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Nose piercing is the piercing of the skin or cartilage which forms any part of the nose, normally for the purpose of wearing jewelry. Among the different varieties of nose piercings, the nostril piercing is the most common, and for many years, was second only to ear piercing as the most common body piercing in North America. However, because navel piercing has risen in popularity since the 1990s, the nostril piercing no longer holds this ranking.
Nostril piercing
Nostril piercing is a body piercing practice often associated with India. In India the outside of the left nostril is the preferred position of the piercing as this is supposed to make childbirth easier. This is because Ayurvedic medicine associates this location with the female reproductive organs *. Nostril piercing has become popular amongst the industrialised nations, as have other forms of body piercing. Celebrities such as Madonna and Sinéad O'Connor have had their nostrils pierced.
It was first performed in the Middle East about 4,000 years ago . A nose ring was one of the gifts given to Rebekah recorded in Genesis 24:47 *. From there it spread out to India and parts of Asia. India pierced beautiful girls with this jewelery to mark beauty, and also social standing in the 16th century. Later on the piercing was introduced by the hippie culture in the 1960s and '70s. Afterwards punks and subsequent youth cultures in the '80s and '90s adopted this sort of piercing.
Today, nostril piercing is popular in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Italy with piercings being performed on either the left or right nostril. Both men and women have nostril piercings, although they are much more common among women. Occasionally, people will have multiple nostril piercings, in either or both nostrils.
Nasal septum piercing
A nasal septum piercing is less common than nostril piercings. The nasal septum is the cartilaginous dividing wall between the nostrils. Generally, the cartilage itself is not pierced, but rather the small gap between the cartilage and the bottom of the nose, typically at a gauge no smaller than 14ga (1.6mm). The nose has many nerves running through it and as a result, nose piercings can be painful, although it varies by individual.
There are four types of jewelry generally worn in a septum piercing. Captive Bead Rings (CBRs) are rings that close with a bead in the centre. Circular Barbells (as shown in the picture) have two beads which screw on. Additionally, one can wear a "tusk" which is a straight or shaped piece of material which is generally tapered on either end. Another option is a septum retainer, which can be flipped up to hide the piercing.
Septum piercing was popular among certain Native American peoples in history; the Shawnee leaders Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa, for example, had such piercings. Septum piercing is sometimes performed on bulls as part of the process to break them for the farm. This process uses a hinged brass ring with sharpened ends to facilitate insertion. Afterwards, the open ends are held together by means of a screw.
This type of Nose piercing is particularly easy to hide for example if you work in a place with a dress code, as a circular barbell may be worn which makes it possible to turn the jewelry up into the nose thus concealing it.
Bridge piercing
Yet another nose piercing is the bridge piercing. This piercing is a surface piercing through the small flap of skin at the top of the nose, between the eyes. Barbell-style body jewellery is the most common jewellery worn in this piercing. This particular piercing is fairly rare.
See also
"Nose piercing"