How to avoid nose piercing problems

Potential Nose Piercing Problems and How to Avoid Them

It’s possible for certain nose piercing problems to develop even when a new piercing is performed by a thoroughly trained, experienced piercing professional. The potential occurrence of these nose piercing problems means it’s essential for you to know about them in advance of your piercing. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll understand and be better prepared for any problems you might experience.

Meta l hypersensitivity is a common condition frequently caused by nickel, a metal found in many alloys used in jewelry. People who are hypersensitive to nickel or other impurities in their nose jewelry may experience skin irritation when jewelry which contains one or more of these impurities is inserted into newly pierced skin. Unfortunately, if the metal in your nose jewelry is not 100% pure and instead is an alloy, it might contain nickel and you might have a reaction. You might be susceptible to nickel’s irritating effects but not even know it, having never put any metal against your exposed skin tissues before. Even if you do know you react to nickel, however, you might not realize it’s used in some jewelry. The likelihood of this type of reaction is minimized when your nose jewelry is made of 22k gold.

Nose Piercing Problems Due to Metal Hypersensitivity and Allergies

Many people might not realize they have an allergy, but your piercing professional should nonetheless inquire about whether you have any allergies to metals, foods, drugs or other substances. If you’re not asked for some reason, you should volunteer any pertinent information. Try to remember whether your skin has ever become irritated or reddened while you’ve been wearing a ring, watch or some other type of jewelry. If so, that redness or irritation is probably due to an allergic metal hypersensitivity and you should inform your piercing professional about it. Even a minor reaction in the past will make it more likely you’ll have a more substantial reaction in the future, as your skin is repeatedly exposed to impure metal.

In addition to trying to avoid nose jewelry containing nickel, you should also avoid gold-plated jewelry. Gold plating can wear thin very quickly. After this happens, tissues that are still healing will be exposed to the metal underneath the gold plating. Again, choosing 22k gold nose jewelry will alleviate the risk of metal hypersensitivity. 22k gold is the superior choice for hypersensitive skin and skin that’s still healing. Your body’s immune system will be active while your new piercing heals, but gold places very little additional strain on it. Gold will make it more probable that your piercing will heal quickly and cleanly.

Hygiene and Nose Piercing Problems

Cleaning a new piercing site too frequently is another common cause of nose piercing problems. It might be difficult to believe that cleansing the site too much could create problems, but your skin is tender and its inner layers are exposed to the air. A new piercing might start oozing a substance similar to pus, but unless you experience other symptoms of an infection you can probably take care of it by using sterile water to dilute your cleaning solution.

Be on the lookout for additional signs of infection, however, because a new piercing provides a favorable environment for bacterial and fungal growth, two types of organisms which are normally present on the skin. If an infection does develop, you should probably visit your doctor to obtain some antibiotics.

Other Types of Nose Piercing Problems

If your piercing closes up, you should anticipate some scarring whether the closure is by accident or on purpose. Before you have any piercing performed, always consider the potential for scarring at the site of the piercing. Although in most cases scarring will not be very visible, you should ask yourself whether this is a possibility you can live with.

You can prepare for potential scarring by obtaining a natural sea salt solution and one of the oils experts recommend for this purpose, such as germseed oil, tea-tree oil or extra-virgin olive oil. Get these products in advance so you’ll have them if and when you need them.

Speaking of experts, always follow the instructions given to you by your piercing professional. Disregarding these instructions and listening to “helpful” advice given by friends can lead to some of the most serious problems that can develop with a piercing. Your friend’s piercing might have healed well, but that doesn’t mean you should do what he or she suggests. For example, some people look at their piercing site and decide it looks like it’s healing cleanly, so they change their nose jewelry. Unfortunately, they don’t realize that several layers of tissue are still healing. They’ve actually interfered with the healing process by changing their nose jewelry much too early.

Always ask your piercing professional for aftercare instructions before your piercing is performed. You might not remember to ask for them afterward, due to being slightly uncomfortable or excited about your new piercing.

Following the instructions provided by your piercing professional and being prepared for things that can arise will definitely increase the likelihood of having a good piercing experience.