Over a year ago, I got my septum pierced. It was something I had wanted for three years but had never gotten around to doing. Luckily for me, a handful of my friends were looking to get piercings of their own, so we went together. One walk-in appointment later and I had disappointed my parents. I’m just kidding, mostly.
For someone who’d been wanting the piercing for a while, I didn’t know much about it. I basically decided one morning that I’d be getting it with my friends and when we went in, I was the first to get pierced. I didn’t know what the pain level would be, nor did I know how to take care of it. After the appointment, I knew a little more, but it was mostly focused on the aftercare, which consisted of rinsing it twice daily with a saline solution.
Now, I’ve had my septum pierced for over a year and I like to think I know a fair bit about it. So, for anyone curious about getting a septum piercing, here’s some of the things I think you should know.
It only hurts for a second.
When I got my piercing, I had little reference for what kind of pain it’d be. It’d been almost a decade since the disaster that was my ear piercing and as such, I couldn’t recall how painful a piercing was. Of course, none of my friends wanted to go first so up I went.
It didn’t hurt much. If you’ve ever had blood drawn, it hurts as much as that. The septum isn’t a painful piercing – it’s not even a cartilage piercing – as it goes through the soft tissue just below it. Yes, your eyes water, but it’s mostly an automatic reaction.
What is uncomfortable, however, is how they hold your nose. Essentially, your nostrils kind of get in the way and they have to hold them back. It’s a weird experience.
You will play with it.
Technically after getting it pierced, you aren’t supposed to play with it; ultimately you will, it’s hard not to. There’s dried blood that gets uncomfortable and once it heals, you’ll still have times you want to clean it. Plus, it’s easy to flick around, so you’re going to flick it around.
And it’s going to look like you’re picking your nose every time.
The piercing balls will loosen.
About four months after getting my piercing, I lost the ball that keeps it in place. I hadn’t been tightening it often enough because I didn’t know I’d have to.
You have to regularly tighten the piercing balls unless you switch your jewellery to a clicker that slots into place. You do not want to drop a piercing ball. You will not find it. I’ve lost mine multiple times, which ties into the next point.
Your piercing will shrink quickly if you leave it out too long.
When I lost the ball for my piercing, I figured I could keep it out until I got a new one. It took me two months to find a replacement because of COVID circumstances. My piercing started closing up and I couldn’t get the replacement in.
In normal circumstances, you’d go to a piercing place and get their help; you may need to re-pierce it. In my circumstance, I took a tailor’s needle and re-pierced it myself so I could put the new jewellery in. Do not do what I did. Don’t leave it out for long and don’t try to re-pierce it at home.
And finally, people are going to comment on it.
As it’s a facial piercing, people will notice, as it’s quite literally front and center. Certain jewellery is more noticeable, while others you can easily flip up and hide away. Unless you’re constantly hiding it, someone’s going to comment. Usually it’s a kind remark, but sometimes it’ll be condescending. For the first few months I had mine, my mum called me a bull. She still does sometimes, but she does it mostly out of affection now.
Know that you look awesome with it even if others want to say the contrary. It’s not their face, they don’t get a say.
Ultimately, there are a lot of little things about septum piercings I never would have known until I got mine. This past year has taught me a lot, especially with how much time COVID has given me, but it also taught me that maybe the next time I get a piercing, I’ll look into it a little more.
Maybe.