How to Pierce the septum of the nose

Nasal septum piercing is one of the most popular piercings. If you want to get your nose pierced, it’s best to go to a professional piercing salon. This is the safest way to make sure the nasal septum is properly pierced and to avoid infection. However, if you want to do it yourself, it’s important to sterilize the piercing environment to minimize complications or risk of infection. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Table of Contents

Prepare nose and necessary items

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Choose jewelry for the first piercing. The first piece of jewelry will be different from the jewelry you will wear after the wound has healed. A horseshoe or bow-shaped piercing is best worn on the nasal septum, so that you can flip it inside your nose if you need to hide it while the wound heals. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Look for earrings in 14K gold or platinum to avoid skin irritation. If these are not available, use surgical steel piercings. After the wound has healed, you can use jewelry made from other materials.
Make sure the jewelry is sterilized and individually packaged. Do not remove jewelry from its packaging or touch it with bare hands. Always wear medical gloves when handling jewelry. Making sure jewelry is sterilized is especially important to prevent infection after piercing.

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Clean the piercing preparation area. The room where you get your piercing should be clean and have a mirror so you can see your manipulations – the toilet is best suited. Sanitize all sinks and shelves, and lay out tissues on the shelves before setting out to maintain a sterile environment. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If you use the bathroom, don’t go to the bathroom until you’ve finished your piercing. If you go to the bathroom, bacteria will spread and you have to clean everything again. If you have opened the bag of sterile equipment, it must be thrown away as you will not have the means to re-sterilize it.
In the toilet, close the toilet lid and take out the trash can. If you have a cat litter tray in the bathroom, you must move it elsewhere before you begin.

Tip: If you have a pet, do not let it enter the piercing environment after cleaning. They can put bacteria in there.

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Wear disposable gloves when touching your nose or piercing supplies. Put on gloves before starting to make sure bacteria doesn’t get into the piercing environment. It’s better to wear two pairs of gloves in the first place so that if you accidentally get the top layer dirty, you can remove it. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Wash hands and arms up to the elbow before putting on gloves. Don’t wear clothing that’s too loose to cover your arms or hands.

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Arrange needed items on shelves. You can order disposable sterile piercing supplies from online retailers or websites that sell piercings. Make sure items are handled in an autoclave and packaged separately. Do not take anything out of the packaging until it is needed. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Arrange the items on the shelf in the order they need to be used to avoid touching anything more than once.
You should have a bag or small dish ready to dispose of used items.

Warning: Do not touch anything that has been sterilized with your bare hands . Otherwise, the items will no longer be sterile and can introduce bacteria into the wound, leading to an infection.

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Use a surgical knife to trim the long nose hairs. You should proceed slowly to avoid cutting into the meat. Inhale deeply and start trimming as you exhale to avoid inhaling the fur, which can cause you to sneeze. If you sneeze into the blade, it will become infected and you must use a new blade. ^{[6] X Research Source}

You don’t need to trim your nose hair too much, but make sure there aren’t any nose hairs that could obstruct or contaminate the wound.

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Use an antiseptic to clean each nostril. Dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and wipe the inside of the nostril. Then, take another cotton swab to clean the other nostril. Clean your nose while exhaling to avoid inhaling alcohol vapors. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

After cleaning each nostril, take a fresh cotton swab to clean the outside of your nose and any places your fingers might touch when you pierce the septum.

Tip: Wipe with alcohol anywhere on your face or nose that your hands may touch while piercing. If your hands touch any part of your face that has not been sterilized, the gloves are contaminated.

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Locate the nasal pillar (cpumella). Put on gloves, gently pinch the nasal septum until the nasal post is found. On the underside of the nose, you will feel the flesh. Raise your hand upwards and you should feel the hard firmware. Between these two parts is the nose pillar. This is where you will get your piercing. To find this position you have to put two fingers in the nostril and feel around. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

The nose post is easier to find if you pull the meat down a bit. However, not everyone has a nose post. If you have a deviated septum or an asymmetrical nose, there may not be a suitable place for the piercing.
If you can’t find the nose post, it’s likely that you’ve mistakenly pierced through the cartilage or fatty tissue on the underside of your nose. Either way is very painful. Try to feel for a spot where you feel very thin between your fingers. You should feel no pain, or only slight pressure, when pressing your fingers together.

Warning: If you go to a piercing salon and they say your nose is not suitable for piercing, do not attempt to pierce yourself at home.

