"Apply a saline wipe to both the inside and outside of the piercing. After five minutes, gently wipe away any visual discharge or softened crusting with the edge of the saline wipe or a piece of gauze," Tash adds. Clean your nose piercing twice a day, every day, until the healing process is complete.
Here's the good news: Even though a nose piercing takes a while to heal (more on that in a sec), you really only need to clean it a few times each day. “I recommend doing a saline rinse twice a day—on the inside and the outside of your nose,” says Ava Lorusso, professional piercer at Studs in NYC.
It is very important to keep your nose piercing clean, otherwise healing could be delayed or you might develop an infection.
Reasons a nose piercing may get infected include: Poor hygiene after piercing, such as not cleaning the site with water. Poor hygiene while getting pierced, such as infected instruments. Wrong products or techniques used while cleaning.
Infections are a very real risk with any new piercing. You and your piercer can take all the necessary precautions, and you might still develop one. It's OK -- that's normal with new open wounds, and technically that's what your body thinks a piercing is until it heals.
Signs of an infection
Your piercing might be infected if: the area around it is swollen, painful, hot, very red or dark (depending on your skin colour) there's blood or pus coming out of it – pus can be white, green or yellow.
Do you notice any pus or discharge coming from the pierced area? A clear indication of an infected nose piercing is the presence of pus. While white pus points towards a minor infection, green or yellow pus is usually associated with a more serious infection.
Symptoms of piercing rejection
more of the jewelry becoming visible on the outside of the piercing. the piercing remaining sore, red, irritated, or dry after the first few days. the jewelry becoming visible under the skin. the piercing hole appearing to be getting larger.
Avoid getting the piercing wet for at least one to two weeks. So, when you shower, try to avoid putting your face directly under the shower head. You might want to consider taking a bath instead.
Although your piercing may be fully healed, having a new piece of jewelry can sometimes cause a bit of irritation, or just take some getting used to. If you notice anything out of the norm (serious swelling, stinging, prolonged redness etc) contact your piercer and ask to book a consultation appointment.
Pain and Healing Time
You may have some blood, swelling, tenderness, or bruising at first. It may be sore, tender, and red for up to 3 weeks. Pierced nostrils heal completely in about 2 to 4 months. A pierced septum heals in about 3 to 4 months.
To ensure the healing process goes as smoothly as possible, wash your hands before touching your piercing or jewelry. Don't soak your piercing in water (other than a saline solution) until it fully healed. This means avoiding swimming pools, hot tubs, saunas, and baths during healing.
Nose piercings are healed when they're no longer red, swollen, painful to the touch, or leaking discharge. Nostril piercings heal in about 3–6 months, while bridge and septum piercings take about 2–4 months.
Do not over-clean your piercing. Cleaning too often with an overly harsh cleaning solution, or with too many different types of cleaning solutions, can irritate your piercing. If cleaning your piercing twice a day is suggested, don't assume cleaning it ten times a day is better: It isn't.
3) It is normal for dried blood or serous fluid (yellow crust) to form around the edges of your piercing. DO NOT pick it away while it is dry.
It is normal to experience pain, irritation, discharge, or bleeding as a new piercing heals. However, anything that goes beyond these symptoms is a cause for concern. A person should seek medical attention if the site: appears red or discolored.
There is no right or wrong side of the nose to get a piercing, it is up to you. A good idea is to pick your best 'selfie side' of your face whether that be the left or right side!
“You should also clean gently with soap and water.” Your body can typically fight off the infection on its own, and the pustule should disappear. See a doctor immediately, though, if you start feeling sick and have shaking, chills and fever.
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.
Before changing your nose piercing, make sure it is completely healed. 2-3 months is the standard healing time for a nostril piercing. Once you feel like your piercing is good to go, then you should be okay to change out your jewelry.