Lynn Loheide

Septum piercings are incredible first piercings. They're actually very easy to pierce and very easy to heal. They heal in about three to five months, making them the fastest-healing cartilage piercing on the body. They can be flipped up and hidden immediately after piercing if the jewelry allows for that, so that they don't have to be seen at work or at school, or at home. And should you decide to remove or retire the piercing, they won't leave any noticeable scar on your face, so no one will have any idea that you had anything pierced. So they are a really ideal starter piercing for most people.

However, septums are also one of the piercings we see done incorrectly the most often. And I would say out of most piercings you're considering getting done, it's extremely important to check portfolio photos and really research to make sure you find a piercer who understands how to work with septum piercings correctly. They have a high likelihood of being done too low or too far back. Appropriate placement for a septum is in the septal membrane and alar cartilage, the soft connective tissue at the tip of the nose; otherwise referred to as the sweet spot when it comes to piercing. That sweet spot is typically located high and tight to the front of the nose. So, appropriate septum placement is typically anywhere from 5/16ths to 3/8ths of an inch up and tight to the front of the nostrils on most noses (not every nose, because all bodies are different).

One other factor to consider when getting a septum piercing is whether or not you have a deviated septum. If you tilt your head back and look at your nostrils in the mirror, if there is asymmetry between your nostrils, or if your septum is not straight, but rather curves or zigzags or has a funky shape, you probably have a deviated septum. Deviated septums require a very specialized piercer with experience in deviations in order to perform correctly. People should be looking at portfolios to see examples of both fresh and healed septums on a variety of nose structures and anatomies to ensure that a piercer is able to pierce their septum successfully. If someone is seeing a good and reputable piercer that knows what they're doing with septums, it should be a very easy, very chill three to five-month heal with very minimal aftercare necessary.