Nose Piercing Healing Time & How Long It Takes to Heal

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:

1. Clearing away of obvious nose symptoms that may come after your pierce your nose and
2. 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.