How to Clean Nose Piercing- 8 Amazing Ways

Any kind of piercing¹, body or face, is a way for many people to express themselves. Piercing your nose² is quite easy; it hardly takes 5 minutes and is not as painful as it looks.

However, if proper aftercare is not taken, it can be more painful than you can imagine. So today, we are going to discuss how to clean a nose piercing and all the processes involved.

Pre- and post-care steps are essential for any piercing process to heal completely. To avoid infection, you must keep the involved area clean and dry.

So, let’s first discuss the pre-care steps involved.

1. How to Clean Nose Piercing: Pre-Care

The entire journey of getting a nose piercing should be safe and easy to avoid any complications. A few things you want to consider while getting a piercing are:

1.1 Types of Piercings:

There are many different types of nose piercings, depending on which part of your nose you are getting pierced. You should do your research to avoid any regret later on.

1.2 Licensed and Expert Piercer:

Make sure that the person doing the piercing has a license and experience. Also, a professional piercer will do a better job.

1.3 Clean and Sterile Environment:

The piercing studios you are going to must be clean and the equipment sterile. This ensures that the process does not cause any infections.

2. Post-Care

2.1 How to Clean a Nose Piercing Just After You Get One?

You just got your first nose piercing. What next? Even though the piercing process was a bit painful but quick, the healing time is not quick. It might also take months for it to heal completely.

The piercings take different amounts of time depending upon the location and type of jewellery. People experience some common problems such as bleeding, scarring, and infections.

The piercer will generally give you directions about piercing aftercare, too. They might give you specific instructions depending on the type of piercing for a faster healing process.

Some key instructions you should follow are:

2.1.1 Avoid Touching the Piercing Frequently:

You might have the urge to touch and feel if the nose piercing still hurts³. But avoid touching your piercing as it is an open wound.

2.1.2 Always Clean Your Hands:

The piercing site is full of bacteria and can easily be infected, so you should always ensure your hands are clean before touching the area.

2.1.3 Saline Water:

The easiest way to gently clean your piercing is a saline rinse. Simply dab your pierced area with a paper towel dipped in salt water. This ensures that bacterial growth is slow and also prevents infections.

2.1.4 Avoid Cotton Swabs and Cloth:

The fibers in cloth towels could get stuck, so try avoiding them. Any cloth towel contains bacteria that can cause infections. Instead, try using paper towels.

2.1.5 Don’t Soak the Piercing Area in Water:

Try not to soak your piercings in water for a long period. You should avoid taking baths, swimming pools, saunas, and hot tubs to make the healing process fast and easy.

3. How to Clean a Nose Piercing?

3.1 Steps You Need to Know to Clean a Nose Piercing:

• Use a clean paper towel to clean the piercing twice a day. Dip it in saline solution and apply it on the piercing hole. Don’t apply a lot of pressure, as it might still hurt.
• Be careful and slowly clean the nose-piercing hole. Gently rub and remove any crust or dried blood. If it’s stuck too hard, keep dipping it in more solution to soften the area.
• Moisturize the area to prevent dryness. Many experts recommend using diluted tea tree oil or coconut oil.
• The saline solution is enough to clean any piercing site. Don’t use any other antiseptic without consulting a doctor.
• Avoid picking at the nose jewelry, and try to keep it clean. This will prevent irritation.

4. How to Clean Nose Jewelry?

Along with the pierced area, it is also necessary to clean your jewelry. Gently remove the nose ring. If there is any discomfort, you should wait a little longer.

Cleaning your ring or stud is an easy process. You can simply use saline water or unscented and antibacterial soap and warm distilled water. You should clean around the stud carefully. Clean the insides, too. Different types of jewelry have different ways to be cleaned.

Frequent cleaning of your nose rings helps remove debris or dirt. It might also help rinse away bacteria, which will speed up the healing process of your piercing. Cleaning your new jewellery with recently washed hands helps prevent infections, too.

