Let’s say you used to sport a trendy nose piercing that has all your friends asking where you got it done. But life happened and for some reason, you had to bid farewell to your beloved stud or hoop. Maybe it closed up, or perhaps you took it out for an important event and couldn’t get it back in. Whatever the reason is now you want that old flare back and thinking how to re-open your closed nose piercing.
A healing nose piercing can get closed in a matter of days. But a year or two old nose piercing will take longer to get close as it is completely healed. Re-opening a closed nose piercing or any sort of piercing can be a little bit difficult. But re-opening is possible, with the right tools you can re-open a closed nose piercing easily. Want to know how? I will elaborate on how to re-open a closed nose piercing and more in today’s piece.
8 Reasons Why Nose Piercing Closes
There are many reasons why your nose piercing may get closed up. A few reasons why your nose piercing may close are:
1. Jewelry removal
If you remove your jewelry, especially during the healing period then the nose piercing may get closed up. During the initial healing the pierced hole can get narrow or even closed within a matter of days. I have seen this happening so many times, that someone got a bit hurt on the piercing area and they took out the jewelry right away. And within 1 or 2 days their nose piercing got closed up.
2. Infection or complication
If your nose piercing gets infected or if you face any complications then the pierced hole may close. Infection may cause swelling which could close the hole, or your body may fill the hole as it tries to fight the infection and heal the area. If you feel your nose piercing is infected or if you feel there is a complication regarding your nose piercing then do not hesitate to seek professional help.
3. Lack of cleaning & care
You are supposed to take proper aftercare of your healing nose piercing. Not taking proper aftercare of cleaning the area daily can lead to infection or dirt build-up. As a result, your nose piercing may get closed up.
4. Irritation or trauma
Nose piercing can get irritated or face trauma easily. When you wear clothes, wash your face, do makeup or the way you sleep can cause friction on the nose piercing area. Bumping into something, or twisting the nose-piercing jewelry can also cause irritation. Irritation and trauma can cause your nose piercing to get closed up.
5. Natural healing process
Even if you take proper care sometimes your pierced hole may still close up because of natural healing. When you get a piercing your body treats it as any wound and tries to heal the damage. During this healing process the hole may get closed up, it is unfortunate but it can happen. In such cases, you may need to re-piercing on the same area.
6. Size of jewelry
The size of your jewelry matters. If you wear thin jewelry on your nose, it can contribute to the closure of your piercing hole. Because of the thinness of the jewelry, it is normal for your nose-piercing hole to shrink. Sometimes this shrinking can end up closing the hole altogether.
7. Allergies
Any sort of negative reaction on the nose piercing area like allergies can cause irritation. If you wear jewelry made of a metal that you are allergic to then it can cause irritation and lead to piercing hole closure.
8. Scar tissue formation
If scar tissue forms around the nose piercing hole then it can cause difficulty in inserting jewelry. You may have to get re-piercing to wear jewelry again.
How Long Does It Take for A Nose Piercing to Close?
There are a lot of reasons why your nose piercing may get close and depending on the reason the time it takes to close the piercing hole may vary. The condition of the piercing hole is the most crucial factor that affects the time it takes to close a nose piercing.
During initial healing
While your nose piercing is new and fresh, it will be more prone to get irritated, infected, and closed up. During the initial healing phase, it may take 1 or 2 days for your nose piercing to get closed up.
After healing
It may take around 2 to 4 months for your nose piercing to heal. After healing, if you do not wear jewelry it can around 6 months for your nose piercing to get closed up.
A long time after healing
Let’s say it’s been a long time since your nose piercing has healed, and if you do not wear jewelry it may take several months to a 1 year for your nose piercing to get closed up.
Nose Piercing: Can You Re-Open It?
Re-opening a closed nose piercing is possible. But if scar tissue has formed over the old piercing then it can be challenging re-opening the hole. The scar may get worse if you try to re-open the hole. And if it is been some time since the nose-piercing got closed up, then it might not be possible to re-open the hole. So, apart from scar tissue, another crucial factor that can determine if you can re-open the hole or not is the time since closure.
If it has not been long since the nose piercing has closed up and there is a thin layer of skin that is closing the piercing instead of thick skin then it can be re-opened. A partially closed nose piercing hole or a thin skin closing the hole can be re-opened without any issue. But if you try to re-open a nose piercing that is fully closed or has grown thick and mature skin over it then it can lead to pain and bleeding.
