I GOT MY SEPTUM PIERCED

Hey everyone!

If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that a few days ago I got my septum pierced - on January 16th to be exact. I've decided to do a post on my experience so far in case anyone was on the fence about this piercing and wanted some input. Let's get started!

My Decision: I have wanted my septum pierced for the past year, year an half. While I was in high school though I really didn't have the guts to get it done for several reasons, the main ones being I hate needles with a passion and my parents. With the new year coming in I made the decision to start doing things in my life that will make me happy. 2014 wasn't a bad year necessarily, but I wasn't genuinely happy. I got close to that when I left to college and that made me realize that throughout my life I do things for other people. I don't consider my own feelings. This realization prompted me to make the decision of living my life for myself, which then lead me to a piercing shop!

Finding a Piercing Shop: Personally it did not take me a long time to find a piercing shop. I let my friends know that I was finally going to get my septum pierced and a couple of them recommended a piercing shop close to my hometown. Both of the friends that recommended this place had had several  successful experiences so I decided to go by word of mouth. I'll be honest I did not look up the shop because for me word of mouth is enough, especially from two very close friends of mine. That being said if this isn't enough for you I recommend going into a few places, looking around, talking to a few piercers, and looking up reviews online.

The Actual Piercing: I'll be very honest this piercing hurts. I went into the shop not expecting any pain at all so that might be why this hurt me so much, but also it was my first piercing. The amount of pain you experience really depends on YOU and YOUR BODY. If you want the piercing don't chicken out because you're scared of the pain. Pain is only temporary. Now the actual procedure went like this: I arrived, was asked to wait, when the piercer was ready he invited me into the room. I watched him take out a brand new needle, a brand new piece of jewelry, and I also watched him wash his hands and put on brand new gloves. He then cleaned out my nose first with some anti-bacterial gel(sorry I don't know the exact name of this product) and then he took a clean paper towel and dabbed any excess gel away. While the gel dried in my nose he unwrapped a new piece of jewelry   and held it up to my nose. He then asked me to tilt my head up and felt around in my nose. From here everything happened really fast. He lined up the needle on the left side of my nostril - more specifically on the left side of my "sweet spot" which is the thin patch of skin right under your cartilage and the bottom of your nose on the inside of your nose where septum piercings usually go. He did not use a clamp and he did not count. There was no warning, but I can tell you I certainly felt that needle go through! Luckily for me I was holding my friend's hand because the pain shocked me so much I let out a slew of profanities. But like I said before it all happened so fast that the only thing that really caused me discomfort was when he threaded the piece of jewelry through the hole. My eyes did not water and I did not bleed. Overall I rate the experience a 5/10 in regards to pain.

Aftercare and Pain: Before I left the shop I took a selfie and then flipped the piercing into my nose. My piercer let me know from the beginning that if I chose to have the piercing heal while in my nose it would not affect the piercing at all. He also told me that the best way to take care of the piercing is with warm water and sea salt. I could either dip q-tips or cotton balls into the water mix or I could do sea salt water soaks, which is basically when I dunk my nose into a cup with the mix for anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes. I was to use either one of these methods twice a day. I choose to use the sea salt soak method when I wake up and right before I go to bed. That was all he told me to do to take care of the piercing. He stressed that I was NOT to use anything else especially Vaseline and/or any ointments. He also told me not to move the piercing too much. I should just let it be expect when I cleaned it and even then I should make sure that it was very moist to avoid any pain. It has been three day since  I got my piercing and I'll admit that the pain after is a lot worse than during. The day after I could not touch the bottom of my nose because it was so incredibly tender. I also noticed that my nose was slightly swollen. It was the same two days after getting the actual piercing. Today, three days after, I've noticed that when I clean it I can move it a bit easier. It is still tender and I especially realize this when I flip the piercing back into my nose. I also noticed today that the piercing is starting to slip a bit inside my nose because the swelling is going down.

Overall: I love my piercing! I think it is very flattering and I have no regrets. I say if you want this piercing go for it. It is very easy to hide in case your job does not accept these kinds of piercings. There is no way anyone will know unless you tell them! Have  any questions?Ask them below!!

                                                                                                                           - xoxo Wanda