Nose piercings are one of the most requested facial area piercings. It is generally fairly easy to keep clean, but any type of piercing carries the risk of infection. However, even when it becomes infected, a nose piercing is quite simple to take care of. If you suspect you have an infection, you can try to treat it with home remedies, but you may find that you need to go to the doctor. Once it heals, you will need to do your best to prevent it from becoming infected again and to preserve the health of your nose.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Treating the Infected Piercing at Home
Step 1. Examine the piercing to determine if there are any signs of infection
If you think it may be infected, you should have it seen by your doctor. If you neglect the infection, it could worsen quickly. While there are ways to take care of it at home, it's best to see your doctor if you even suspect you have an infection. Symptoms that may indicate that the piercing is infected include:
- Fever;
- Skin redness;
- Swelling of the skin;
- Skin pain or tenderness
- Yellowish or greenish secretions.
Step 2. Apply a warm compress if the skin is swollen
The heat can serve to drain fluids thus relieving swelling. You can easily make a compress by soaking a clean cloth in hot water. Once ready, gently hold it against the infected area.
- Do not press too hard on the skin. If you feel pain by pressing gently against the piercing, remove the compress and call your doctor.
- Don't press so hard that it compresses your nostril and prevents you from breathing smoothly.
- The heat will melt any dry secretions giving you the ability to remove them.
Step 3. Wash the piercing 3-4 times a day while it is infected
First wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap, then clean the piercing and surrounding skin in the same way. When finished, pat the area with a clean, dry towel to dry it.
- If you don't want to use a clean towel every time, you can use a paper towel to make sure it doesn't harbor any germs or bacteria.
- Instead of soap, you can use a solution made from water and sea salt, which is a natural antiseptic.
Step 4. Cleanse your skin with a saline solution as an alternative to soap
Sea salt is an excellent natural antiseptic that does not risk drying the skin too much. Dissolve about a quarter of a teaspoon in 250 ml of distilled or mineral water. Put your face over the sink with the tip of your nose pointing down. Slowly apply the saline solution to the infected area, taking care not to let it enter the nostrils.
- If you have a squeezable bottle available, point the nozzle down and spray the solution on the piercing a few drops at a time;
- If you have to use a glass, tilt it very slowly so that the solution gradually drips onto the piercing;
- Use only sea salt, table salt contains iodine and other additives;
- The best time to clean your piercing this way is right after taking a shower or bath;
- Alcohol disinfectant and hydrogen peroxide are not suitable in this case because they slow down the healing of the skin. Unless your doctor recommends using them, stick with soap and water.
Step 5. Remove dry pieces of skin and any buildup of secretions from the area around the piercing
After cleaning the area thoroughly, examine it to see if there are any pieces of skin or pus that need to be removed. It is best to remove them while the skin is moist to minimize the risk of scratching or irritating it. Rub the area very gently with a clean cloth to remove any fragments.
Step 6. Continue to wear the earring even if the piercing is infected
The hole in the nose tends to close very quickly and in this case the secretions caused by the infection would not have an outlet. Wearing the earring will allow the pus to escape from the hole, preventing the risk of it accumulating inside the tissues and giving rise to an abscess.
Either way, always follow your doctor's directions. If in your specific case he recommended that you remove the earring, do exactly as he told you
Step 7. See your doctor if symptoms persist for more than two weeks
Sometimes people experience only one or two symptoms of the infection that disappear on their own by diligently caring for the piercing at home, but if after two weeks the situation has not improved yet, it is imperative to go to the doctor right away. In some cases, its intervention is necessary to be able to fight the infection.
- An infected nose piercing can cause very serious, sometimes even fatal, consequences. You may also be left with a disfigured face.
- Staphylococcal infection is a big risk for nose piercings since by nature staph tends to settle inside the nasal cavities. This type of infection can worsen quickly.
Part 2 of 3: Ask the Doctor for Help
Step 1. See your doctor if you experience any strange or unusual symptoms
If you suspect that the nose piercing has made an infection, it is best not to wait and go to the doctor right away. Regardless, there are circumstances where it is absolutely essential to seek immediate medical attention to prevent further complications. If you have any of the following symptoms, call your doctor right away or go to the emergency room:
- Intense pain around the piercing
- A burning sensation or that the skin around the piercing is "throbbing";
- Very red or hot skin
- Excessive gray, green, or yellow secretions
- Foul-smelling secretions;
- High fever accompanied by nausea, dizziness or a feeling of mental lightheadedness.
Step 2. Treat the infection with antibiotics
Bacterial infections are the main threat of nose piercing, so your doctor is likely to prescribe an antibiotic medication. If the infection is modest, an ointment may be enough, but in other cases it will be necessary to use an antibiotic to be taken orally.
