Nose Piercing | Process, Pain and Aftercare

In case any of you haven't noticed, I have a nose piercing it is relatively new I've had it for about 7 months so I wouldn't blame you if you hadn't seen it but today I wanted to chat to you a little bit about it for those of you who are perhaps thinking about getting a nose piercing and you're not sure what to expect or perhaps you're just a little bit nosy (ha!) and want to know a bit about 'how much it hurt' or 'how can I blow my nose' or silly little things like that which I find a bit funny (but are in fact serious considerations!)

When I decided to get my nose pierced I went back and forth a great deal, I asked my family what they thought, of course they thought it was silly to put another hole in my nose, I asked my husband who as ever was so forward with his opinions and said, 'whatever you think' or 'do what you like you'll look fine either way' In fact when I was thinking about it I got outside the piercing studio about 2 or 3 times then decided against it. I googled and pinterested and instagrammed pictures of people with nose piercings to get an idea of how it would look but I didn't actually see anything that was particularly informative about aftercare or pain or anything really - which I was disheartened and a bit scared about, so I thought I would be a good little pioneer and give a full overview today. Step one I would say is to think about it long and hard - it's a bit like getting a pet I suppose - are you responsible, will you clean and look after it as you know you should and will you be patient enough for it to adjust to your face?

Choosing a piercer

Choosing a piercer for me was very easy, when I was 16 I had my lip pierced by what then was Retro Rebels (a Gothic clothing store and piercing studio on Aberdeen's George Street) then had a micro-dermal on my chest a couple of years ago (which was painful and fell out due to no fault of the piercer) and given they have been made over into Rebel Ink and in recent years have become one of the most reputable piercers and tattoo studios in the Granite City, I was confident they were the way to go. But when you are choosing a piercer yourself there is nothing better than word of mouth, speak to others who have been there, look at reviews online and of course go in and have a chat to the actual piercer to answer any and all questions you may have, and if they're not very nice or appear to brush you off, don't go there, they obviously aren't interested in the well being of their customers.

Getting your nose pierced

I still remember the day I went to get the deed done, I wasn't nervous as I am quite good with pain and I have been to the studio a few times to have tattoos done so I had already spoken to the piercer a few times previously and he is super friendly. All of the equipment used should be sterile and having been there before I had no worries (plus is just smells so clean which I love!) Unfortunately the day I went they didn't have the colour or style of stud I was going for but I was advised by my piercer which would look best (listen to yours, they are almost always right and I still have my red stud!)

The way in which the piercing is done is your piercer will draw a dot on your nostril where they think the best position for the piercing is which you will then have a look at to see if you are comfortable. They will then put a thin, hollow metal tube inside your nose to get the position of the needle on the dot and this is where it will go through.The pain itself only lasts a few seconds but I'm not going to lie, it does hurt, I would say more than a lip piercing but less than a tattoo but of course they are two very different types of pain and everybody is different but this is just my experience. There was a little bit of blood, but of course you have just had a needle go through your skin of course there is going to be a bit of blood. Needless to say I was chuffed with my new piercing and if anybody is interested it cost me £15 (for which I had a birthday voucher)

Nose Piercing Aftercare

Upon leaving the studio I was given a pamphlet about general piercing aftercare and the thing I love about a nose piercing is that it is a pretty low maintenance piercing to care for (a bit like a cat) but of course with anything you do need to be vigilant about looking after it otherwise it could become infected. Straight after having it done it did feel strange and I got worried for a while I would never be able to blow my nose in a satisfying way again, but this passes and as the swelling goes down it just feels like a part of your face and in fact I don't even notice that it is there most of the time!

I used good quality cotton pads and a saline solution every day for the first couple of weeks to keep mine clean but I did run into a couple of problems, for example sometimes you can develop something called a keloid - which is a small bump right next to the piercing and if it isn't give the proper attention can become a permanent part of your face. Thankfully mine was relatively small and with continuous cleaning it disappeared within a week but I would advise keeping make up and heavy products away from this area while it is healing (something I didn't really do!)

Today I have no issues or cleaning problems with my piercing and continue to love it just as much as when I first had it done, I can blow my nose, wash my face and do everything a regular person without a piercing can the only difference? I have some lovely bling on my face! This post has been much more long winded than I thought it would be, but honestly I just wanted to be as helpful and informative as possible when it comes to this kind of thing because it is important and I don't feel as if I could have left anything out in explaining the process and aftercare. Be sure to leave me a comment below if you have any questions, if perhaps you are thinking of getting a piercing or maybe you already have one and just wanted to add something, post it below, come share it with me on Twitter or of course if you'd like to keep up with the latest Granite City Girl posts be sure to follow me on Bloglovin'

Until next time folks, blowing my nose like a regular person.

H.Elizabeth x