How Long Does It take For Nose Piercing To Heal?

Last Updated on August 1, 2023 by Janie Wilson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How long does it take for nose piercing to heal? This is one question that haunts many young men and women who intend to go for a nose piercing job in the near future. Surely, everyone would like to ensure that he or she doesn’t get involved in any kind of health hazard because of a hasty action on his or her part. Keep on reading if you are interested to get your nose pierced and make a style statement.

To begin with, the healing time of a nasal piercing depends on different factors and your piercing may still continue to heal even if it appears to be completely healed.

Just because all external signs such as redness and sensitivity have disappeared does not mean that you are necessarily ready to stop the follow-up treatment or replace the jewelry.

You should take into account all the factors discussed in this post before treating your nose piercing as if it had healed completely to make sure everything goes as it should.

On an average, how long does a nose piercing take to heal?

Since everyone’s body heals at a different rate, it is not possible to know exactly how long it takes for a nose piercing to heal safely, but you can get a pretty good idea of how long you can expect it to heal when you look at the averages.

On an average, a standard nose piercing takes 4 to 6 months to heal. Among the different types of nose piercings, this is half the way in terms of healing time.

One would think that a nose piercing should heal at about the same time. But this is not the case. Each of the following types of nose piercings has a slightly different average healing time.

Healing time for nose piercings

Bridge piercings are among the least common nose piercings, but they heal relatively quickly. A nose bridge piercing takes 8 to 12 weeks to completely heal. This means it takes a little less time than a nose piercing.

Rhino piercings pass vertically through the tip of the nose. They require the longest healing time of all types of nose piercings. A rhino piercing usually takes 6 to 9 months to heal completely.

This may seem somewhat surprising, but a nasal septum piercing may actually be the fastest healing nose piercing.

If the anatomy of your nose is correct and the piercing can be placed correctly across the columella, a nasal septum piercing can heal in as little as 7 to 8 weeks.

Therefore, if the piercing goes through the cartilage, either because you wanted it or because the piercing was wrong, then the healing time is much longer. A piercing through the cartilage takes about 7 to 8 months to heal.

What can influence the healing time of a nose piercing?

Different factors play a role in the healing time of your individual nose piercing. However, irrespective of the average healing time, your body and the things you do during the healing period may make the process take longer or shorter. Here are some things to consider.

Pick up the skin or scabs

You’ve probably heard it a dozen times, and I hope your piercing reminds you of it, but don’t touch your piercing. Bumping into the scabs or crusts that form on the skin around the piercing can irritate it or cause additional skin injury. Pulling on the scab can tear the skin under the piercing and delay the healing time considerably.

Also, your fingers do not need to be near a fresh piercing unless you clean it, and even then, you should wash your hands first to avoid introducing additional bacteria into the injured spot.

Immerse the piercing in water

Even water might contain bacteria. That’s why you should keep your pierced nose away from water unless you clean it.

It is possible to soak your piercing in a saline or seawater solution, but do not swim with it until the piercing has healed. If you go swimming, you must keep your nose piercing out of the water.

Expose the piercing to sunlight.

Excessive exposure to the sun can irritate your piercing and prolong your healing time. You should abstain from using sunscreen to a new piercing, and also try to limit the time you spend in the sun. This means that you should not sunbathe or swim outside until your piercing has healed. If you want your piercing to heal as quickly as possible and you have sunburn, it will certainly extend the healing time.

Playing with piercing

Despite common misunderstandings, you do not need to move or rotate your piercing. It will heal much faster if you leave it alone. If you play or tamper with your piercing or simply touch it from time to time, the wound will only become agitated and the healing time will be slower. What is worse, touching and playing with your piercing can lead to severe infection, since bacteria are carried to the piercing.

If the piercing get caught in something

This is not something you would want do purposefully, although it might happen that your piercing accidentally get caught in something, like a piece of clothing, it can irritate the piercing, which often leads to a longer healing time.

Even if you have a nose ring on one side, try to sleep on the other side if possible, so that you don’t press or damage the ring while you sleep.

Your cleaning program

This is one of the big factors you have control over. The best way to recover from a nose piercing as quickly as possible is to follow the proper cleaning and aftercare procedures.

