How long does a septum piercing take to heal? Stages, smell and when to change

A septum piercing takes two to three months to heal. That is roughly half the time a nostril takes, and it is one of the faster piercings on the face.

The reason is where it goes. A properly placed septum passes through a thin strip of soft tissue with a good blood supply, below the cartilage wall. Soft, well-supplied tissue repairs quickly.

How a septum compares

Nose piercing healing times compares every nose placement.

Stage by stage

Week 1. Tenderness, some swelling, and occasional bleeding when you blow your nose. You may sneeze a few times after the piercing, and blowing your nose will be uncomfortable. Be gentle, and rinse with saline afterwards.

Weeks 2-6. Crusting and the characteristic smell, which is normal, and less tenderness. Downsize at four to six weeks, once the swelling has gone. The starter circular barbell is sized to allow for swelling, and the spare length afterwards catches when you blow your nose or pull a jumper over your head.

Months 2-3. Settled, if it has been left alone.

The smell

A healing septum smells, and people worry about it. It is dried lymph plus the ordinary bacteria of the nose. It fades as healing finishes, and sterile saline twice a day keeps it in check. It is not, on its own, a sign of infection.

The habit that extends healing

Flipping the ring up to hide it. Each flip drags the jewelry through the channel and irritates it, and repeated flipping is the main thing that makes a septum take longer than it should.

If you need it hidden at work or school from the first day, wear a retainer instead. It sits inside the nostrils and is very hard to see. See piercing retainers.

What else slows it down

• Changing to a ring or clicker too early. These need handling, which irritates a healing piercing.
• A bar left too long. It catches and moves.
• Blowing your nose hard during a cold. Be gentle.
• Kissing and contact in the first few weeks, which transfers bacteria.
• Touching, turning and unwashed hands.
• Low-quality metal. See septum piercing jewelry.
• A placement that missed the sweet spot. It hurts more, heals badly and can sit crooked.

The routine is short: sterile saline twice a day, patted dry, and nothing else. The nose cleaning guide covers it.

How to know it is healed

Do not go by the calendar alone. A septum is healed when all four of these are true:

1. No tenderness when you press gently beside the jewelry.
2. No discharge or crusting for at least two weeks.
3. No redness or pink tinge around either opening.
4. The jewelry moves freely, with no tugging.

If one fails, wait another month and check again. When can I change my nose piercing walks through the tests.

When healing is not going to plan

• A bump. Less common than on a nostril. It can be caused by flipping, a ring that is too tight, or low-grade jewelry. See nose piercing bumps.
• A crooked septum. Usually the placement was not centred in the sweet spot, or the tissue was pinched unevenly. It rarely straightens on its own, and a piercer can assess it.
• Infection. The nose carries staphylococcus normally, so keep hands away. Heat, spreading redness onto the tip or the upper lip, thick coloured discharge or a fever needs a doctor. Leave the jewelry in unless they say otherwise. See infected nose piercing.

If you take the jewelry out once it has healed, how long a piercing takes to close explains how quickly a nose piercing can shrink.

Cost

$40 to $90 in a US studio, plus jewelry. How much is a septum piercing breaks down the jewelry and the first-year total.

A healing piercing should stay out of pools, hot tubs and the sea: see swimming with a new piercing. Most piercings also need a shorter post fitted while they heal, so read piercing downsizing too.

Not medical advice

This page is educational. If a piercing is hot, has spreading redness or coloured discharge, or you feel feverish or unwell, see a doctor rather than waiting it out.

This article is for education only and is not medical advice. If a piercing is hot, swollen, spreading redness, oozing yellow or green discharge, or you have a fever, see a doctor today.