Piercing

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

This is a post from another part of the forum, but it kinda took the thread off topic, so I decided to put it here in case I don't get many answers over there.

I'm seriously considering getting my nose done this weekend, thanks to discussing piercings on here. Always wanted it, but never got around to it before. But I have the time this weekend, and £50 that doesn't have to go on something else urgently.


I have a myriad of choices here - 2 main piercing places (there are others, but they are the ones where I know the people fairly well) or there is a lady pharmacist who does all the piercings for the local Indian community in a private room in the shop.


Does anyone else have an opinion as to which might be better? I know all three are scrupulously clean, I would buy the highest quality jewellery I could afford (the first 2 places sell 'standard' piercing stuff, the pharmacy is in the most 'diverse' area of town and is surrounded by Indian and Tamil jewellers).

I want to have a small stud (at first, anyway), on my left, but the different types are a bit confusing - it needs to be something I can deal with myself, and I can't ask anyone I know for advice, as only one of my friends (who is from Pakistan) has a piercing - she shrugged and said hers was done by her auntie sticking potato up her nose 'I was more worried about whether I'd be left with an oven chip stuck up there than wondering what she was doing with the needle', which probably isn't on offer at any of my options - and I did ask if she could lend me her auntie, but she's pushing 80 now

Any useful advice from the piercing experts here?

Amanita_2

Good for you - I'd have had my nose pierced years ago if I could get away with it for work ( I can't!).

Personally I'd use the pharmacy lady but it's years since I had my ears pierced and I find those tattoo/piercing places rather scary looking

bella*donna

I had my nose pierced a few years ago. My sister also has hers done. I would recommend a little more research on the places you are thinking about going and see what methods they pierce with and what you would be happiest with.

The two main methods for nose piercing are gun and needle. My sister had hers done with a gun and its literally an earring that they put in your nose. She had to wear a little piece of plaster on her nose when she went to sleep to stop it from coming out. After the 6 weeks healing, she could change and wore a smaller stud.

I was pierced with a needle and could therefore wear a small stud straight away (still have to wait for 6 weeks to change it).

If you go to a tattoo studio, they will probably only pierce you with jewellery from there own selection so you wouldn't be able to take in a stud and ask for it to be put in for a fresh piercing. Have no idea what your pharmacist ladies policy is, of course.

I'd go for a needle, rather than a gun as it's neater. I only have a little hole when my stud is out, my sisters is much larger.

Hope thats of some help.

purplerose

I had my nose pierced 4 times (I let it close up a few times), first time in a chemist with a gun, twice at piercing studios with needles and once with a piercer at a music festival also with a needle.

I'd advise that you get it done with a needle rather than a gun. My experience with a gun was ok but my friend had her nose pierced with a gun at a hairdressers - when I got mine done they just used the stud without the butterfly at the back but with my friend they pierced it with the butterfly back of the stud in and she was never able to get the butterfly back of the stud out. She just left it and the skin inside her nose ended up growing over the back of the stud and she had to get it surgically removed - not nice.

Anyway, I don't want to scare you from getting it done but so long as the person seems to know what they are doing and the place is clean then it shouldn't be a problem. It's always good to have a few recommendations so if you don't know anyone who has been to the place you can always try googling them and see if anyone has asked about them on forums or if there are any reviews online. I think if a place looks clean and the piercer is happy to take time to answer your questions and provide aftercare advice then it is probably a decent place to go for the piercing.

The piercing itself is fairly straight forward - to me it was a small sting that made my eyes water. As for jewellery - most piercing studios will have a standard type of jewellery they use for initial piercings. It's common to have a plain stud or ring put in to begin with for a few weeks until it's healed and then you can go for whatever types of jewellery you want after that. When it's healing then it's a good idea to bathe it regularly and turn the stud in your nose as it can get crusty and a bit icky. The first time you take it out once you think it's healed might be rather painful and it might be hard putting it back in - never leave it out for very long as it begins to heal up fast. However it gets easier and studs are easy to take out and put in once it's fully healed. Most piercers will be able to give aftercare advice and all of the piercing studios I have used have always been more than helpful giving advice if I've ever encountered any problems with piercings.

My only other piece of advice would be - have a spare stud handy as it's easy to brush your nose or sneeze and for the stud to go flying out into the gutter - this is how mine managed to close up so many times; I would lose the stud and take too long to put in a new one.

