Ah, university, the place where you learn more from your mistakes than you do going to your lectures. University is the time to explore and try new things, especially things you weren’t allowed to do while living under your parents’ roof. Certain things like- I don’t know- getting your nose pierced after your parents made it clear that they would never let you get one. No matter how old or how mature you were, they would still be extremely mad if you were to even dare think about getting a gold hoop in your nose. As I was saying, university is such a great opportunity to try new things and reinvent yourself, which is why I decided to do something I had wanted to do for years: I got my nose pierced. A big ol’ gold hoop to be exact. Honestly, I could probably write an article about the nightmare of a phone call I had with my parents when I told them I got my nose pierced, but instead I decided to write about what happened when my nose ring didn’t heal properly.
I’ve always been sensitive to skin products and piercings, so it didn’t surprise me when I had a raised red bump around my piercing for a while. It was extremely noticeable even though I had tried every healing remedy known to mankind. So, I decided I would leave it alone completely- no more remedies, no cleaning and no touching it. It took about a week and a half for me to notice that the redness had started to fade and the bump had gone down. I continued to leave it alone and when about a month had passed, it looked significantly better. However, because I had failed to realize that by me not turning the hoop, it healed in my nose in a way that my skin had grown in-between the space in the hoop that was directly positioned inside my nose. My nose ring and I had now become one. Now you’d probably assume that once I had discovered that my nose ring was stuck, I immediately sought medical attention- no no, I left that sucker in my nose for two years.
I loved having my nose pierced, and everyone- minus my parents- said that it suited me. But after becoming two years wiser than when I originally got the piercing, I decided that it was time for me to get it taken out. I got a couple referrals to see a well-known plastic surgeon and after meeting with her for my consultation she assured me that she would be able to take it out. Actually, she scared the sh*t out of me at first when she said that nose cartilage is irreplaceable and that I could have really, really, bad scarring on my face. I’m not sure if she was legally obligated to give me the absolute worst potential outcome, or if she was just playing devil’s advocate for the “you should have listened to your parents” side. As I stood up to leave after going through each and every one of the worst possible outcomes that would ruin my face, she subtly said that she was sure it would be just fine.
About two weeks preceding the consultation I was in the hospital awaiting my procedure. My mom came with me for support and even sat in the room in the front row seats to watch her daughter get that infamous gold hoop removed. I had local freezing done which called for three freezing needles in my nose and cheek. Those were by far the most painful part of the procedure. The doctor was able to bend the hoop after making a cut into the metal with an instrument similar to wire cutters. As I laid there feeling each tug of the cutters and her hands trying to slide the hoop out of my nose, I wondered if I would have a gaping hole in the side of my nose or perhaps a third nostril. I couldn’t even make it through a third pessimistic scenario when she had already finished. The entire procedure had only taken about two minutes. Once I sat up, my mom assured me everything was fine when she flashed me a big smile and a thumbs up. No stitches, no big incision, no extra nostril, it was all good and back to my pre-nose ring days. All in all, I’m glad I lived out a few years of my life with a nose ring. I had always wanted it and I loved the look of it. Who knows, maybe I’ll just get the other side of my nose pierced (mom if you’re reading this, I’m just kidding).