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Septum Piercing FAQ: Dealing with the Pain, How Much Does it Cost, Healing Time, Aftercare and More Tips!


Why Get Your Septum Pierced?

Nowadays septum piercings are all the rage. Celebs like Lady Gaga and Jessica Biel have them and even Rihanna rocked a fake septum ring at her brother's album release party! With piercings becoming more and more popular a septum piercing will show off your wild side, but also comes with the handy insurance policy that they can be removed easily with no scarring and no evidence of ever being pierced! It's also one of the few piercings which is easy to hide too, as taking out your nose ring will remove evidence from everyone who doesn't stare at your nostrils regularly.

Here I've put together a guide to everything you need to know about taking the plunge into the nose ring world!

A classic horseshoe nose ring is a regular first choice for a septum piercing!



Although a septum piercing is one of the most visible you can get, it is also one of the easiest to hide. Your jewellery can quickly and easily be removed and anyone looking at your nose would never know it was pierced!

Does getting a septum piercing hurt?

This doesn't mean it's a good idea to get one in the spur of the moment when you're drunk or bored - like any piercing, it's a piercing - it will pierce your skin, it will hurt. The pain isn't unbearable though, it feels like a normal nose piercing in that you will feel like you need to sneeze and will constantly want to rub it.

After getting your septum pierced the temptation will be there to rub it or take out your ring but keeping it in and leaving it alone is essential to a good aftercare regime.

There are a lot of things you must consider before you get your piercing!

1. The Pain

As mentioned before, it's a piercing - it's going to hurt a little. In reality, like any piercing, the pain lasts just a few seconds and your eyes will water as if you've been hit in the nose; this is a natural reaction and will happen to almost everyone who goes through the process. As they pierce the area just below your cartilage and between your nostrils will be the most pain but this is the bulk of the septum anyway so do not fear!

From the piercer's perspective a septum piercing is a difficult one to do. Reaching the area between your nostrils is difficult enough and piercing the "sweet spot" is more difficult than regular piercings. A good piercer will not pierce your cartilage and will get the soft area right below it - you should be able to feel it yourself now!

2. Just After Your Piercing

After your piercing there is obviously massive temptation to play with it or take it out. Most people will go for a horseshoe to start with and this is a good choice as it's not too obtrusive and can easily be hidden by turning it up - this is not recommended in the first few days however (this is discussed more in the aftercare section).

Everyone heals at different rates and most people should be fully healed within 6-8 weeks. If it is taking considerably longer or something seems wrong do not hesitate to contact a skin care specialist! Your jewelry shouldn't be changed before the healing time is up!

3. Aftercare

Taking care of your septum piercing in the next 6-8 weeks (or as long as it takes to heal) is the most important part of your regime. You should wash it gently twice a day with anti-bacterial soap for at least 4 weeks. Most dermatologists recommend a soap which is gentle on sensitive skin as the septum and surrounding areas are quite tender. Good brands are Dettol, Cidal or my personal favourite, Simple. The soap I use is linked below but try and find one which works for you!

After the wound has healed you should still focus on maintaining good skin care as the wound will always be more susceptible to infection than closed skin and bacteria can easily build up in enclosed areas like a septum piercing.

You will probably find yourself really tempted to play with your ring and run it side to side through your new septum hole. Obviously this is really bad for you, you need to leave your nose ring alone! Playing with it and pushing it up and down can cause irritation around your nose and make it crusty.

If you absolutely must touch it make sure your hands are clean and dry and soak your septum with warm water to decrease the chance of it pulling or getting crusty - thus slowing your healing time.

Taking It Out

Removing your piercing if you get tired of it is easy to do as well! The piercing will close eventually, how long it takes depends on how long you've had it but it shouldn't take longer than 6 months to fully heal.

How Much Does a Septum Piercing Cost?

Most places charge between $15-45 and you should never skimp on getting body work done! So look up the nearest body work shop which is licensed and has a good reputation and book an appointment! The piercing will be over in 5 minutes and you'll be able to rock the Rihanna look from then on!

Again I must say make sure the person poking a needle through your nose has a good reputation! Find reviews on them and make sure they are good at septum piercings as well - as I said before septum piercings are a little harder than normal piercings so make sure your body worker is good with noses too!

Choosing The Right Ring!

Choosing a nose ring which suits you is a difficult thing to do. As is the way in life - size matters! Choosing a big ring will make it the focal point of our entire outfit, whereas something small like a horseshoe can add a little edge or subtlety to an otherwise boring look.

Gold rings are currently the biggest selling nose jewelry and you can steal Rihanna's look with a tribal teardrop nose ring linked below!

A more simple horseshoe is also one of the most popular choices as they can accompany nearly everything to give your outfit more edge!

Another type of ring you can experiment with is an "infinity ring" which has its end up in the nostril so it seems like you have an endless loop in your septum!

Be Smart!

Thanks for taking your time to do some research before getting your septum pierced! Make sure you do the same when you come to choose the person who will pierce you and you should be alright!

Again make sure you take good care of your septum in the weeks after your piercing - the first 2 weeks are the hardest just cause of the irritation but you also need to make sure you constantly take good care of your skin to avoid infection or other unpleasant looking ailments!

If you have any questions feel free to ask them below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible! Make sure that getting your septum pierced is what you want to do and never attempt to pierce yourself or let another non-professional attempt to do so!

Why not bling up your nose ring with some gemstones!

Why not bling up your nose ring with some gemstones!

Here's how they actually pierce your septum!

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