Thinking of getting a nose piercing? Just as with any type of facial piercing, many people become apprehensive about nose piercings despite how badly they may want one. This is mainly due to the fact that their job may not approve of facial piercings, their families may not like the concept of a nose piercing or they may just be hesitant about taking the piercing out when they need to. For whatever the reason, there are plenty more pros to nose piercings than there are cons! There are actually several different types of piercings and body jewelery that individuals are using in their nose that has changed the look of this type of piercing altogether.
Types of nose piercings
There are quite a few different types of nose piercings that you can get that vary from the single stud that people usually think of when they are thinking about nose piercings. There is:
The regular nostril piercing
This type of piercing is the most common nose piercing that you will see getting around the place. The piercing is placed right in the center of the nostril just on one side of the nose.
The high nostril piercing
This nostril piercing is similar to the regular nostril piercing except higher up the nose, towards the bridge. This one is less common, but you might notice pictures of it if you start flipping through a piercer’s book.
The septum piercing
The septum piercing is where the middle of your nose, between the two nostrils is pierced, on the inside of your nose. This will allow you to get the bull ring look with your piercing.
The septum + two nostrils piercing
Some people choose to get a piercing through both nostrils and the septum at the same time. This piercing (or piercings, really) will usually be outfitted with a barbell that goes through all three holes at once.
The bridge piercing
The other part of your nose that you can get pierced is the bridge, which is between your eye, so up the top of your nose. This piercing will usually have a plain barbell for the jewellery also, as it has a fair amount of gap between the balls.
The vertical nose tip piercing
For something really unique, there is also the vertical nose tip piercing. This piercing is madeon the tip of the nose and then going vertically upwards. It too will have a barbell to go trough it. This piercing is also known as the rhino piercing as it look a little bit like a rhino horn.
How do I choose which nose piercing to get?
Deciding on which type of nose piercing to get can be a difficult choice. At the moment, regular nose piercings, as well as septum piercings are very in fashion. This might mean that you would like to get one of these two types to complement your look. Everyone can get a nose piercing, and it’s not a very offputting piercing like some others might be (especially to your parents!).
If you are a bit bolder or would like to do something a little bit different, then you might like to pick the high nostril piercing or the bridge piercing, or if you’re a true piercing aficionado, then the vertical tip nose piercing or the dual nostril + septum piercing might be more your thing.
If you are worried that you might make the wrong choice then why not talk it over with your friends to see what they think would suit you best. Let them know that you’d like to get a nose piercing but are wondering which type would be best for you. Outline the ones that you think that you might like and then ask them whether they think one would look better than the rest. Of course, all decisions are ultimately up to you, but it’s always better to get a second opinion, after all, they do say that two heads are better than one!
Of course, if you already have other facial piercings, you might like to think about how the two would look combined together, for instance a tongue piercing as a regular nose stud might look quite good, the same with a lip piercing.
While the majority of individuals get their nose pierced as a single stud on either outer nostril, many also take advantage of more unique body jewelry such as hoops or barbells. While the lower center part of the nose can also be pierced, although it is not as common as traditional nose piercings.
Nose piercings can be worn for traditional cultural reasons as well. Many cultures such as Hindu and Muslim, use body piercings to represent certain coming of age ceremonies and social status within their culture. The first form of nose piercings were sported by the Native Americans and have been since used to mark occasions such as age, marital status, and rank within the tribes.
You may often see young girls wearing dainty studded nose rings that are often magnetic. While you may not be able to tell from afar, the most common reason for magnetic body jewelry is to get used to the position of the stud in your nose to ensure that you are in fact comfortable enough to get the actual nose piercing. Common misconceptions of this type of piercing is that it creates a gaping hole in your nose once removed. This is far from the truth. While you will have a small, almost microscopic hole where your piercing would have rested, nose piercings actually close much faster than one would think.
How to Properly Care for Nose Piercings
Just as any other form of body piercing, a nose piercing requires care and attention at all times. Immediately after the piercing is done, many professionals recommend turning the jewelry slowly as you lubricate it to ensure you avoid infection. This motion creates a passageway for the lubrication to seep into the piercing and ensure the entire hole is protected – both inside and on the surface. Once it is fully healed, you should remove the jewelry on a regular basis and clean it individually with alcohol or an antiseptic cleanser.
While a nose piercing is more commonly seen on women than men, this is not to say that it is a feminine type of body piercing. In fact, many men do opt to get nose piercings, but at the same time are more likely to sport a hoop than a plain stud. You will often see more men that prefer the hoop through the bottom portion of the nose as well. Before you decide which type of nose piercings are right for you, you should consider a few common factors. Many individuals with smaller or longer faces often opt for studded nose jewelry to balance their facial features. Round or heart shaped aces often prefer other types of jewelry such as hoops or barbells to maintain their facial proportion more effectively.
Despite the style or tradition that you are looking to upkeep with your nose piercing – you will surely find that there are various types of jewelry to accommodate all fashion senses. Here are some other examples of how amazing nose piercings really are and how they can help you accent your best facial features perfectly.
The jewelry
The main thing to decide when you’re getting a nose piercing is the jewelry that will go in your piercing once you’ve got it. Obviously, you will have to wear the standard jewelry that the piercer inserts until your nose piercing is healed. Afterwards, you have a huge choice of what you’d like to put in.
Most facial piercings are usually a stainless steel barbell, which can work well in most cases, but isn’t the norm for a lot of nose piercings. Of course you do always have this option if you wish – it’s really up to you what jewelry you would like to put in your nose.
The trend at the moment for regular nose piercings is a tiny, often jeweled, stud. This can work well however you can also choose to put in a larger piercing or a ring if that is more your think. Cultural inspired rings are quite popular at the moment for both regular nostril piercings and for septum piercings. You can draw inspiration from Hindu images when looking for a cool ring to buy.
Make sure to purchase a piece of jewelry that is specifically for your type of nose piercing. Body jewelry varies in width so purchasing the wrong piece means that it might be too big to fit in the hole. A too small piercing may mean that your hole shrinks and you won’t be able to put in other jewelry that you have purchased.
Make sure that if you’re buying from somewhere like Ebay that you make sure that the jewelry that you buy is from a reputable seller and is body safe. Cheap jewelry can irritate you piercing and may lead to a nasty infection. If you find that a particular piece of jewelry is causing you irritation, don’t wait – take it out right away and replace it with the original jewelry that your piercer gave you.
Poor quality jewelry that leads to infection can cause you all sorts of issues and may even lead to bad scarring, or keloids. Keloids are large, raised nasty scars that can form from piercings. This is the last thing that you want on your face.
If you do develop a keloid you have the option to have it surgically cut out, or if this isn’t an option, you can always color it in with a silver or gold pen to give the illusion of a piercing actually being there instead of the nasty scar!