Follow the basic re-opening procedure I have provided in the next portion and do not try to force open a completely closed-up nose piercing.
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Step By Step Guide On How To Re-Open A Closed Nose Piercing
Follow the step-by-step guide below to re-open your closed nose piercing without any pain or issue.
1. Wash your hands
You do not want your nose piercing to get infected, do you? Then make sure to wash your hands thoroughly. You can use anti-bacterial soap to ensure no bacteria or germ remains on your hand after the wash.
2. Clean your nose and the jewelry
Disinfecting your hands is not enough, to avoid any possible infection you will need to clean your nose (the area where the piercing hole is) and the jewelry you will be wearing. You can use lukewarm soapy water or saline solution for cleaning your nose piercing area.
Cleaning nose piercing: Use a cotton ball and dip it into the saline solution. Now use the saline-soaked cotton ball to gently rub on the nose-piercing area. Make sure to rub the outside or the surface of the nose piercing and the inside of the nose piercing.
Cleaning jewelry: Dip your jewelry in saline solution and gently rub it using a cotton ball. Make sure there is no dirt or debris on the jewelry left after cleaning.
3. Soak the piercing hole with lukewarm water
Use a clean cloth soaked in lukewarm water and press it against your nose piercing. The warmth will assist you in re-opening the hole. Some people take hot showers too, just to make sure to nose-piercing area is nice and warm.
4. Lubricate
To make the re-opening process easier, you can lubricate the jewelry screw or the jewelry bar that will go in your piercing hole. Or you can lubricate the nose piercing area. You can use any nonabrasive soap, only a few drops will do or you can use oil that is safe to use on skin.
5. Insert the jewelry in your nose piercing
Now that lubrication is complete, try to push your jewelry stud or jewelry bar into the piercing hole that is closed. If it is partially closed or only a thin skin has grown over it then you will not have any difficulty inserting the jewelry in.
But if it hurts and you can’t insert the jewelry even after trying, then no need to be rough. Just go to a professional piercer and they will advise you on how to go about it.
What If Re-Opening Is Not Possible
If re-opening of your nose piercing is not possible then you need to see a professional piercer. They may give a few tips or advice on how to re-open it or they may advise you to re-pierce as the hole is completely closed.
If you re-pierce then it is like getting a new piercing. This means you have to take proper aftercare of the nose piercing just like you used to take care of it when you got the first piercing. Rest well, wash the re-piercing area daily, and make sure to avoid irritating it. Proper aftercare can ensure faster healing.
5 Ways To Keep Nose Piercing Hole Open
Now that you have re-opened your nose piercing, make sure to keep it open. Do not let your nose piercing get closed again as re-opening the same hole multiple times can cause scar tissues to form. To prevent your nose piercing from getting closed make sure to follow the tips I have provided below.
1. Wear jewelry
Wearing jewelry all the time is the best way to keep your nose piercing open. After the healing is complete you can take off the jewelry occasionally but make sure to wear it again after a few hours.
2. Choose high-quality jewelry material
Choosing a low-quality jewelry material can cause irritation. And irritation can lead to your nose piercing to get closed. Make sure to avoid low-quality material and any material that can cause an allergic reaction to you. A few high-quality piercing jewelry materials you can choose from are:
- Surgical stainless steel
- Titanium
- Gold
3. Avoid jewelry removal during healing
Do not take off your jewelry while the piercing is still healing. Taking off jewelry can take an hour or a few days to close the healing pierced area.
4. Proper aftercare
Proper aftercare during the healing time can ensure your nose piercing does not get closed up. And it can prevent any possible infection as well.
5. Be gentle
Avoid doing anything that could irritate your nose piercing. White the piercing is healing avoid rubbing the area, swimming, rotating the jewelry too much, and touching the jewelry unnecessarily.
Final Thoughts
I get it, nose piercing getting closed can be a little upsetting. But don’t be upset as you can easily re-open the closed nose-piercing if it’s not too late. Make sure to maintain a sterile environment when you re-open it otherwise, you may cause infection.
That said, if it hurts too much and you can see a visible skin has completely closed the piercing hole then am afraid it needs a re-piercing to be opened. A simple re-opening technique won’t work if it’s been too long since the hole got closed. Do not try to force open or re-pierce by yourself. Get it re-pierced by a professional piercer.
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