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Many people find a nose piercing more pressure than pain, but the sources do not agree. WebMD says many people do not find it painful and may only feel some pressure. Healthline’s article on the most to least painful piercings places nose piercings among the more painful ones.
What the sources say
| Source | Nose piercing |
|---|---|
| WebMD | Many people do not find nose piercing painful. You may only feel some pressure |
| Healthline (septum) | More weird or unusual than painful, like needing to sneeze. The needle pain lasts a split second |
| Healthline (ranking) | Nose piercings sit among the more painful piercings, with genital, nipple and dermal |
| WebMD (bridge) | A bridge piercing is not extremely painful for most people. Some pressure and discomfort, but it likely will not be intense |
| This site | Nostril 4 out of 10 |
The differences may reflect placement, method and pain tolerance. Neither page gives a number for each nose placement.
Pain by nose placement
Our scale runs from 1 to 10, where 1 is a firm pinch you would barely register and 10 is the most painful thing you have experienced. It is applied to every placement, but it is an average and not a promise. See the pain chart.
| Piercing | Pain |
|---|---|
| Nostril | 4/10 |
| Double nostril | 4/10 |
| Bridge | 4/10 |
| Septum | 5/10 |
| High nostril | 5/10 |
| Mantis | 5/10 |
| Rhino | 6/10 |
| Septril | 6/10 |
| Nasallang | 7/10 |
The pages we read give no scores for individual nose placements, so these are our editorial estimates.
The septum
Healthline says most people describe the septum sensation as more weird or unusual than painful, and compares it to the feeling of needing to sneeze. It adds that the pain from the needle only lasts a split second, and that some people find the application of the jewelry hurts more than the puncturing of the skin.
The position matters. Healthline says the sweet spot is the thin strip of flesh in front of the cartilage. If a piercer goes through the cartilage instead, it hurts more and takes longer to heal, and not everyone has that strip. Its consensus on keeping pain down is to relax, since being tense seems to increase pain. Septum piercing healing time covers the rest.
The bridge
WebMD says a bridge piercing is not extremely painful for most people, and that you will feel some pressure and discomfort but it likely will not be intense.
Afterwards
Healthline says to expect mild tenderness at the tip of the nose over the first week or so after a septum piercing. The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) says to see a doctor if you have severe redness, swelling or pain, or if symptoms last for a week or get worse. Irritated or infected piercing has a symptom table, and infected nose piercing covers the nose.
Related
How long a nose piercing takes to heal, nose piercing bumps and how much a nose piercing costs cover what comes next. Does ear piercing hurt covers the ear.
Not medical advice
This page is educational. If a piercing is hot, has spreading redness, thick coloured discharge or red streaks, or you feel unwell, see a doctor the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Does a nose piercing hurt?
WebMD says many people do not find a nose piercing painful and may only feel some pressure. Healthline's article ranking piercings from most to least painful places nose piercings among the more painful ones, so the sources differ. On our scale a nostril is 4 out of 10.
Does a septum piercing hurt more than a nostril?
On our scale a septum is 5 out of 10 and a nostril is 4. Healthline says most people describe a septum piercing as more weird or unusual than painful, comparing it to the feeling of needing to sneeze, and that the pain from the needle only lasts a split second.
Does putting the jewelry in hurt?
It can. Healthline says some people find that the application of the jewelry hurts more than the puncturing of the skin.
Does it hurt more if it goes through cartilage?
Yes, for a septum. Healthline says the sweet spot is the thin strip of flesh in front of the cartilage, and that if a piercer goes through the cartilage instead, it hurts more and takes longer to heal. Not everyone has that strip.
How long is a nose piercing sore afterwards?
Healthline says to expect mild tenderness at the tip of the nose over the first week or so after a septum piercing. The APP says to see a doctor if you have severe redness, swelling or pain, or if symptoms last for a week or get worse.
Which nose piercing hurts the most?
On our scale the nasallang, at 7 out of 10, then the rhino and septril at 6. These scores are our editorial estimates, because the pages we read do not give scores for individual nose placements.
Sources
- WebMD - How do you keep a nose piercing safe and infection-free?https://www.webmd.com/beauty/nose-piercing-safety
- Healthline - Septum piercing: 13 FAQs about pain, cost, and morehttps://www.healthline.com/health/body-modification/septum-piercing
- Healthline - Most painful piercings to least painfulhttps://www.healthline.com/health/most-painful-piercings
- WebMD - Bridge piercing: does it hurt and is it safe?https://www.webmd.com/beauty/what-to-know-about-bridge-piercing
- Association of Professional Piercers - Troubleshootinghttps://safepiercing.org/troubleshooting/
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.