What Does It Feel Like To Get Your Septum Pierced?
Posted by Body Candy on
Piercings hurt. It's a fact. Having a needle pushed through your body is going to sting a little, no matter what your pain tolerance is!
One of the most popular body mods is the septum piercing. This piercing is located in the nasal septum - the middle part of your nose that separates the nostrils. It is typically a fleshy piercing; for most individuals, the piercer will pierce through the columella, a thin strip of skin in the front of your nose otherwise known as the “sweet spot.” Some individuals don't have a columella - in that case, a septum piercing will technically be a cartilage piercing.
What does a septum piercing really feel like? We asked several pierced Body Candy customers what their septum piercing experience felt like... Everyone's time at the piercing shop will be a little bit different. Here's a few different experiences so you might have a bit better idea of what to expect (note: some names have been changed for privacy):
Quinn T - Bellington, WA
Before I got pierced, I loved the look of a septum ring, but I am kind of a scaredy cat when it comes to pain. I got brave and headed to the piercing shop anyways.
Once I was there, they took me to the piercing room and he asked me what jewelry I wanted to wear - I chose a small, stainless steel horseshoe. I made sure to check that he was using all sterile equipment and after he put his gloves on, he stuck his fingers into my nose to find that "sweet spot." Once everything was all set, he put the clamp in place, told me to take a slow, deep breath, and pushed the needle through. I'm not gonna lie, I cried - it stung but it was more of a "sneeze" kind of tear up. The piercing did bleed (I think it's because I had an energy drink beforehand, but I'm not 100% sure), but he helped me clean up anyways with more sterile equipment.
After that, he pushed in the horseshoe ring and applied the ball ends. This wasn't so bad, but I did bleed a bit more, and he cleaned me up again. In the middle of all this, another shop employee walked through and complimented me by saying I was brave (lol).
I have a bunch of other piercings, and I'm not gonna lie, this piercing was really painful for me, worse than my nipple piercings, but a lot of my friends with septum piercings say it was no big deal. Everyone's experience is different and all I can say is, I LOVE my septum piercing.
Eva H - Pearl City, HI
I sat in the waiting room for an hour before I worked up the courage to tell the piercer what I wanted. I had my friend on FaceTime for moral support - I was especially scared because at this point, I only had my earlobes pierced. My friend helped me pick the jewelry, I signed all the forms and got the run-down, and they led me back to the piercing station.
I sat down and started babbling with small talk to get my mind off of what was about to happen. Before I knew it, the piercer had cleaned, marked, and clamped my nose and said, "Ready when you are!"
After I said yes, she picked up the needle and told me to take a slow, deep breath. I closed my eyes and took a big inhale and all of a sudden I got hit with a huge rush of adrenaline. She said “exhale,” and when I did, the needle went through. I straight up DID NOT FEEL IT. Like at all. When she inserted the ring, it felt really weird and my eyes watered up... But that was it. I left with a huge smile on my face.
To be honest, the weird sense of having a "weight" in my nose for a week after was the weirdest part. But the piercing itself was painless and healing up was no issue at all. Highly recommend this piercing!
Tara B - Wilmington, DE
I put off getting my septum done for like 10 years because i was afraid it was going to hurt so bad, even after my multiple hours long tattoo sessions. After awhile, getting my septum done became a nagging thought I just couldn't get rid of, and I knew I had to just do it.
I found a piercer who takes their career very seriously, to the point where they measured out my nose. Every other piercing they've done has been amazing and has healed incredibly, so I knew they were the right choice for my septum. I heard all about this dreaded clamp, but my piercer didn't use one. I shouldn't have waited so long, the piercing was over before I even knew it. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. Not even close. My eyes didn't even water!
Even while I was healing, I didn't even feel like I had new jewelry in my nose. Even moving it when it got crooked felt fine (I made sure to always wash my hands before touching). Once or twice, I used a warm shot glass of water to help soak my septum, but it really barely even needed that.
This was my easiest piercing. 2 out of 10 on the pain scale.
