What to Expect When Getting a Septum Piercing
Septum piercings are such a popular piercing. They’re easy to hide for work, don’t leave any marks if you eventually take it out and bring a beautiful symmetry to any face. With all the varieties of jewelry around, how can you go wrong?
Here’s what to expect if you’re considering taking the plunge yourself. From one septum lover to another!
Does Getting Your Septum Pierced Hurt?
When getting a piercing you are cutting into flesh using a needle, so of course it’s going to include some pain.
But septum piercings are much less evasive compared to getting other piercings like lip or cheek piercings, which need to be pierced through a thicker section of flesh, a septum piercing only cuts through the tiniest piece of skin on the inside wall separating the nostrils called the “sweet spot”.
The amount of pain you experience depends on your personal pain tolerance. For example I felt much less pain having my lip pierced or my nostril pierced than my septum. But the pain was over in a couple seconds!
What’s the “Sweet Spot” Exactly?
The “sweet spot” is named as such because it’s the spot the piercer is aiming for when they pierce your septum. The bridge between the nostrils is made up almost entirely of cartilage. But that generally isn’t the part that is pierced because it can be extremely uncomfortable and takes much longer to heal. Closer to the tip of the nostril is where the soft spot of stretchy skin can be found. Use your fingers and you’ll be able to find it.
This is why in lots of septum piercing pictures you can see that the piercing is away from the face, towards the tip of the nose.
How does the “Sweet Spot” affect the piercing?
As with any nose piercing, you may experience tearing up and a runny nose after being pierced. It’s just the way the nose is set up to deal with contaminants!
And because the sweet spot is such a thin layer of skin you generally won’t have much bleeding.
The Healing Process
Just like any piercing it’s important to take it easy during aftercare. Getting touched around the nose will hurt, and getting tapped in the face might knock the wind out of you with the amount of stinging. Oh, and just like nostril piercings be very careful around towels – they hurt like a bitch when they’re caught on something!
Make sure you’re cleaning it regularly with sea salt soaks! The nose is a snotty, awful place. Sea salt soaks help to break up any of the sharp snot that will stick around it. Yes, the snot will feel like broken glass against your fresh piercing.
Septum piercings don’t take very long to heal. If your piercing is particularly hot, irritated or taking a long time to heal see your piercer immediately. It’s important to deal with any piercing infections or allergies head on!
How to Hide Your Septum Piercing
Septum piercings are a favorite because they’re so easy to hide. You don’t even need to change your piercing, just flip it up into your nostrils and you won’t notice it’s there! But there are a few caveats to this idea:
Make sure you choose a septum ring like a barbell or half-moon, otherwise how are you supposed to flip it away?
Don’t forget to check if the opening is wide enough to flip around your nose structure. My nostrils are particularly small, so I need quite a wide barbell.
If you are stretching your septum larger, you might need to take any balls off the end or buy specifically small balls otherwise you can actually prevent airflow through your nostrils. This has happened to me!
*Disclaimer:
The information in this article is based on research and personal experience, which may differ from your own experience. Always see your piercer if you have any questions or difficulties with your piercings.