Okay I am starting to feel guilty that my posts on here are always asking questions and advice...but I have a question so I'll ask anyway!

I am starting to think about getting my nose pierced. I'll be 18 in two weeks so I can sign for it and I have always liked how it looks. What's it like to have one?
More specifically, when you have a cold is it gross? If I hate it (soon after getting OR years later) and take the piercing out, will it be noticible that I used to have a piercing or will it grow back rather quickly? Has it prevented any glitter girls from getting jobs, or do you take it out while at work (or wear one of those flesh colored things)?

And maybe the most important question...how do you know you're ready for this committment? A hole in your body is kind of a big deal (to me), so when I think about getting my nose pierced it sounds exciting but I'm not sure I'd ever do it, cause the idea makes me nervous.

Thanks for all your help! (Oh...for the record...I just want your run of the mill nose piercing...not the one between the nostrils or anything!)

Don't do it!!!

You're beautiful just the way you are!

No,seriously a lot of people look good with nose rings but I tend to think generally they detract aesthetically from features rather then add to features..but it's not relevant what I think, so moving on..

My best friend has a nose ring and she's had it for years and the hole is so tiny that I imagine once/if she takes it out the hole will disappear quickly- she says it's kind of gross when you have a cold, but I imagine you would just take out the stud/ring.

Also, I have never worked at any place that objected to staff wearing nose studs..I think they are accepted widely these days....

I've had my nose pierced for about 10 years (since I was 18!). I just put a stud in after about 3 years of not wearing one. It hurt, but it was only inflamed for a day or so. The hole isn't noticeable unless you're really looking for it, and if you're really freaked out you can spackle it with makeup.

After it heals you should be able to take it out if you need to for work or whatever and not have trouble getting it back in. You don't need to wear a placeholder. Nobody has ever seemed freaked out by it. I think that in comparison with other facial piercings, noserings are relatively quaint and acceptable. I get a lot of compliments on mine.

Aesthetically, I think noserings look best on people with long noses, which I don't have. I wear a teeny-tiny stud and I think that it's the easiest to get away with if you don't have big voluptuous features.

Man, that is so cool. Three years! I've had my nose pierced three times, and every time I've taken the stud or ring out it's closed up within a day. I have a little scar from one of my piercings, but it's no big deal. It's like a big pore.

I was asked by one of my employers to take out my nose ring, but I just kind of didn't get around to it, and no one mentioned it again. (Possibly not a risk you want to take with a really important job, though.)

I really want to get it done again, but the reason I took it out the last two times is that it just wasn't in the right place, and when I tried to put a ring in it sat at a funny angle. And I prefer rings - studs always seem to fall out for me. My first piercing was perfect (I took that out to go job hunting, but really being unpierced didn't make it any easier to find a job, and I've found jobs before when I have been pierced).

If this is rambly and nonsensical, I apologise - I'm being distracted.

okay, when i was 14 (10 years ago) i went through a 'i must pierce everything' phase....
i pierced my labret, navel, ears and both nostrils.
i dont wear any of them anymore (since like 1998) and none have closed up!
i have two ugly holes in either side of my nose that are way noticeable.
i definitely regret it.

oh well.

sorry to be a bubble burster if i was...

hmmm...huge holes versus a big pore (which i already have lol), wonder which one i would get? Gonna think about that one...outofrange, you're not a bubble burster, you're helping me think about this decision!

i thought of another question, although i am not sure anyone will know...when I had my ears pierced (at Claire's), they got infected and gross a LOT the first six months. Would this be likely to happen on my nose, too? Cause if so, I think I cannot get pierced! :( I wouldn't want a big pussy spot on my cute nose...lol

do not get peirced at Claire's or any other mall booth/store/whatever! go to a tattoo place, a reputable one.

