You should leave a new septum piercing alone for 6-8 weeks before changing or flipping up the jewelry. If you have to hide your piercing before then, we recommend visiting your piercer to have them help you move it or change to a retainer to help avoid irritation and infection.
You shouldn't remove your new septum piercing for at least 6-8 weeks, but you can make it look more discreet and avoid it getting inflamed during this time. Once you've had your piercing for a few months you will be able to wear a retainer ring which you can flip back into your nose to hide the piercing.
However, it's not recommended on fresh piercings, as it's likely to irritate the tissue. You may also cause extra tearing or damage to the piercing site which can increase your risk of infection. Once your piercing has finished healing, you'll be able to flip your septum piercing up inside your nose.
Opt For Piercings That Are Easy To Hide
An example is a septum nose ring, which can be flipped, pushed slightly up into your nostrils, and hidden behind the skin of your septum.
Typically a new septum piercing should heal in 1-2 months and stay open for several days without jewelry before the risk of the nasal septum piercing closing.
If it's a brand-new piercing, removing the jewelry could cause it to close up in a matter of hours. During the healing period, the jewelry acts as a boundary to hold the skin in a specific shape while new tissue is regenerated.
The level of pain associated with getting a septum piercing can vary from person to person, but generally falls between a level 3 and 7 on a pain scale of 1-10. The pain scale is subjective and depends on individual pain tolerance levels.
If you need to we suggest starting with either a circular barbell or a retainer. Remember to always wash your hands and piercing well before and after flipping it up, and don't sleep with it flipped (unless you are wearing a retainer).
“Depending on the area, most of our customers feel traditional nostril piercings a bit stronger than septum piercings, as long as the septum is well-performed,” says Perelmuter. Since the septum tissue is so thin, it will hurt briefly during the piercing but heal more quickly, resulting in less pain overall.
If you've ever thought about getting your septum pierced, you've probably pinched yours before.) All the while, the pain felt incredibly intense for those couple of seconds. On a pain scale of 1 to 10, having my septum pierced earns a hard four.
The main reason is that no one's nose is completely straight. When marking the placement of the piercing it's a struggle between the piercee's anatomy and what is going to look "straight" or fit into the person's facial structure. Swelling during the first few weeks can make the piercing appear to be crooked too.
Lost Beads
CBRs usually tend to stay in place pretty well even if the ball is missing. If you have to wait a couple of days before you can get a replacement bead for it and you're afraid the ring may fall out, close up the open section with something like a piece of tape or a pencil eraser.
“Make sure you're reasonably hygienic and blow and clean your nose the day of. The piercer will do all the cleaning we need, we just don't want to be covered in snot.”
“A septum piercing should always be completed using either a horseshoe-shaped hoop or a circular hoop, also known as a CBR,” says Sue. “The gauge normally is a 16 or 14g, and the diameter or size of the hoop depends on each person's own personal anatomy.”
Septum piercings are the easiest facial piercing to hide. If you wear a septum retainer, all you need to do to hide it is flip it up inside your nostrils. The jewelry can sometimes be seen if someone is under you and looking directly into your nose, but who does that?
Add beads.
Many septum piercings are decorated with beads. If you want yours to look more elaborate or realistic, consider adding small beads to your fake piercing. You can buy tiny beads at most craft stores. Pick a color and design you like.
You will be hiding your septum piercing by flipping your piercing, so that the bull ring piercing is up inside your nose. This is a bit painful to do when your nose is freshly pierced, but you can do so two to three times a day, without it affected your healing time.
If you pinch your septum, you should feel a thin area of skin between some hard cartilage and the tip of your septum (often referred to as the sweet spot). That's where the septum piercing is placed. It is a little bit higher and a little further forward than you might realize.
While risks are low if you get a septum piercing from a reputable piercer, there is still a risk of developing a infection, allergic reaction to the metals in the piercing, a septal hematoma (when the blood vessels break and blood collects in the septum), and scarring.
Bleeding. Any piercing will bleed. A septum piercing may bleed more than pierced nares. You could also form a hematoma, a swollen bruise that can become infected or disfigure your face.