter, the time frame varies depending on the type of nose piercing; that is depending on where the piercing is located on the nose. There are two main types in this context, namely, nostril piercing and septum piercing.
A nostril piercing (a piercing done on the outside of the nose in the area between the cheeks and the nose tip) typically heals completely in 2 to 4 months. A septum piercing (a piercing in the cartilaginous tissue separating the right and the left nostril) on the other hand takes a bit longer to heal completely, normally between 6 and 8 months.
It is highly recommended that you leave your nose jewelry (stud, ring, or screw) intact during the healing process as changing it too soon can lead to irritation and infection, and probably extend the healing time considerably.
During the nose piercing healing time, it is normal for the pierced are to bleed, swell, and appear tender and reddened. As the healing process progresses, the piercing may appear pink in color, form crusts, have light whitish-yellow discharge (not pus though unless it is infected) and itch a bit.
All these could be observed even after it appears healed looking from the outside. Remember healing proceeds from the outside in and the inside of the nose may still be healing up.
How Long Does It Take For Nose Piercings to Heal
The question “how long does it take for nose piercings to heal?” appears very often in online forums. As we have said the time frame for a newly pierced nose to completely heal varies from 2 to 4 months for nostril piercing and 6 to 8 months for septum piercings.
Swelling and other symptoms that appear immediately after the piercing is done however normally go away in 10 to 15 days.
This is the average time it takes for a newly pierced nose to heal but it could be shorter or longer for some people. For example, if proper aftercare measures are not taken, including ensuring proper hygiene regime, preventing trauma on the piercing and avoiding tugging at the jewelry, the healing time can be much longer.
In a nutshell, how long it takes for a nose piercing to heal depends to a large extent on your initiative in as far as caring for the piercing is concerned.
Nostril Piercing Healing Time – How To Minimize It
Choose appropriate jewelry: the quality of the jewelry you use can have a significant impact on the length of the nostril piercing healing time. Stainless steel, niobium and titanium jewelry are the best in prevention of infection and ensuring a smooth healing process.
While some piercers might offer free studs and rings as part of their package, you should ideally go for higher quality ones made of the above mentioned materials even though they might cost you a bit more.
Nose rings also render themselves to faster healing than nose bones or studs and nose screws. It is also advisable to ensure that the nose ring doesn’t fit too tight as this can also delay the healing process.
Don’t change the ring too soon: You might want to change from a nose ring to a nose bone or any other type of nose piercing. You might also want to change to smaller or larger diameter stud or ring, or a different colored version of the same jewelry you are wearing.
However, changing the nose jewelry too soon can cause an infection and extend the healing time. Put off changing the jewelry to at least 4 weeks (but 2 months is the most appropriate time). Even then, listen to your piercing. If it feels painful trying to remove the stud or ring it could simply be telling you that it still need some more time to heal up.
Observe proper aftercare for your nose piercing: Any professional piercer will advise you on how to take care of your piercing as it heals. Observe them carefully to shorten the healing time. We have also shared numerous piercing on the nose aftercare measures here.
Do Nose Piercings Close Up After Healing?
We have all along been saying that you shouldn’t remove your piercing during the healing time to not only avoid infections but also to avoid close up especially given the fact that a piercing on the nose of less than four weeks closes up in less that 24 hours if the ring or stud is removed.
The question then is, “Do nose piercings close up after healing?” The answer is “yes”; piercings on the nose close up after some time if they are left without a stud, ring or screw.
If you have to remove the jewelry you are wearing on the piercing on the nose for whatever reason, e.g. a new job or moving in with your granny, you should consider putting on a retainer to prevent the it from closing up.
OK some of those comments are helpful some not so much I’ve had my nose pierced since I was in the 7th 2010 grade I’m in 10th my first piercing my sister did with a earring piercer and I used a earring till I bought a real nose ring(which I bought from the hair store) it didn’t swell and stoped hurting in about 3 days but I did get a little bump on the side if my piercing from the earring I used but I let the bump drain by itself and it was fine I’ve had it for 5 years no problem I just pierced the other side of my nose Sunday November 29, 2015 with a needle and immediately put alcohol on it and it swelled, turned red and looks irritated but I cleanse it with alcohol every morning and night the swelling is going down but its still red and it doesn’t hurt as much so if your having difficulties with your piercing you could have had it done in the wrong place, have sensitive skin or your nose reacted badly to how it was done and what was used but I wouldn’t recommend taking it out unless you know its infected whatever happens will go away with time Good Luck to you all!!.
i got my nose piercing on friday november 13th NOTHING to do with the date just FINALLY decided to get it done after wanting it for YEARS lol / he used a long needle OR hollow needle i saw him prep and i got a diamond look stud, it only bled a bit afterwards and my piercer recommended i use dial antibacterial soap to wash around that area with AND he gave me a package of sea salt to use qtips to treat daily; the first day it hurt a bit then the next morning i woke up started twitching my nose around to STOP the tightness pain and started bathing my nose in the sea salt soak with qtip, its been 3 days now and it FEELS fine and im NOT gonna mess with it EXCEPT my piercer asked me to come back for a follow up just which for him is standard he prefers to see you a few days to a week after your piercing to check up on it AND i heard him say imma see if i need to put a longer stud in when you come back sooo yeah now to me its a possibility that i MIGHT need it imma see what i think im NOT just gonna go with his word it does feel like its kinda short JUST CUTTING it in staying in the nose as my nose is thick and full sooo imma see but im doing ALL the upkeep and taking FANTASTIC care of my piecing im looking forward to wearing NEW nose candy rings in March my birthday time … by then it SHOULD have fully healed if not before LoL My body heals MIRACULOUSLY!
I have just got my nose done yesterday and I have a 10k gold nose stud is that okay ? And is there any at home remedies to reduce swelling and prevent infection. I’m a organic person so I want to use some good
You could just use a sea salt solution and some tea tree oil.
Use the solution to soak your piercing and then the tea tree oil to keep it moisturized and clean as well as it helps with the healing.
I’ve had my nose piercing for a year and four months. I just changed it 3 days from the nose screw to a hoop for the first time. I’m having pain like I did when I first got it pierced. There is no swelling but it is getting crusty. Was it not fully healed initially? Or is there always some pain when you change your piercing for the first time?
Probably you have not fully healed. It can take up to 6 months or more.
So I’ve had my nose piercing for a year and four months. I just changed it from the original nose screw to a hoop for the first time about 3 days ago. It hurts like it did when I first got my nose pierced. It is also gettting a bit crusty. Was it still not healed after a year?
I just got my nose pierced today and got a hoop from the piercer. It looks big and awkward, although it was the small gauge. Will this be okay? I don’t want people to think I used the wrong one till it heals fully and I can switch for a thinner hoop
I got my Nose pierced last saturday (august 29, 2015) and someone saw it and said “YOUR NOSEPIERCING IS TOO SMALL” do i need to change it? I don’t know what to do and I’m scared. Please help me thankyou
There are different jewelry sizes and you ill find one that fits you. I would advice you not to go for a re-piercing
Comment:i had ma nose piercin in middle 2014,i pierced using a stad thn few days aftr i removed and put a stick,my nose was healing prefctly thn aftr it healed completely i later put a nose ring sliver in colour,few days aftr my piercin strtd hurti agn.it becme swallen nt until i had 2 remove my nose ring ad thn i put back the stick agn.so each time i wear a sliver nose ring ma piercing reacts ad it becomes swallen,please hlep me
You are allergic to silver, try titanium or stainless steel jewelry
Thank you this was so much help and I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of getting a nose piercing
Thank you this was a lot of help