5. How Long Does It Take to Heal Completely?

There is no specific time that a piercing takes to heal completely. It is completely dependent on the area pierced and the post-care steps involved.

Any nose piercing may take up to 12 weeks to heal and change. They might need even more time. The fastest is Septum piercings. It takes about 8-10 weeks before you can change them.

As the nose is a high-risk area of your body, the piercings close pretty fast. Don’t keep the nose ring out for a long period as it might close.

6. How to Know if the Piercing is Infected?

Any piercing acts like an open wound and is a breeding ground for bacteria. This makes the site very vulnerable to infections. Experiencing symptoms such as irritation, redness, and little bleeding is normal. But if the pain persists after a long time you should look out for infections.

Some of the most common signs of an infected piercing are:

• If the site is red and doesn’t return to normal after a few days.
• Bleeding
• Discharge that is green or yellow
• A foul smell
• Bump around the piercing
• Itchiness or pain that persists

If you have a fever or any other symptoms, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible.

7. Nose Piercing Bump

Aftercare is very important after getting any piercing. Not keeping the pierced area and the jewelry clean can lead to infections.

One of the most common types of infections is nose bumps around the piercing. A mild infection around the area generally causes these. They are not very harmful, but it shows how important cleaning the piercing is.

Various reasons cause nose-piercing bumps. Some of them are:

7.1 The Piercing Tool:

If the piercing gun was not clean and sterile then it could lead to an infection like this. The only way to prevent this is to go to a studio with proper sanitation and clean tools.

7.2 No Proper Aftercare:

If you do not take proper care of your nose piercing, then it can lead to an infection. Just washing your piercing with saline solution is enough. Don’t use any other antiseptic.

7.3 Allergic Reaction to Jewelry:

You might be allergic to the material used to make the jewelry, such as nickel. Check about this before getting your nose pierced.

7.4 Irritation due to Frequent Touching:

If you are constantly messing with your piercing or accidentally bump into it, it may cause irritation and trauma to the area.

With proper aftercare, the nose bump can heal on its own. But if it doesn’t disappear even after hygiene and good care, you should consult a doctor.

8. Safety and Precautions After a Piercing

Learning how to maintain a nose piercing after getting it done is very important too. This makes sure that it heals properly and is infection-free. Some precautions you have to take for proper healing are:

• Don’t touch the piercing with dirty hands
• Don’t use other antiseptics, only saline water
• Strictly avoid using hydrogen peroxide until your nose is completely healed
• Never share your nose rings and jewellery with others
• Don’t play and fiddle with your piercing
• Don’t force any other jewelry in if it’s not going.

You should opt for surgical-grade steel or titanium nose rings to avoid allergic reactions and skin concerns. Furthermore, buying quality nose jewelry ensures that it doesn’t fall apart.

9. So, Why You Should Know How to Clean a Nose Piercing?

Getting a nose piercing is a quick process with little pain. But piercing aftercare is very important, too. With the proper care, your piercing can heal easily without any complications.

Your piercer can give you the necessary information about any queries. Just rinsing your piercing with saline solution twice a day is enough to speed up the process.

Not taking proper care can lead to various issues, such as infections, nasal trauma, and changes in nose shape. Most people heal pretty easily without any complications.

But if you notice any changes in your nose piercings, you should not take them lightly. Some symptoms, such as yellow or green discharge, foul smell, and persistent pain, are not good. If the redness and pain increase along with the fever, then you should seek medical attention immediately.

1. Cipolletta, Sabrina, Elena Faccio, and Samantha Berardi. “Body piercing: does it modify self-construction? A research with repertory grids.” Personal Construct Theory and Practice 7 (2010): 85-95. ↩︎
2. Bone, Angie, et al. “Body piercing in England: a survey of piercing at sites other than earlobe.” Bmj 336.7658 (2008): 1426-1428. ↩︎
3. Laumann, Anne E., and Amy J. Derick. “Tattoos and body piercings in the United States: a national data set.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 55.3 (2006): 413-421. ↩︎

Last Updated on March 7, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology