BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Art Nose piercing regret

I just had my nose pierced 2 days ago & I think I'm ready to remove it. I always thought I wanted one & now that I have it, I wish I would have thought it through. It just seems like it might get in the way a lot. Plus- I didn't realize what a slow healing piercing it was & I have have terrible allergies which I think may extend the healing time. Any suggestions on when I should take it out & aftercare to minimize scarring?

Also forgot to add that it the piercing seems to be healing fine & have very little pain. Something that bothers me is that I have to constantly push it down back onto my nose. I have a long stud (by long I mean it forms a longer L shap in my nose). It's very thin in diameter & seems to just slip up above surface so it's sort of sticks up a bit. After reading some of the stories about keloids- I worry that constantly moving it back into it's position (althoug I do it gently) will cause a keloid. Is this normal for it to be so loose?

Oh ya...thanks in advance for any insight <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I try my best to encourage people to think about these things in advance. I'm not sure why some people have such a casual attitude about piercing, really....

Keloids seem to come more from jewelry that is too snug, where the healing piercing is squeezed too tight. Often new piercings swell a bit and than can be uncomfortable if you have a tight ring or stud. The bit of play you have in your jewelry lets in air and lets you clean lymph (part of the skin's healing system) out of the piercing.

If you are going to abandon the piercing, sooner is better than later as the longer you keep it, the chance of it leaving a visible indentation increases. You do have to change how you live and often how you sleep with a piercing.

Rae, Thanks for the info on the keloid as that is pretty much my main concern. Piercing is still in and healing nicely from what I can see. I've actually had my belly button & tongue pierced and about 3 hours of tattooing on my back and abdomen. I never second guessed myself with any of that & really thought I HAD given the nose enough thought. I think b/c it's a facial piercing- I'm slightly more concerned about the scar it will leave. I'm riding the fence on whether or not to take it out and am taking quite good care of it in the meantime. One more quick question. I am leaving for a vacation on 11/3 & would hope to be able to swim a bit. By that time I will have had my piercing for roughly 2.5 weeks. Would you advise swimming in chlorinated water that soon or tanning in a tanning bed?

Also wanted to let you know that I have learned far more from you're responses on this site than from my actual piercer. He seemed very nonchalant and basically told me to clean it 4x daily with the gentle ear care solution & make sure I turn it during cleaning. That's all. I feel like part of my indecision comes from a lack of confidence and knowledge stemming from the actual piercing visit. Okay...I think I'm overanalyzing. Thanks again for your help!

I had a lip piercing that I had to take out after three years due to how it was rubbing my gums, and there is a tiny dimple where the piercing used to be. Nose piercings that are taken out after they heal often leave a similar tiny hole when they are taken out.

At the age of 2 and a half weeks, it is too soon for you to swim in chlorinated water with your new nose piercing. At that time, the outside might seem healed, but the inside will not be. Chlorine burns the tissues, which often sets off irritation. Also, public pools and water have a high bacterial content, and that can cause infection. I would not recommend a tanning bed, as there is no way to tell how the new tissue around your nose piercing will respond. Ultraviolet exposure is usually bad for actively healing skin tissue.

If you need more healing info, there are a couple things for you. One is the article I wrote, Nose Piercings II: Healing and Aftercare and the second would be the eBook I have available that is about nothing but Nose Piercings