Ever since I turned 18, I told my friends and family that I was going to pierce my nose. At the age of 22, I finally did it. It was a combination of actual desire to pierce my nose and fear of what my friends would say if I kept putting it off that I finally got the jewelry in my nose.
My mom was visiting my sister and me, and we decided to stop by Pain & Wonder in Downtown Athens to see if they could take me without an appointment. They could! I had done enough research at this point to be sure of what kind of gem I wanted and to understand the process of a piercing. I watched several videos like the one here:
Pain & Wonder had me sign a few forms that verified I understood their hygiene process and that I consented to the piercing and was in a clear state of mind. They had a wide selection of jewelry that was made of higher quality metals that wouldn’t react poorly to sensitive skin. It cost $25 for the piercing itself, $25 for the jewelry I chose and I also paid for saline solution to clean the piercing and tipped my piercer. For a starter nose piercing, you have to pick stud-style jewelry—you cannot go right to a hoop. The kind of jewelry I chose is called a “press fit.”
Unlike the video above, I was laying down for my piercing, and my mom was in the room with me. Because of the way I was positioned, I couldn’t see the needle that was used to actually pierce my nose, which was definitely a good thing as my heart rate was increasing. The piercing itself just felt like a pinch that didn’t last very long at all. The area was red for a while but did not bleed. It did hurt to flex my nose when I yawned or sneezed for the first few days after I got my piercing, but the pain was not unbearable.
In the month since I did this, the aftercare has been fairly simple. I just douse a Q-tip in saline solution and clean the inside and outside of my nose piercing. The area only had crust around it for a few days after the piercing, but I plan to keep cleaning it twice a day for the next couple of months. The following video shows what I do and includes the spray that I use.
Overall, I’m really happy that I did this! I think it looks really good and increased my confidence. Pain & Wonder is currently closed due to Covid-19, but will hopefully re-open when it is safe to do so. In the mean time, be sure to do your research so you can be confident before visiting any tattoo or piercing parlor!
