A septum piercing is a type of nose piercing. Unlike most common types of nose piercings, which involve the outside of either one or both nostrils, a septum piercing is inside the piece of cartilage that separates the nostrils. Many people refer to these piercings as bull piercings because they look similar to the rings that bulls are often made to wear in their noses. One of the advantages of septum piercings is that they are fairly easy to hide when necessary. Unfortunately, they can be very painful, due to the amount of nerve endings in that part of the nose, but this varies from person to person.
The first step in getting a septum piercing is usually choosing the jewelry for the piercing. This is considered important because the same jewelry must be worn for several months, and some people need to be sure that they are wearing something that is easily hidden. Many employers and school systems will not allow a person with this type of piercing to display it. A retainer, which is similar in shape to a staple, or a type of barbell piercing may be the types of jewelry for a person to use if he needs to hide his septum piercing during the first few months.
Before the area is pierced, the person doing the piercing will typically shave the area around that part of the nose and trim any visible nose hairs. The septum is usually cleaned with rubbing alcohol or some type of soap that will kill germs, and then the piercer typically marks the area to be pierced with a magic marker. After this, the piercing takes place. A clamp might be attached to the septum to help numb it and make it easier for the piercer to insert the needle. Needle insertion is normally done with either a gun or by hand.
People who have a low tolerance for pain may want to request that a mild anesthetic is used in addition to the nose clamp before piercing, although this likely won’t eliminate all the pain. Septum piercings tend to be incredibly painful regardless of what is done to numb the area because of all the nerve endings in the nose. The pain is usually gone shortly after the piercing is done and will heal quickly as long as it is taken care of. Most septum piercings are completely healed within three months or less.