What's the Healing Time For a Nose Piercing?
From start to finish, the healing process for a nose piercing can take between three and six months. "The longer you leave it, the better," Hayler said. "The recommended aftercare is a sterile saline solution used twice a day, and doing your best not to touch it at all."
How Can You Avoid Infections?
Changing your jewellery can be tempting, but if you want your nose piercing to heal properly (not to mention, avoid infection), it's best not to touch it prematurely. If you do, the risk for infection is much higher. "If you remove the jewellery before it's fully healed you effectively have a full thickness wound that can harbour germs and gunk, leading to a pretty nasty infection," Hayler said. What's more, the hole can close up. "It's only the jewellery inside keeping it open, which is the same for all piercings."
Think you might have an infection or potential problem? Make sure to look closely. "There's a very fine line between a healing piercing and an infection," Hayler said. "Normal healing will feel a bit warm, be a little red, and be leaking a white-ish clear fluid, which will turn to 'crusties' around the jewellery. If it's an infection, it'll most likely be all of the above — plus itchy and leaking yellow or green." Consult your piercer if you need a quick gut check, but if the symptoms of infection are more serious, Hayler recommended seeing a doctor. Until you're certain, just make sure not to remove the jewellery so the piercing can continue draining properly.