Allyson F - Phoenix, AZ
For me, it kind of felt like getting bopped in the nose. It was like that weird, sneezy feeling where you kind of see stars for a second. The needle being pushed through was a sharp, but quick pain with that burning, teary sensation of getting hit in the nose, but it went away within a minute or two. I'd give the pain a 4 out of 10, but only for a minute!
One thing I wish I would have done is gotten the piercing a bit earlier in the year - I got mine in the fall and had a runny nose, which is a challenge when it comes to healing. You also can't go swimming and I was really looking forward to some hot tubbing. Also, be really careful when you're changing your clothes - I snagged mine on a sweater once and it was sore for a few days afterwards.
Haleigh J - Toronto, ON
Your septum will be the least painful piercing you ever get.
My piercer told me about the sweet spot. As long as you have one (some people don't due to genetics, a broken nose, or a deviated septum), the needle should go in and out no big deal. That's at least how it was for me.
I'll admit when I saw him pull out the needle, it looked really huge, but it's actually a really small gauge. For me, she applied a clamp, stretched my nose, and had me breathe out. While I was exhaling, she pushed the needle through. My eyes watered, but it really was over so fast, I barely felt anything. After that, she put a seamless ring in which was only a little painful. Really I want to rate this one a 1 out of 10, don't worry, it will be fine!
We want to hear about your septum piercing experience!
Do you have a septum piercing? What was your experience like at the piercing shop? Everyone's experience is different, so tell us all about it in the comment section below!
Shop all of our septum jewelry now!
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I got my septum done when I was in high school . I was really excited and I couldn’t stop thinking about getting it done. When I decided to get it don’t I went w a friend who was also getting their piercing done. When the piercer was ready I closed my eyes and it was over in like a second! It pinched a little when the needle was first going through. It did bleed a good amount but after the jewelry was in there was no more pain. It kind of felt like getting hit in the nose but only for like 5 second! I have now had my septum for about 4 years and I can put the jewelry in and take it out whenever ! It was also a great healing process I had no problems with the healing. It’s a pretty easy piercing to take of and It has been a great piercing to have!
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Got my septum pierced twice, the second time because I got a big clicker the first time and it kept bumping against my lip and bugged me so I took it out and had to get it done again. both times gave me absolute sneezing fits but not a lot of pain. the nostril piercings hurt more than my septum.
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I’ve had my septum pierced twice now, the first time I got sick about 4 months after my piercing and had to take it out for medical reasons. The first and second time were both a breeze, if anything happened to it this time around I’d happily get it redone a third time! It’s been pierced for amount 3.5 years at this point. The pain was so low, I was completely shocked. Basically the same as everyone one else, area was cleaned, marked, I had a clamp yes both times, needle in, small stinging sensation, small amount of blood, jewelry in, clean up and done. Both people I went to were fantastic. I think the weirdest part was getting used to having something in my nose!
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So when I got my septum pierced at 16 it was easy. I even got it stretched up a gauge when it healed. Now for some reason I took it out and let the hole close in my 30’s (shoulda kept the retainer in). So at age 40 I decided to get it re-pierced. I chickened out 3 times, finally went in and turned green when the deed was done. The piercer (Mel from Ace and Sword in Toronto) was so sweet got me juice and made sure I texted when I got home. It wasn’t the pain (I have a high pain threshold) it was the feeling of the needle. I don’t give blood because of it and yet… I am extensively tattooed all over and even sleep through tattoo sessions. But I love my septum piercing and didn’t feel like me without it. So if you want it you can overcome your phobias. Just get it young so you don’t almost faint like a foppish dandy – lol
I always loved the look of septum piercings, so one day I decided to just do it myself, I thought it would be easy and simple as well as something I could easily hide from my dad. Well I couldn’t of been more wrong, it was crooked and never healed right so I ended up taking it out. I finally went and got it pierced professionally and it hurt so much, I can still hear the popping of the scar tissue and the pain of the needle, but I’m very grateful to have it done the right way and it healed nicely and is straight. Long story short, always go to the professionals for piercings!