i'm not nose pierced but at my last job, at a museum, a girl was interviewed (and hired!) wearing a very small stud. very small! after she accepted the job offer they told her she had to take out her stud or quit. this was after she moved cities for the job. she ended up taking it out. i was soo mad about this. if i had the money i would have quit myself.

she was working in the education department with kids and docents, who were mostly elderly. the kids wouldn't have cared and the old people probably wouldn't have even noticed.

i got my done about 6 months ago, but i ran it by my boss first. if we are meeting with any conservative clients i take it out. i was using a retainer (a clear plastic place holder) but it just ended up looking like a zit so i just take my piercing out right before the meeting and pop it in right after. and i do have allergies and it never really bothers me.

and get it done by a professional piercer - ask around for recommendations. the lady i was refered to was so nice and quick about it.

I got my nose pierced about four years ago (age 34), and my only regret is not having done it sooner.

I'd always loved the look of a little nose stud on some people, but didn't think I had the right features to pull it off. I worried needlessly - it looks fine with my big chunky nose and "voluptuous" body, and I've gotten nothing but positive comments on it. (Besides, nose piercings are positively mainstream these days anyway.)

My one recommendation from experience: For my first piece of jewelry, I chose a jeweled stud with sharp prongs around the edge holding the stone in. As the piercing healed the skin naturally swelled a bit, making the prongs dig in and irritate it. After just a few days of this, I went back and got a ring put in instead. It didn't look nearly as good (thank goodness I wasn't job-hunting at the time), but it healed much faster after that - about a month total. I wish the people at the piercing place had warned me about that before.

I've never had any problems with my piercing since it's healed. It's a tiny hole, barely visible. I can go without wearing anything in it for days, and it doesn't close up. As far as jewelry, I usually just use little stud earrings (the $2-3 kind) with a 90° bend in them - no back needed, and they're easy to change out.

Back when I was less informed, i got the Claire's ear piercings, and the infections that go along with those buggers. Never had a problem like that with my nose (had it three years now, done with a good ol' needle). I've always found studs to be a little irritating (not irritating the piercing, but making me sneeze!), and prefer a ring.

It is true that some people look better with piercings than others. Sometimes they just blend into the face . . . You never really know. My parents just about cried when they found out I got one, but when they saw it, they said it's looked almost "natural" on me. *shrugs* The best thing you could do would probably be to get a small hoop earring and kind of hold it up to yer nose... or get it to sit in the spot where the ring would be. It's kinda silly, but it'll give you an idea. And hey, if it looks like crap, you can ALWAYS take it out!

I know people who've had the piercing close up a few times (!) and then got it redone. the only way you can see the old spots is if you're close enough to see the pores anyway. just don't get a thick ring.

And colds have never been an issue, as long as I'm wearing a ring, not a stud. Then things get pokey.

Em

becca, you'll have to let me know who did yours, because i want to get mine done in a few months (after the financial fallout from the move heals over first)

also (tmi warning), millysa originally asked if things get gross when you have colds, etc. my question would be similar...is there any issues dealing with excess snot (sorry, nasal discharge just sounded worse) or what have you when you have a stud in?? i can only breathe through one side of my nose due to a cartilage malfunction when i was stil forming, so i cannot breathe but my sinuses still drain (thank god, i couldn't imagine the kind of headaches i'd get if they didn't). this is likely the side i would want to get pierced, i'm just wondering what the mo is when these types of issues arise (allergies, serious colds, etc.) or if it would be recommended to just do the other side.

thanks!
a*

i have a question for the pierced ladies....i want to get pierced and have for like 3 years, but the piercing i want (not nose ...a marilyn)..can be kinda noticable and i can't have it at my school's clinic (massage school, but the lady who owns the place is *seriously* uptight...)..

anyway...can you get a retainer in there in the first place? just have that be your main peice of jewlery while it's healing and stuff?

sorry if it's a silly question...

They do make labret retainers that can be worn in a healed monroe, but they're made of acrylic, which is not appropriate for healing.

