Piercings are a part of everyday life for some. It is a fashion statement that has attracted many people. But when you get your nose pierced, it can cause you a lot of pain and irritation. So, we ask ourselves, what can we do to make the nose heal faster? Before going into the article, keep in mind that we will still prioritize your health rather than just the speed of your recovery. It’s a process that requires some time to pass for you to recover. There is no going around it.
Paying More Attention = A Faster Healing Process
Getting the piercing is the easy part, the harder part is aftercare. The more care you put into the healing process, the sooner it will heal. It’s really just that simple. Any quality piercer will recommend that you follow the next steps.
• Clean the affected spot at least twice a day with a saline solution
• Moisturize the pierced area with coconut oil
• Do not touch the pierced part of your body unless it is exclusively for cleaning (and when you do touch it, wash your hands carefully first)
• Once the pierced area has healed completely, gently clean the spot with unscented soap
When Should I Change the Jewelry?
The most important thing to look out for when considering changing the jewelry is whether the wound has completely healed or not. If you are considering changing the jewelry, yet you feel any sort of discomfort, soreness, pain, or swelling – do not change the jewelry. Any changes before the wound had completely healed can cause the wound to get infected. A good rule of thumb is to remove it 6 – 8 weeks after it has been pierced. The healing time is different for every person, so don’t rush it. If you rush it, you risk getting an infection, and then it will take longer to heal in the long run.
What Do I Do if the Piercing gets Infected?
In most cases, the infection will be obvious to spot. However, the symptoms may be more subtle to spot. After you have finished the piercing, there will be bleeding, heightened sensitivity, swelling, and a yellowish liquid (that isn’t pus) that will come out from the pierced spot. From an outside perspective, these can all seem like signs of an infection, but they are not. These are normal side-effects that happen. If you experience some of the following symptoms, then you have an infection.
• Constant itchiness
• A redness around the pierced spot that won’t go away
• A burning sensation around the affected area
• A horrid smell from the piercing
• A soreness that will not go away
If you are still uncertain about some aspects of nose piercing aftercare, you can consult with your piercer about how you should proceed with the wound.
How to Get Over an Infection in the Fastest Possible Way
The fastest way to heal an infection is by treating it with the utmost care. To start off the process, you need to check for infection symptoms. We have already written about the most common symptoms of an infected piercing. Sometimes, you can confuse infection with an allergic reaction. They can sometimes get overlapping symptoms, but several distinct ways of telling the difference exist. An allergic reaction can occur if you have:
• A much bigger hole from the piercing
• A severe burning sensation
• A clear liquid seeping out of the pierced spot
If you are experiencing any of these three symptoms, do not wait around for them to get better – spoiler alert, they won’t. At least not on their own. Visit your piercer, or even better, your doctor, and get the jewelry removed. People can often get an allergic reaction to some metals (especially low-quality ones). This is why you need to use quality metal studs for your piercing, to minimize the chances of an infection occurring. Ask your piercer for the material of the metal used for your piercing. If it’s anything other than surgical steel, platinum, titanium, or at least 14-karat gold, do not insert it in your body, as it is deemed too unsafe and risky for a piercing.
Avoid Using Strong Disinfectants That Might Worsen the Infection
The best way to clean your piercing is by completely avoiding strong disinfectants such as alcohol, betadine, hydrogen peroxide, etc. This is because scars are way likelier to form around the infected area from the use of these substances. Even worse, they can actually prolong the infection duration. This is because these strong disinfectants kill the cells that are actively fighting off the infection, causing you further discomfort, and an even stronger burning sensation around the infected area. Not to mention, some of these can also prevent regular airflow to the nose, and dramatically slow down the healing process. So, with this knowledge, think twice before resorting to alcohol to heal the wound.
Ask Your Piercer
It cannot be stressed enough, but you should get the piercing done by a reputable piercer. After all, they will be modifying your body, you want it to be done by a person you can trust. And if you trust them with the job of getting the piercing in, you should also ask for tips on making the healing process as fast (and painless) as possible. For your sake, we advise you to not try your luck with a cheap and unknown piercer. The consequences can be horrible. Research has shown that, as a result of a bad piercing and horrible care, you can get stuck with permanent teeth damage, severe infections, speech impairment, gum diseases, and so much more.
That would be it for today. Hopefully, after reading this article, you realize just how important it is to take good care of your nose after getting it pierced. If you try to rush things or do not pay enough attention to the aftercare, you risk vastly prolonging the healing duration. Till next time!