That all seems a lot but really it's a simple piercing to get and is usually done without a problem. Enjoy your new piercing.

xoxo_2

Find out about how they do the piercing and what jewellery they use first.

I had mine done with a gun and I wouldn't recommend it.

They used a giant stud, nothing like an earring one, it was massive! It left a lump inside my nose and even after the healing period I couldn't get a normal stud in because the bit between the front of the stud and the bend wasn't long enough to go over the lump :eek:

Even now after 7 years of not wearing it and it being healed over there's still a small lump there from the gun And it hurt sooo much! It was like being shot in the face. I've had piercings with needles (not my nose) and they hurt a lot less.

And make sure you're willing to wear a stud/ring in it most of the time Mine healed over in only a few hours :eek:

MrsWoolfe

Hi Jojo,

I had my nose pierced @14 but had it done in my uncle's jeweller's shop by him but have also had piercings done here at piercing shop etc.

I think the method of piercing doesn't make a huge difference but I have different reactions depending on what type of metal is put in after. For the ones done in the UK at piercing shops just had the standard nickle-free stud/hoop i really had trouble with them for a long time, to extent that I eventually just took the studs out and let them heal up (after months of trying)

In Mauritius they always say that you should only use real gold when first pierced until it has healed- not sure why and may well be an old wives tale!? but to be fair the only piercings that I still have and haven't had problems with are the ones done with Gold used straight after...

Also the main reason I managed to get mine done at that age was because my Mum was having hers done- Mum and Dad couldn't really argue against it when Mum was having the same done lol! Mum wanted to do it here but at the time they couldn't do it as the piercing gun wouldn't fit (teeny nostrils lol)...might have smaller ones now though as that was more than a decade ago!

Not sure how helpful that was- hopefully if there are some indian jewllers in your area you can get a decent gold stud at a decent price though!

MrsWoolfe
x

Mayflower10cat

I've heard from many friends with body piercings (and my sister) that you should only ever have a body piercing done with a needle, not a gun. Piercing your nose, or indeed the top part of your ear, goes through cartiledge and you really need the relative delicacy of a needle to get a decent piercing. A gun doesn't make a 'clean' (read 'tidy') enough hole. Also cartiledge takes longer to heal than a soft fleshy earlobe and using a gun apparently can give nasty bumpy scar tissue. Surgical steel is generally used in a fresh piercing.

bratz81

I'm on my second time nose piercing (let it close over before) and you really really really must go for the needle, never ever get your nose pierced with a gun. It's dangerous, most likely to scar/damage cartilage and more unhygienic than a needle.

Ok lecture over I would recommend getting it done in a piercing or tattoo studio if possible, they usually have more experience than a pharmacy. And they often have more of a range of types of studs/rings/etc depending on what you want. When I got mine done I got a stud, and now I have a nose screw which are easier for me to change but come out easier when you blow your nose

izzyfairy

I've had my nose pierced twice (it closed up) - once with a gun and once with a needle. Although I didn't have any problems with the gun piercing, I would never recommend it. It's not safe and to be honest I'd be suprised if anywhere was still offering nose piercings with a gun. A needle is much better and from what I remember not very painful. I would also prefer to go to a piercing shop but my advice is to trust your instinct on which place feels better. When I had mine done I had to wear a large stud for a few weeks until it healed and then could wear whatever I wanted. Good luck!!

geri1965_2

I had mine done with a gun and have never had any problems, although the noise made me jump and afterwards the girl who did it was going "Oh my God...!" which worried me slightly, but it was OK and I don't know why she was so worried. I think the general consensus now is that needles are better.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Went into the piercing shops this afternoon and wasn't happy with them for some reason - there was something that made me a little unsure about them.

So popped into the pharmacist and had it done there. My eyes watered slightly, but it was fine - and she put it exactly where I thought it needed to be. Didn't feel a thing after that.

Actually, I had a blood test today, and that hurt far, far more. As did the aftermath of my ears being pierced when I was 9. And the cat jumping on my lap without putting her claws away

As I was there, her daughter was serving at the counter and said that her mum must have pierced thousands of noses and not to be surprised if she sees me in the street and wants to check it is still perfect, as she apparently gets really cross when she sees bad piercings. She also said that when I choose my next piece of jewellery, if I was nervous about taking this one out, I should walk down to her and she'll do it for me.

So I now have a small clear crystal stud and a happy smile!


Thank you so much for your helpful advice!