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Use a surgical pen to mark the point where the piercing will be. After finding the nasal post, use a surgical pen to mark a point on it. You only need to dot a point on the side of the face that will insert the needle, but you may want to dot both sides to make sure the hole is symmetrical. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Draw a line across the bottom of the nasal septum, aligning with the puncture site. This line helps you to insert the needle straight through the post. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Tip: If you can’t bring your face close to the mirror to clearly see what you’re doing, use a magnifying makeup mirror.

Complete the piercing

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Use clamps to clamp on both sides of the piercing position. Open the clamp and position it so that the marker is centered on the clamp. Make sure you can clearly see the point. Try to keep the handle in line with the line drawn on the nose so that the needle can be inserted against it. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Look closely in the mirror to align the clamp position. Remember, this requires a thorough understanding of the structure of the nostrils.

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Tighten the clamp to hold it in place. Once the clamp is in place, you can tighten and lock it so you don’t have to hold it by hand. However, you should not release your hand until you are sure it is not moving. If it slides out, the piercing site will become dirty. ^{[12] X Research Source}

If the clamp is too tight, you can use your hand to hold the clip while piercing. Remember not to let go of your hand while performing.

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Place the needle perpendicular to the septum and pierce it. Remove the needle from the sheath and place the needle in the position you marked on the “post” for the piercing. Look in the mirror to aim the needle straight through the marker instead of at an oblique angle. Take a few deep breaths, and as you exhale push the needle straight through. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Pull the clamp down to avoid hitting the nostril on the opposite side.
If you aim correctly, you won’t feel much pain. It just feels like being pinched. However, you may have tears in your eyes. Try not to let the tears get into your fingers.

Tip: Nasal septum piercings aren’t usually too painful, but try not to think about the pain. If you think about pain, you can get discouraged. Breathe deeply and relax, thinking of a peaceful and happy place. Then, push the needle through the septum.

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Hook sterilized jewelry to the tip of the needle to pull it through. The needle will now form a horizontal bar at the end of the nostril. Insert the piece of jewelry into the tip of the needle and thread it through the hole just pierced. ^{[14] X Research Source}

After pulling the needle out, you will fix the jewelry. If the two ends of the jewelry have balls attached, screw the marbles in. Now you have successfully pierced!

Keep the piercing site clean

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Wash the wound with saline twice daily. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of salt in 240 ml of water. Dip a cotton swab in the solution and apply it to the wound in both nostrils. If there is excess salt water, cover it for later use. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Remember to apply evenly over the entire area so that the salt water gets into the piercing. Apply saline while exhaling to avoid inhaling salt water.
Do not make a more concentrated salt solution. Concentrated salt water will not be more effective and will dry out the skin.

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Use medical sanitizer to remove bacteria. Medical sanitizers are sold online from major retailers, and on piercing websites. Spray on the piercing site 2-3 times per day to prevent bacteria from entering the wound. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Use medical hygiene water in addition to salt water treatment.

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Wash your hands before touching the wound. When you get a new piercing, you’re more likely to want to touch it. However, because your hands are dirty, bacteria will enter the wound and cause an infection. ^{[17] X Research Source}

With some piercings, you have to rotate the jewelry every day. However, you should not do this with nose piercings. Leave it alone and don’t touch it without washing your hands.

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Do not swim or take a bath for at least 2 weeks. While waiting for the wound to heal, exposure to water from a pool or hot tub can slow healing. Chlorine in water will dry out the skin and lead to bleeding. Water can also introduce bacteria into the wound. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

After 2 weeks, you can take a bath or soak in a public hot tub. However, you should still avoid submerging your head in water. If you want to immerse your head in water, you should apply waterproof tape over the wound. Waterproof duct tape is sold online or at a drugstore.

Advice

You can get a septum piercing even if your company or school doesn’t allow it, but you have to know how to hide it.

Warning

Avoid nasal septum piercings during allergy season if you have allergies.
Self piercing at home is dangerous and not recommended. Going to a professional piercing salon is always the best option. Although you have to pay, the risk of infection and complications is much lower.
The piercing of the nasal septum requires you to understand the structure of the nostrils. If you are not sure about this, let the piercer do it.
While wearing gloves, do not touch your clothing, any part of your body, or anything that has not been sterilized. Otherwise, the gloves will become contaminated and you will need to replace them with new ones.

Things you need

Rubber gloves
Cotton swab
Cleaning alcohol
Sterilized jewelry
Sterilized needle size 14 or 16
Sterilized surgical pen
Sterilized surgical blade
Medical toilet water

Steps