Strictly follow all the doctor's instructions
Step 3. Use the antibiotic for the entire period recommended by your doctor
Even if your symptoms seem to have subsided, you must continue the treatment for the prescribed amount of time. Your doctor will tell you exactly how many days to apply or take the antibiotic medication.
Stopping the treatment early will risk the infection returning more acute than before
Step 4. Get examined immediately if you have an abscess
An abscess is a buildup of pus that can occur around the piercing. In addition to putting your health at risk, it could leave you with an ugly scar on your face. Ask your doctor to see you immediately or go to the emergency room. Most likely you will need to take an antibiotic; in addition, the doctor will have to determine if it is necessary to drain the pus or if the body is able to reabsorb it on its own.
- Using a warm compress, in combination with the antibiotic, will help the abscess heal, helping to relieve symptoms.
- If the abscess is severe or not treated properly, your doctor will almost certainly need to cut it to drain its contents. In this case it is very likely that a scar will remain on the nose.
Step 5. Stay in touch with your doctor if necessary
If she has advised you to come back for a visit or if your symptoms persist, make a new appointment. Remember that the condition of an infected nose piercing can worsen quickly. You certainly don't want to jeopardize the health of your whole body or risk being left with a disfigured face. With the help of your doctor, you will be able to preserve your nose.
Part 3 of 3: Preventing a Relapse
Step 1. Clean the piercing twice a day to minimize the risk of infection
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before disinfecting your nose. You can also clean the piercing in the same way, then pat it dry gently with a clean, dry towel.
- Clean the piercing slowly and gently to avoid the risk of inhaling the soapy water through the nostrils;
- Some people prefer to use a solution based on water and sea salt, which is a natural antiseptic. This method is generally only used when the piercing is on the mend.
Step 2. Avoid applying any product to the piercing area
When using cream, facial cleanser, acne soap, or any similar cosmetic product, avoid the area surrounding the piercing. These products can harbor bacteria, so they are potentially wound-infected. It is best to keep the piercing as clear and clean as possible. Cosmetics you should avoid include the following:
- Face creams;
- Sun creams;
- Acne products;
- Hair products;
- Facial masks;
- Cleansers that contain perfuming substances or exfoliating particles.
Step 3. Don't touch your nose
Fingers can carry dirt, germs and bacteria, all of which can infect the piercing, causing a new infection. Do not touch or fiddle with the earring.
If you are often tempted to touch your piercing, keep it covered (without compressing it) with sterile gauze until the skin is completely healed. This will prevent it from getting infected again
Step 4. Do not go swimming until the infection has completely healed
Lakes, sea and swimming pools are a paradise for germs and bacteria and therefore a danger for the new piercing. As long as the skin is not perfectly healed, you should avoid diving in the pool, in the whirlpool at the gym, at the lake or by the sea.
Since the piercing is on the nose, you may think you can swim freely as long as you keep your head above the water, but that's not the case. You may splash your face or touch it with wet fingers and still run the risk of infection, so the best thing to do is stay dry
Step 5. Make sure the earring is hypoallergenic to prevent an allergic reaction
The symptoms of an allergy are not the same as those of an infection, but either way, the skin would have a hard time healing properly. Furthermore, allergic infections can cause skin swelling and discharge of secretions just like a normal infection. For these reasons it is best to use a hypoallergenic earring to minimize the risks. Fortunately, most reputable piercers use this type of earrings.
- Ask your piercer for confirmation to make sure yours is hypoallergenic. If you've already bought a new one and replaced it, check the packaging to find out if it's hypoallergenic.
- The most suitable materials include surgical steel and medical titanium.
Advice
- Wash your hands every time you touch the piercing to clean it and try to keep them away from your face as much as possible for the rest of the day.
- If the secretions are white or clear, don't worry, it's a normal consequence.
- Ask the piercer to use only a surgical steel or medical titanium earring. Any other metal, including gold and silver, could cause problems, to the point of leaving you with a permanent scar on your face.
- If you can get the earring out, wipe it off with a disinfectant wipe and gently reinsert it immediately, then wash the skin with the saline solution.
- If you want to wash the facial skin around the new piercing, use a cleanser that is free of dyes and perfumed essences. Then perform a thorough rinse.
- Do not rotate the earring too often while the skin is healing.
- Do not peel dry secretions from the skin until it is completely healed.
Warnings
- If you neglect it, the infection could worsen quickly, so go see your doctor today.
- Use only sea salt, table salt contains iodine, which is irritating to the skin.
- Because the skin on the nose is very delicate, over-the-counter disinfectants can be too harsh, so it's best to avoid them.