Also, they don't do a very good job of hiding the piercing in the first place.

i've had my nose pierced since....jeez, for about 5 months now! i got mine pierced with a surgical steel stud and it's awesome. i'm really happy with it, although i want to get a smaller gauge stud to let it close in a bit. However, be careful when you change them, because my nostrils are just fat or something (overweight nostrils...i see a weight-loss book coming on..) and so many of the studs that are L shaped won't go into my face without TONS of irritation and bleeding. but that's just me. No, on the whole i recommend getting it done, it's really cute, and fairly painless. my eyes didnt even water when the guy did it. and get it done with a needle! it's so much safer/better, but research where you're going to get it done to make sure it's a clean, sanitized, health inspected place - this is important! as for colds, i've never had a problem, just if you find "buildup" on your stud or ring (this happens, it's life), take a kleenex and wet it in as hot of water as you can stand, and then jam it up your nose and leave it there till it cools. this not only cleans your piercing (do this on the outside of the piercing, too), it loosens the crud that's stuck to it, just kind of unclogging your nose and making it so you can take out your nose stud/ring if you need to.
ok, im done rambling and i'm GOING TO BED! this has been very long and, i'm afraid, not too coherent!
~Dana

I love my pierced nose! I have never had a problem: either with infection, or with the hole closing up, even though I can sometimes go up to a week without wearing anything in it. Mind you, I have had it pierced for ten years. I suspect that if I wanted it to grow in, it would eventually, but I would probably have a tiny scar on the side of my nose. That wouldn't bother me, though. It has never been an issue when I've been job hunting, but I've never applied at anywhere really truly conservative. As for colds, it has never been a problem being gross, and I'm not sure how it would be gross? But then again, I wear a nose pin and not a ring.

A nose pin similar to this:
>http://www.mrpiercing.com/product28/product_info.html

However, I would recommend that if you are NOT sure about any body modification procedure that you not go through with it, under any circumstances! If it's "right" for you, then your mind will feel more sure. So, if you're ever unsure about any procedure you're considering, wait a while. If it's not right for you, the desire to have it done will fade and you'll forget about it. Or your concerns will just be something you'll deal with and you'll be dying to get it done. Good luck with your decision.

"i've had my nose pierced since....jeez, for about 5 months now! [ . . . ] However, be careful when you change them, because my nostrils are just fat or something (overweight nostrils...i see a weight-loss book coming on..) and so many of the studs that are L shaped won't go into my face without TONS of irritation and bleeding. but that's just me."

This probably has more to do with the fact that your piercing isn't yet healed. Cartilage piercing can take a loooong time to heal. 3-6 months is a good guideline, but I've had cartilage piercings take well over a year to heal properly. When your piercing is not healed, it's generally a bad idea to constantly change jewelry, for the very reason you name above.

Also, your nostril screw can be custom bent for you, since obviously not everyone's nose is shaped the same. A good piercer who stocks quality jewelry can help you with this.

Nose bones ("pins," as mentioned above) aren't necessarily a universal solution, since most are poorly made and it's not unheard of for the decorative end to eventually fall off, causing the jewelry to become embedded in the skin. Removal when that happens is ouchy ouchy.

askant -
the place is called kolo in little 5 points. the female piercer did my nose.

i have allergies and i blow my nose without any problem, but when i have a really bad cold sometimes it helps to take it out because the whole area is sensitive anyways.

I was also planning to get my nose pierced this summer, and am definatly getting it done wth a needle. I've heard scary things about piercing guns am not going to take that chance. Also, make sure that your piercer autoclaves e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Infections are no fun.

Good luck with the piercing, I'm sure it'll look wicked.

and here is another nose piercing thread you might be interested in:>http://discuss.gromco.com/mwforum/topic_show.pl?id=34640#379858

Thanks for the link to the other thread! I didn't even think to check for another thread on the topic.

