Types of nose piercings

Nose piercings range from the quickest-healing piercing on the face to some of the most demanding, and every type is in the table above. Nose piercings are among the most popular in the world and among the most commonly done badly. The piercing itself is usually fine; the jewelry that goes into it is where things go wrong. To compare every placement side by side, see types of piercings.

The two main options

A nostril piercing passes through the soft tissue at the side of the nose, above the natural crease. It heals in four to six months and is the more visible of the two.

A septum piercing passes through the sweet spot, a thin strip of soft tissue in front of the cartilage wall between the nostrils. It heals in two to three months, faster than most people expect, and it can be hidden completely with a retainer.

Almost everyone believes a septum goes through cartilage. Done properly, it does not, and that single fact explains why it heals so much faster than a nostril.

The jewelry problem

Three types of jewelry are commonly put into fresh nostril piercings, and only one is appropriate.

• Flat-back labret stud. A straight post with a smooth flat disc inside the nostril. This is the right answer.
• Nose bone. A straight post with a ball fused on the end, which you have to force through the channel every time it goes in or out.
• L-shape or nose screw. A bent post that rotates inside the nostril as you move, so the piercing is never still.

If you have a nostril bump, the jewelry is the first thing to check. See nose piercing bumps, or nose piercing keloid if it keeps growing. Getting the size right is its own subject: nose ring sizes covers gauge, post length and hoop diameter. Nose piercing jewelry compares every style, and septum piercing jewelry does the same for the septum.

Other nose placements

• High nostril: higher up the side of the nose. Slower to heal, and it needs a flat-back stud permanently because a hoop cannot sit correctly.
• Bridge: a surface piercing across the bridge of the nose between the eyes. Migration risk, and it needs a straight barbell.
• Double nostril: two piercings on one nostril, or one in each. It heals at the pace of the slower of the two.
• Mantis: a symmetrical pair on the front of the tip, facing forward.
• Rhino: a single vertical bar through the tip of the nose.
• Septril: through the tip of the nose into a stretched septum, which has to come first.
• Nasallang: a single bar through both nostrils and the septum. Advanced, and not a first piercing.

Not sure which suits you? The piercing quiz narrows it down in a minute.

The rules

1. Flat-back labret to start, never a nose bone or L-shape.
2. 18 gauge for a nostril, 16 or 14 for a septum. Decide before the needle.
3. Implant-grade titanium, threadless or internally threaded. See materials.
4. Do not change the jewelry early. Four to six months for a nostril. See when you can change it.
5. Keep makeup and skincare out of it.
6. Sterile saline twice a day, inside and outside the nostril.

Full routine in the nose cleaning guide.