Nose piercings have become more popular in society while also having deep cultural roots for diverse populations across the world. What this means is that more people are getting nose piercings. This piercing looks fantastic for those who get one, however, it is highly common to remove the piercing and let it close.
Whether you have decided that the piercing was not the look for you or the piercing material did not react well with your body, the time it takes your nose piercing to heal with vary. Healing rates are influenced by many personal factors but primarily rely on the length of time you’ve worn them. Other factors that can influence the healing process include your age, the strength of your immune system, and your body’s ability to regenerate new cells to repair the nose.
While the natural mucus in your nose contains defense properties to prevent infection, you must maintain an optimal environment for the piercing to heal. The mucous membranes function to quickly seal the wound from the inside when a nose piercing is removed and, as a main entry point into the body, your immune system will prioritize rapid healing of this area.
How Long Does it Take a Nose Piercing to Close?
The time it takes for a piercing to close depends heavily on how long you have worn the piercing. If the nose piercing is new, it could close within minutes. For a piercing that is less than one year old, the time could vary between several hours or days. Of course, if you have had your piercing for many years, it could take over a year to close, or it may not close at all.
Each person heals at different rates due to personal hygiene and lifestyle differences. For example, those with more active habits may irritate their piercing or get it dirty, leading to slower healing times. Interestingly, nose piercings close more quickly as compared with other types of piercings, as the inside of the nose will close more quickly due to the body’s natural healing processes.
Furthermore, people vary in their anatomy, which can alter healing rates. When you pierce your nose, you create a fistula. Your body heals itself by generating new skin cells inside and outside your nose, and around your piercing. However, key anatomical differences in nose structures, size, and lengths lead to a different amount of healing that needs to occur. Once the fistula fully heals, it will take longer for your body to close the piercing if you remove it.
Is there any risk of it closing overnight?
Depending on how long you have had your nose piercing, it could close overnight, or even more quickly. If you have had your piercing for less than one year, the chance of overnight closure is significantly high. The longer you have had the piercing, the less risk of overnight closure.
If you do not want your piercing to close, you should consider plugs or other solutions that can keep the piercing open. Even if you have had the piercing for many years, there is always a possibility of closure or that the piercing will reduce in size, leading to pain when you re-insert jewelry.
What factors determine how quickly a nose piercing will close?
Appropriate cleaning procedures and specific activities to avoid are important considerations for optimal healing of a nose piercing. While the mucous membranes of your nose and your immune system create natural defenses to heal the wound, you should ensure you keep the area clean and sanitized to heal as quickly as possible while minimizing scarring. The piercing will likely close from the inside, but dirt and bacteria can still enter from the outside. However, if it becomes infected, it can lead to lengthier healing times as well as permanent physical scarring.
Furthermore, while the piercing is healing, you should avoid any activities that could irritate the area. Blowing your nose excessively, smoking, and related activities can slow down the healing process while increasing the rates of infection. One guide for caring for a removed piercing is to treat it the same as a new piercing, ensuring that it stays clean and unbothered. Rinsing the piercing multiple times per day while making sure to not damage or open the hole further is your best strategy for keeping the healing environment clean.
Do nose piercings close fully?
Once you remove a nose piercing that you have had for over one year, it could take roughly three to four months for the piercing to begin healing. However, for a fully-healed piercing, it could take well over one year. There are several ways to promote closure, including applying certain ointments, keeping the area clean, and reducing any movement or irritation.
How Do you Re-open a Nose Piercing?
If a nose piercing closes, the main option for re-opening it includes re-piercing. This is a highly common procedure that many specialists feel comfortable performing, but it is important to consider that the experience could be different than the first time. While each person has a different pain tolerance and interpretation of the world around them, re-piercing is known to be more painful in most cases. In other instances, however, re-piercing may not be possible and another solution must be found.
How Painful is it to Re-open a Nose Piercing?
According to the specialists, the ability to get a re-piercing depends entirely on how much scar tissue has developed. Scar tissue is denser than surrounding skin and, thus, is more sensitive and difficult to penetrate. If you want to re-open the piercing, a specialist will assess the area and determine if re-piercing is possible. If it is, you should expect more pain than the initial piercing, but reports of how painful have varied from person to person.
Will a Nose Piercing Leave a Scar?
The longer you have a nose piercing in, the more time it will take to properly heal. For piercings that are over one year old, it will usually take several weeks or months for the initial closure. If you have a new piercing, there will likely be redness and tenderness at first that will decrease over time. Applying topical treatments such as Mederma or Bio-Oil can significantly improve the appearance of new and old scars, according to research.
How do you permanently close a nose piercing?
Deciding to take out a piercing permanently may leave you wondering what to do close it as fast as possible with minimal scarring. The piercing serves as a barrier to the skin closing so, once healed, it will be difficult for that skin to close. As such, scarring is almost unavoidable, but using various topicals, cleaning the area regularly, and minimizing irritation of the piercing can improve the healing and closure process.
Interestingly, nose piercings heal quicker than most piercings due to the cartilage in your nostril, and a fully healed nose piercing hole can often resemble a pore. If you have a newer piercing, you should wash the area and use an anti-bacterial ointment when you first remove it to get the healing process started. Keeping the area moist and clean will promote an optimal healing environment that will lead to minimal scarring.
For older piercings that have fully healed, it will take longer for the reshaped tissue to adapt and fill in the piercing. Experts say the best option in these cases is to leave the nose piercing alone while using topical agents that promote healing, improve the appearance of scars, and ultimately close the piercing.
Conclusion
Nose piercings are beautiful and can change your appearance in subtle ways, but they aren’t for everyone. If you’ve got a nose piercing and are considering taking it out, make sure you understand the healing process and how to ensure the piercing closes properly. You can always re-pierce your nose if you change your mind again, but you’ll need to consider scarring.
Each person’s anatomy and immune systems are different and, as such, healing rates will vary from person to person. These tips and tools will put you in the best position to close your nose piercing.