It is also important to know how to remove and insert a nose piercing correctly to avoid accidentally piercing a sensitive area of the nostril.

6 important nose piercing aftercare steps that you should follow

Inadequate cleaning can increase the risk of infection, and an infection will certainly delay the healing time.

On the other hand excessive cleaning can also be a problem, as it will remove the piercing too early.

Excessive cleansing can dry out and irritate the skin around the piercing, and an irritated piercing not only takes longer time to heal, but can also lead to infection, as the irritation diminishes the ability of the skin to protect itself against bacteria.

Finally, the use of detergents that are too strong for the wound can also delay the healing time and cause more irritation.

Use a simple salt water solution (saline solution), or choose to purchase one of the many post-piercing care products presently available on the market, which are specially designed to heal a new piercing as quickly  as possible. You can take a look at this product I found on Amazon.

The best aftercare product that I have personally used and found effective is the After Inked Piercing Aftercare Spray. It is not only a vegan product, but also completely free of alcohol and additives. It works well on all skin types, even sensitive skin, and is delivered in a large spray bottle for easy application. When used early in the healing process, the spray shortens the healing time and aims to get rid of any persistent pain or discomfort.


Your general state of health

Every person has a different ability to heal. If you have a tendency to heal quickly from small injuries or illnesses, you will probably heal quickly from a nose piercing. Moreover, it can make a difference for other conditions that are overcome during the healing of the piercing.

If you have a cold, flu or other medical problems, it may take longer for your nose piercing to heal, simply because your body shares its attention. That is why it is best to wait for the nose piercing procedure until you are relatively healthy and do not have any other health problems.

It is not possible to predict whether you will be sick or injured, but you can take steps to ensure that you are in good health condition after your nose piercing. This includes eating a healthy diet, avoiding excessive stress and getting enough sleep.

Getting an infection

You have already read about the different actions that can lead to a nose piercing infection.

To make things clearer: if you have an infection on your piercing, it takes longer for it to heal and the healing process is more painful than usual. Therefore it is advisable to follow the follow-up instructions you received from your piercer.

Reaction to jewelry material

Some people are extremely allergic to certain metals. In fact, it is quite common to react to cheap metal alloys, especially those containing nickel. Metal allergies can cause huge irritations in piercings and can even lead to infections, because the resistance of the body tissue is worn out by the irritation.

Jewelry with the wrong size

If you go to a well-known body piercing studio and have your piercing done by a professional, this should not be a problem.

But it can happen that some less experienced piercers choose pieces of jewelry, which are too small for a new piercing. If this happens, the jewelry can sink into the piercing itself and cause massive irritations, which in turn will prolong the healing time.

A new piercing often swells up, so it is important to choose the right size of the jewelry. A piercing professional will be able to tell if a particular piece of jewelry is big enough to take care of the swelling that will occur after the piercing.

If your jewelry gets stuck in the piercing, do not worry, go to a professional piercing studio to place an appropriate piece of jewelry that matches your nose.

Piercing method

There are places where you can get a nose piercing with a piercing gun. But this is really the worst way to get your body parts pierced, including earlobes. Piercing guns will cause trauma to your nose tissue, which means you are likely to have infections that refuses to go away. Obviously, your healing time will get delayed all the more.

Wrapping up

So, it is not easy to answer the question: how long does it take for nose piercing to heal? For, there are several factors that come into play here—what type of piercing you are doing and where you are doing and a lot more. However, the bottom-line is that you will have to follow all the aftercare steps religiously to help your scar to heal as quickly as possible. Otherwise, it will result in complications and surely delay the healing process.

Janie Wilson
Janie Wilson

Janie Wilson, a former fashion model and photographer, dedicated beauty expert and prolific writer on all topics related to fashion, beauty, hair and skin care. I started this website a few years ago when I felt that I have had enough of a hectic lifestyle and need to settle down. Presently, I live with my loving-and-caring husband in New York, but I travel around the world pretty often to derive inspiration for my fashion blog. Yes, let me admit that I am fairly obsessed with anything related to fashion and style. All things from fashion to grooming are things I study all the time whenever I get an opportunity, and my biggest joy in life is to help men and women look their best!