Exact Answer: 4-6 months
Nose piercing today is as popular as other piercings such as ear piercing, tongue piercing, etc. This practice is done for the sake of wearing jewelry called nose jewels.
In this practice, any part of the nose such as a nostril or septum is pierced. It is believed to be the third most common piercing after ear and tongue piercing. This practice is been associated to have been originated from the Indian sub-continent. Due to this reason, it is mostly found in the neighboring countries of India such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and so on. But due to its popularity, people all around the world are trying their hands out on this practice.
Earlier, nose piercing was only done by women for aesthetic purposes, but now due to the spread of fashion, it is done by both men and women.
How Long Does It Take For A Nose Piercing To Heal?
Nose piercing includes piercing the skin or cartilage of any part of the nose. The most common piercings of the nose are nostril piercing, septum piercing, and nose bridge piercing. The healing time of the nose piercing is more as compared to the piercing of other parts such as ears etc because of the number of bacteria present in the nose.
Different types of piercing take different time durations to get healed because of the presence of different kinds of skin or cartilage:-
- Nostril piercing – In nostril piercing, the piercing is done through the soft cartilage that surrounds the nasal passage. It can be done at any part of the nostril including the dimple keeping the anatomy of nose in mind. The healing time of this piercing is quite complex since all the bacteria present in the nose. The average healing time is any where around 3 months.
- Septum piercing – Septum is a thin layer of skin, nerves and blood vessels between the two nosetrils. It takes about 2-3 months for the septum piercing to get healed.
- Bridge piercing – In this type of piercing, a horizontal bar made of a certain metal is placed across the bridge of nose. This process is quite edgy and needs a lot of care and attention while doing so. It heals faster than other nose piercings. Its healing time is 2-3 months. The following table shows the healing time of different piercings:
| Type Of Nose Piercing | Healing Time |
| Nostril Piercing | 3 months |
| Septum Piercing | 2-3 months |
| Bridge Piercing | 2-3 months |
Why Does It Take So Long For The Nose Piercing To Heal?
Nose piercing takes a little longer than other piercings to heal. This is because the skin of the nose is much harder as compared to other parts. Healing of nose piercing takes place in various steps. The steps include the inflammatory stage, healing/proliferative stage, and maturation stage.
In the first step, the body tries to reject the piercing as it sees the piece of jewelry as a foreign agent. Due to this white blood cells try to restore skin and collagen around the piercing which results in a swelling that can be a little painful. After this comes the healing phase. The redness starts to decrease and a tube-like structure is formed. A yellowish discharge takes place which eventually stops. This marks the beginning of the maturation phase. Now it can be said that the healing is completely done.
Conclusion
Nose piercing is a trend these days. Earlier it was believed to be a traditional practice in which the Hindu women got their noses pierced as a sign of respect for the Goddess Parvati. But now the fashion of nose piercing has spread a long way. People of America, Australia, Canada, Japan, and many more can be seen with nose piercings today.
Nose piercings are a little bit more complex than any other piercings. This is because of the presence of different bacteria and viruses in the lining is the nose. The skin and cartilage of the nose are also quite thick as compared to the other parts. That’s why the healing time is as long as 4 months. After nose piercing is done, it is important to take the precautions required for speedy recovery and healing.