I think I am going to have it done, but I need to research piercing places around here and wait two weeks (two weeks cause I won't be 18 until then, and because two weeks seems like a good amount of time to wait and think it over).

Check bmezine.com for good places and stories about the piercing, unless you're in NJ, then I can give you some good places :)

I love my nose piercing, and I work at a library (part-time, also a student) and they don't care at all about it. In fact, I work in the children's library and I've never had a problem besides little girls asking me what it is. I've even had patrons ask me about it because they want to get it done.

I had one slight problem with mine, with irritation (because my skin is very sensitive) but that cleared up with tree tea oil.

I've gotten a bunch of piercings and got my nose pierced in October and it rocks. Its healed the best out of all but my tongue. Though my friend got hers done at the same time and hers healed horribly.

Hers looks like a piercing in a huge zit becuase it wont heal and its all inflamed. Mine looks very nice and I just wear a little teeny stud.

I've gotten tons of compliments on it, mostly from older people. I think its one of the most acceptable piercings that you can get, and if you get it done well it heals quickly.

I just took mine out this morning.

Not because I didn't love it or anything, but it was bothering me because I have a cold. See, with mine at least, there would be a giant buildup of snot around the stud (on the inside of course) and it was just driving me crazy. I think I will probably put it back in... but for the time being I am going to leave it out. Everyone at my college has it too, and it just got kinda old.

I say everything everyone up there said. It doesnt hurt, for the most part low maintainence and pretty cool. I loved mine.

Just my bit here..

The peircing is cultural in my family. Mine was done when I was 11 and I've had it in for..well lets just say over a decade, heh.
To be honest I truly forget it's there and am shocked when people bring it up, probably because when I hear the word peircing I think of malls and kids with public angst issues. It's never bothered me while sick, not once. I just get snotty in both nostrils like everyone else does. If the idea really bugs you I'd wear a ring during those times...a travelling stud could be irritating I guess. My mother wears her stud still everyday and tells me that when she's wearing one made out of cheap metal it wont lie flat up against her nostril and hangs down all the time which does sound annoying. My hole has closed up on my ring -planned for in my case, my peircer and I keep eye on it- which ended all worry. If I ever get really nuts and need it gone I'll take clippers to it I spose...

And just so you know...'between the nostrils' are ofton easier to clean and care for.

I got mine done lat September, love it! Me and the three girls I dance with all went and got it done togoether. If you are in the bay area, I can recommend the gal we went to in San Jose, great job, beautiful tiny nose jewelry, and great aftercare. When mine swelled up for a while, she had great suggestions of different things to try.
I think mine has healed enough now that I could try taking it out, which I haven't done yet.
Wether it leaves a hole or not, probably depends on your skin. How quickly have earring holes closed up for you? Any hole would probably just look like a large pore, or small acne scar anyway.
For colds and stuff (and I have allergies) nothing like a qtip to clean things out a bit! When I first had my piercing I would dip it in some hydrogen peroxide as well.

I think you should go ahead and get it done.

I had my left nostril pierced about 7 years ago during my lunch break on the spur of the moment. I was working in a medium sized law firm and when I got back to the office, the girl I worked with couldn't believe I'd just gone and done it, one of the two partners of the firm kinda did a double take when he was explaining something to me later on that day and the other partner didn't even seem to notice it!

It is a little bit sore the first week or two, especially as you have to turn the stud around every day in the first couple of weeks (so it doesn't grow within your skin). After that, you don't really have to do any maintenance on it.

It doesn't get all snotted up but you have to be careful when you're blowing your nose and washing your face - sometimes I forgot I had the piercing and I caught it on tissue or bumped it or something and that kinda hurts - a lot.

Anyways, after about 9 months I let the piercing grow over just because the novelty had worn off and I could say that at least I'd tried it. The hole disappears in a matter of weeks.

I say go for it and if you don't want it there anymore, take it out and let it grow over!