Nose Piercing and Scarring
Nose piercings are generally safe and don’t cause scars under healthy, normal conditions. Still, for some people, infection, allergy, or the body’s natural tendency to produce too much scar tissue can lead to scarring. Good piercing care, such as avoiding friction and cleaning your piercing properly, can go a long way toward preventing scars. Fortunately, dermatologists can help treat any scars that do form.
Nose Piercings and Scarring Locations
The scars can form anywhere on your body, but they’re most common with nose and ear cartilage piercings. Cartilage doesn’t heal as well as other tissues. Hypertrophic scars are also common on your chest, upper back, and shoulders. Dermal piercings in these areas might be more prone to scarring.
Nose Piercing Bumps and Healing
A nose piercing bump is generally one of three things: a pustule, a granuloma, which is a lesion that occurs on average 6 weeks after a piercing, or a keloid, which is a type of thick scar that can develop at the piercing site. It can take several weeks to fully heal a nose piercing bump, but you should see improvement within 2 or 3 days of treatment. If you don’t, see your piercer. Your piercer is the best person to assess your symptoms and provide guidance on how to care for your individual problem.
Types of Nose Piercings
- Nostril Piercing: Located on either side of your nose.
- Septum Piercing: Placed through the skin that divides your nostrils.
- Third Eye Piercing (Bindi Piercing): Through the bridge of the nose vertically between the eyebrows.
Nose Piercing Closure
If your nose piercing is fully healed, you can leave the jewelry out for a certain period without immediate closure. The outside hole of the nostril may stay open for several weeks, but it can eventually close if left without jewelry for an extended period.
Nose Piercing and Rejection
Bridge piercing rejection is common. Signs of rejection include red, flaky skin, enlarging piercing holes, and dislocated jewelry – remove the jewelry to avoid scarring.
Impact of Nose Piercing
A nose or septum piercing does not impact a person’s ability to reshape or resize the nose or address structural defects of the nose via rhinoplasty surgery.