If you have your septum pierced, you can probably relate. Your jewelry shifts a bit and an odor similar to cheese suddenly wafts into your nostrils. It’s not coming from the person next to you, it’s not coming from across the street…. the smell is coming from inside your nose! Today we are going to talk a bit about that smell and what you can do to prevent or minimize “septum funk”.
The Reason
Even though your piercing is totally healed, skin oils (sebum), dead skin cells, and bacteria can still build up inside the fistula. You won’t notice it when your jewelry is stationary but if the jewelry moves, it may unleash the smell right up your nostrils. Don’t panic, nobody else can smell it. You just happen to have the source of the odor inside your nose so (lucky you!) you get the full effect. This is totally normal, by the way.
The Culprit
If you find that this is happening to you a lot regardless of how much you clean your piercing, the root of the problem may be your jewelry. Bacteria can build up on non-hypoallergenic metals or porous jewelry. So, if you want to reduce the funk, you may need to change your jewelry. Borosilicate glass, solid gold, or titanium are the safest materials to help prevent funkiness. If you don’t like the silver tone of untreated titanium, remember that you can have it anodized in virtually any color you like, including rainbow. The only color that titanium cannot be anodized to is black, as in true black. However, you can have it anodized to a gunmetal grey which, while not black, is still pretty rad looking. The worst culprits for creating septum smell are porous and non-hypoallergenic materials. Acrylic or plastic jewelry is porous and cannot be sterilized. The exterior of coated jewelry can break down with time and give bacteria a nice home to live in. Obviously, any metal that you are allergic to should not be worn in your septum or anywhere else. (You can still wear fashion jewelry, just don’t leave it in around the clock. Put it in when you get up, take it out at night.)
The Solution
The solution is sterile saline solution! Yes, the same stuff you used to clean your piercing while it was healing is the stuff that can help prevent that smell. You do not have to do it every day but either when you notice the smell (to get rid of it) or once or twice a week, just take that sterile saline wound wash and give your piercing a good cleaning. This will get rid of any built-up sebum, bacteria, or dead skin and keep your septum fresh and unscented. Don’t forget to rinse with clean, running water afterwards to avoid having salt residue left on your jewelry.
Every piercing comes with its own little quirks. The septum’s particular quirk is that funky smell, a little gift just for you. (Again, nobody else can smell it.) But if it’s a gift that you don’t want, it’s easy to remedy and even simpler to prevent. Happy piercing!
