Nose Piercing Healing Tips

A few nose piercing healing tips that will help you reduce the time it will take for your new nose piercing to completely heal.

Having your nose pierced is such a wonderful way to adorn or accent your face! You’ve chosen the location for the piercing and the type of nose jewelry you want. And your next step is to familiarize yourself with proper care techniques so that your piercing heals as quickly and uneventfully as possible. Learn what to do ahead of time so that you can begin proper care immediately after the piercing.

It’s very important to follow the aftercare tips provided by your piercer. You’ve placed your trust in him or her to perform the piercing, and so you should accept that person’s expertise. Don’t alter your care regimen just because your best friend says she did things differently.

The Best Nose Piercing Healing Tips

You should touch your piercing as little as possible. But when you must touch it, use clean hands. Always wash them first! And don’t let other people touch your piercing. If someone reaches for it, simply tell them it can’t be touched for six weeks. You don’t know where their hands have been!

Cleanse your piercing regularly with an antimicrobial or antibacterial soap. Antimicrobial soaps work better because they eliminate bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Look for brand names such as Provon, Hibiclens, or Satin antimicrobial skin cleansers in your local pharmacy or at your piercing boutique. If you can’t find one of them, opt for an antibacterial product such as Dial. You can also try to speed up your nose piercing healing with Almay’s Hypo-Care. Soaps with high content of dyes and scents can irritate your piercing.

(Related: How do you put a corkscrew nose ring in?)

Never use hydrogen peroxide or isopropyl alcohol. Both of them are excellent germ-killers, but they are only for use on unbroken skin. They will dry out and otherwise hinder your nose piercing healing.

Avoid putting makeup on your piercing. And remove stale makeup that’s been placed near it. Dry the area by patting it with a paper towel or facial tissue because cloth towels carry too many germs.

Do not use cosmetic products such as hairspray or skin lotions unless you protect your piercing. They contain ingredients that will irritate your healing skin.

If you smoke, then slow down or stop while your piercing heals. It’s true that tar, resin, and smoke residue can accumulate on or around the piercing site. But even more harmful is the effect that smoking has on your blood vessels! They’ll dilate-get smaller-and the tiny vessels in your nose will be unable to carry enough of the oxygen and nutrients that your skin needs in order to heal quickly.

If your piercing begins to look infected, you might see a yellowish boil or a pimple. If you have oily skin, we recommend an antibacterial soap. But you can also use warm salt water soaks to relieve discomfort and to help the skin heal. It’s best to look for a saline product that contains sea salts; the iodine in table salt can irritate your piercing. Do not remove your jewelry unless your piercing professional instructs you to do so because you run the risk of trapping the infection inside your skin.

A sea-salt solution is a good idea while your piercing heals, even if there is no infection. It provides a good way to remove the crusts that accumulate around the piercing or on the jewelry. It will draw impurities from your skin. Many people also say it feels comfortable and relieves itching during their nose piercing healing process!

(Related: Nose Piercing FAQ For All Your Questions)

If you have chosen a nostril screw as your first jewelry at the time of the piercing, take extra care that it doesn’t get caught in your clothing or on your towel.

Avoid swimming while your piercing heals, but if you must go, then cover it with a water-proof wound bandage. Brands like Tegaderm and Nexcare offer small bandages that will protect your piercing from chlorinated pool water.

Try to sleep on your back or on the side away from your piercing. It will heal faster if you don’t have your face in a pillow, and the jewelry will be less likely to pull on your healing skin! But just in case you roll over onto your face, change your pillowcase frequently.

While your piercing is on the mend, take extra vitamin C and some zinc to maximize your body’s natural healing abilities. Drink plenty of water. Eat extra protein because it helps your body to build new skin tissue. These are all good recommendations whether you’re recovering from healing or not!

Always look for fine-quality jewelry for your piercing. Nothing less than 14k gold or possibly stainless steel should be used for your first nose jewelry. We specialize in 22k gold jewelry, including exquisite nose rings and pins. You will often find that captive bead rings are best for initial nose piercings. Our craftsmen design and make beautiful 22k gold products, many of them in distinctive Indian designs that you will not find elsewhere in the Western marketplace.

Julian Carter

Tattoos & Body Piercings Expert, Contributor

Tattoos & Body Piercings Expert Julian is a freelance tattoo writer, beauty expert, traveler, and photographer. Her passion for body art over the past 7 years led to one of the internet’s greatest websites about tattoos and piercing.