Septum piercings are totally in. They suit almost every face due to their central location and there’s plenty of jewelry that can fit any style from cool and edgy to dainty and feminine.
Maybe you’re nervous about getting your next piercing. They look like they’d be super painful, so why not just wear a fake one? Believe it or not, this is a common misconception.
How much does a septum piercing hurt anyway? You might be surprised at the answer.
Keep reading to learn about septum pain and how to best avoid it by choosing an awesome piercer.
How Much Does a Septum Piercing Hurt?
How long is a line? The real answer to this is that it depends.
Everyone has a different pain tolerance. Some people can’t stand even the most common of piercings, while others commit to tongue splits and heavy modifications without hesitation.
The pain of any piercing will vary for everyone, but when it comes to septum piercings, here are some things to consider.
Placement
There are a few factors that go into the pain of a septum piercing, but the most important one is whether or not it was done correctly. Many people who experienced painful septum piercings were actually pierced in the wrong location and they don’t even know it.
This may be surprising to them, but not all piercers are equal and not everyone even knows where a septum piercing is supposed to go. Piercers don’t all receive equal training and some aren’t educated in anatomy.
A properly done septum piercing is high and tight. This means that it should be high enough in the nose that you most likely won’t see where the metal enters your flesh and it should be hugging the tip (or very close to it).
Septums that are high and tight go through the sweet spot. This is a soft and squishy area inside your nose that you may be able to feel with your fingers. This is not the hard cartilage that many people associate with septum piercings, and if the needle goes through that cartilage instead, your piercer has done something wrong.
What Does Poor Placement Look Like?
If you hear a crunch or feel much more than the pain from a lobe piercing, something has likely gone wrong.
Not everyone has a sweet spot (if you’ve broken your nose or had surgery, you may not), but a good piercer will be able to tell you if you’re a candidate for a septum piercing before actually applying the needle.
Poorly done septums are often done too far back or too low in the nose, making them painful and unlikely to fully heal or look good with standard septum jewelry.
Poorly done septums are also incredibly common. This is why it’s so important to see a good piercer with a portfolio that includes septums that are done correctly.
Material
Another factor that can go into fresh septum pain is the material of the jewelry that you were given for the healing period.
While fashion jewelry can often be worn after healing is complete, the jewelry in fresh piercings should be implant grade. This means that it’s similar to the material that is used in medical procedures.
Many people have nickel allergies and nickel is a common component of popular metals. Surgical steel jewelry in the United States often contains nickel. Cheaper white gold may also contain nickel.
In a healed piercing this isn’t usually a problem, but a fresh one should be set up for success. If you want a relatively pain-free healing period, you should opt for an implant-grade material until your healing is complete (between 4-6 months, on average). Then you can get all of the affordable and stylish shinies that your heart desires for your septum piercing.
What Materials Should I Look For?
Implant-grade materials include implant-grade titanium, implant-grade steel, niobium, and 14k gold. Allergies to any of these are uncommon, but if you happen to have a gold or titanium allergy, niobium is an awesome choice that tends to be completely non-reactive.
This jewelry is often also internally threaded, making it great for fresh piercings. Threading can irritate a piercing that is unhealed or freshly healed.
How To Find a Good Piercer for a Painless Piercing
Well, no piercing is ever going to be painless (after all, you are getting a needle shoved through your nose), but you can avoid extra pain by choosing a qualified piercer.
When you arrive at the studio, ask about their jewelry quality, and see if they have a portfolio. Many piercers use Instagram for their portfolios.
Check and see if the piercing in question is experienced in septums. Not everyone is. This doesn’t mean that they’re a bad piercer, it just means that they may not have done enough training yet, or not enough clients come in asking for one for them to feel confident.
Make sure that the shop has all of the necessary cleaning equipment and that all jewelry goes through a Statim or autoclave before it goes into your nose.
Some piercers opt to become a member of the Association of Professional Piercers. They tend to receive extra training and have higher standards for hygiene and jewelry. While not all good piercers are APP members, this is a great place to start.
A good piercer will walk you through the entire process, coach your breathing, and be an overall comforting presence while the procedure is happening.
These things can lower your anxiety and take your mind away from the needle, making the process quick and as free from pain as possible.
Septum Piercing Pain and You: Takeaways
So how much does a septum piercing hurt?
All piercings hurt to some degree, but a septum piercing (for most people) won’t be much more painful than an earlobe piercing. The feeling is similar to plucking a nose hair: sharp, quick, and your eyes will probably water.
A septum piercing that was done by a good piercer in the correct location is going to be a good experience. It will pinch, but pain is temporary and in a matter of months you’ll be free to show off all of the fashionable shinies that you can fit in your nose.
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