You’ve heard about earlobe stretching, but did you know there is such a thing as septum stretching? It may sound odd and probably scary, but many people do walk into piercing studios and request to have their septum piercings stretched. So, where is a septum piercing located?
A septum piercing is located at the very tip of your nose. It’s placed in a membranous area of your nasal vestibule. The piercing doesn’t go through a cartilage but rather through thin tissues. It’s a hard and strong area that makes stretching a bit tricky.
Septum Stretching 101
Understanding Septum Piercings
A septum piercing is a unique type of piercing that goes through a piece of flesh in your nose that separates your left and right nostrils. Professional piercers refer to this area as the “sweet spot” or the “columella .”This is the part that gets stretched.
After a successful stretching process, there is a possibility that your nose may change in appearance. The initial size of the ring is gauge 14, but you must wait until it has completely healed before you can start stretching it. To ensure you get the right size, we highly recommend you hire a professional piercer to do it.
Septum Stretching Process
To stretch the septum, you’ll need a ring or a single flared jewelry in the size of your choice. You must decide on a size because if you keep changing sizes, you might cause damage to your piercing. For instance, if you start with a 14-gauge piercing, then the next size will be 12-gauge—people who started with 14-gauge and immediately stretched it to a ten suffered significant piercing damage.
If you’re eager to jump sizes, we urge you to ask a professional piercer to look and see if the size you want is feasible and safe. Before stretching your septum, you’ll need to wait for at least 30 to 60 days because if you do it too early, you might traumatize the piercing.
In septum stretching, you’ll need a water-based lubricant and a taper. Professional piercers suggest you use Lubriderm or KY Jelly.
A taper is a long metal device that starts small and gradually increases in size. The taper is coated in lubricant and then inserted into the piercing with the piece of jewelry placed in the concave part of the taper.
Stretching the septum is quite different from stretching earlobes because of its cartilage. If you continue to stretch your septum into much larger sizes, there’s a tendency that the cartilage will shrink and cause your nose to change in shape. However, smaller sizes don’t usually cause distortion.
Septum Stretching Healing
After getting your septum stretched, you should be responsible for following through with aftercare. During the first couple of weeks, swelling and discomfort are expected, which is why we recommend you wait at least six months before getting another stretch.
Waiting at least two months is an acceptable time frame, but we still suggest you carefully assess your piercing. During the healing period, do not apply alcohol, Neosporin Bactine, or hydrogen peroxide on your septum since these products may potentially cause irritation and, as a result, lead to a delayed healing time.
The best way to expedite the healing process after a septum stretch is to apply the saline solution on the site.
Septum Stretch Aftercare
After a septum stretch, you’re expected to follow aftercare instructions. Soak the area with saline solution twice a day for 14 days after getting the stretch. You can make your own sea salt soak or purchase a saline solution in your local pharmacy.
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