Rudolph isn’t the only one with a red nose this winter. That’s right, your new nose piercing is red and you’re not sure what’s wrong. You’re looking in the mirror and asking yourself “Why is my nose piercing red?”
Most of the time, a small amount of redness is nothing to worry about. Most problems are fixable. That said, you need to know the cause before you can fix it.
Keep reading to learn a few common factors that can cause redness around your nose piercing.
Normal Initial Redness
Before you start worrying about your red nose: how long ago did you get your piercing? If it’s only a few days old (or even a few weeks and you have sensitive skin), a small amount of redness is normal.
Remember that a piercing is a wound. The body’s goal is to heal, but because it can’t heal through the piercing itself, it’s trying to heal around it. This causes inflammation because the piercing jewelry is a foreign object.
Your piercer should go over healing stages with you when you get your piercing, but if they don’t, don’t be afraid to contact them to ask if your post-piercing redness is normal.
You Aren’t Practicing Correct Aftercare
A good piercer will give you the best aftercare advice for your nose piercing, but unfortunately, not all piercers are well-informed. Many of them give outdated aftercare advice that can harm your piercing.
When you clean your piercing, use hot water in the shower or sterile saline. Many less-qualified piercers recommend harsh cleansing products, but these will dry out your piercing and slow down the healing process. Remember: the body knows how to heal itself.
Make sure that you don’t turn or touch your piercing. Turning the piercing disrupts the fistula and prolongs healing. Touching it introduces bacteria from your fingers.
You’re Using the Wrong Jewelry
If you visited a high-quality piercing shop, you likely got body-safe jewelry that’s appropriate for healing. Again, not all piercing shops are high-quality, so if your piercing is red and inflamed, it’s possible that the jewelry is the problem.
While you can use fashion jewelry, nose screws, and nose bones from sites like Body Pierce Jewelry after your nose piercing is finished healing, you should stick with basic internally threaded or threadless jewelry to start with.
Use materials like implant-grade titanium, implant-grade steel, or 14k gold. Avoid using rings until after the piercing is healed.
A red bump on a nose piercing will often go away after you swap your jewelry for a safer alternative. Always visit a professional piercer to swap the jewelry instead of doing it on your own if your piercing is still healing.
It Was Pierced Incorrectly
Are you sure that your piercing was right in the first place?
Many people aren’t sure how to tell whether or not a piercing is correct. They trust their piercer with the placement and the piercing method and then feel confused when something isn’t right.
If you have proper jewelry and you’re using the correct aftercare, the piercer might be the problem. Many piercers don’t receive adequate training because body piercing is often an afterthought in tattoo shops.
Look for high-quality piercers in your local area. Visit another piercer for a second opinion. If the piercing isn’t correct, they’ll have you remove it and make an appointment for the future.
You’re Sleeping on It
This one is tricky and you might not realize that you’re doing it at all. If your nose piercing is swollen when you wake up in the morning, it’s likely that you’re sleeping on it at night!
Even if you sleep on the opposite side of your body or you sleep flat on your back, you might roll over onto your side at night. Your piercing jewelry will press into your nose and the pillow and you’ll wake up with swelling and irritation.
To prevent this problem, prop a body pillow up against the side of your body that the piercing is on (not just your head). This will make it harder for you to turn onto your side while you sleep.
You’re Using Makeup or Lotion
When you get a brand new nose piercing, it’s important for you to avoid using any products on your nose until the piercing finishes its healing process. This means that you should avoid harsh skin care products and makeup.
Makeup and skincare products can get into the piercing and cause inflammation. If you’re someone who likes to go “full-glam,” you’re going to have to sacrifice your foundation and concealer until your piercer gives you the go-ahead.
Least Likely Option: It’s an Infection
Many people assume that redness means infection. This isn’t true most of the time. That said, infections do happen, so if you’re experiencing pain and redness that isn’t going away despite your best efforts, visit a piercer for help.
Visiting a piercer first (before a nurse) will be your best option. Many medical professionals don’t have experience with piercings, and they may give you bad advice about removing a piercing right away.
This can trap the infection when the hole closes.
Some nurses may even suggest that you have an infection when it’s a normal piercing bump. Again, if you have a high-quality professional piercer in your area, visit them first for advice. They will tell you if you need to visit a medical center.
So Why Is My Nose Piercing Red? It Depends
When you’re looking in the mirror at your red nose and wondering “why is my nose piercing red?”, consider whether or not any of these factors might apply to you.
Remember, a happy and healthy piercing starts with a good piercer, high-quality piercing jewelry, proper placement, and proper aftercare. Beyond this, several other factors can influence healing and redness.
Whenever you’re unsure about whether or not your piercing redness is normal, talk to a professional piercer for advice.
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