Septum piercings are a staple in both modern and traditional tribal piercing. They also look good on both men and women from many different style groups. The septum is the cartilage that divides your nostrils, but the tissue underneath is what really gets pierced. Jewelry type and allowable modifications are dependent upon individual anatomy. Initial healing time for a septum piercing is 4-8 weeks or more, with jewelry running the gamut from 16 to 10 gauge, and usually being a BCR or septum retainer.
Your piercer will find the “sweet spot”, a spot where tissue is minimal and very comfortable to get pierced. After the tissue exam, the piercer will mark small dots where this spot is and then line up special septum forceps (sometimes with a special receiving tube on them) before piercing it with a hollow needle. Watery eyes and slight bleeding are the common after affects, but very little pain is felt.
Septum piercings are fantastic because you can do so much with them. There are many tribes around the world that wear bones or feathers in their septum piercings. Now there are so many styles of septum jewelry that it’s crazy: ball captive rings, horseshoes, spikes, clickers, plugs for stretched septums, and septum bones. The size of jewelry should always be in proportion to your nose and facial features. Septum retainers are a U shaped piece of metal or glass and are awesome for concealing your piercing. A small horseshoe can also be flipped up to be hidden, or if you want to join the mustache trend you can also get awesome mustache septum jewelry. It’s also very popular to stack your septum rings and have multiple piercing holes in your septum.
Septum piercings are relatively easy to stretch. The septum can routinely be expanded by a full gauge as quickly as 3 months after the piercing. There is growing popularity in stretching your septum piercing. A septril (or jungle) is a piercing at the tip of the nose that exits through a stretched septum fistula. Septril piercings require the septum to be stretched to a relatively large size, normally at least a 0 gauge, in order to accommodate the back portion of the jewelry. The jewelry worn in them looks like a stud with a ball or disc backing, or a small curved barbell.
Septum piercings look amazing with multiple facial piercings or on their own! Try the look out on yourself with a faux nose hoop. It is a great addition to your style that you won’t regret. Are you thinking of getting your septum pierced? Do you have it pierced already? Share your story in the comments below.
