Can You Wear Makeup after Nose Piercing?

Did you just pierce your nose? It’s such a cool look, but if you want it to continue to look good, you should be careful immediately following the piercing. You certainly don’t want it to get infected.

However, applying makeup before and after getting your nose pierced is not the same as you’ll need to take a few extra precautions.

Yet, if you take good care of your nose piercing, it’ll look great for years to come!

Can You Wear Makeup after Nose Piercing?

You can’t wear makeup after nose piercing. Instead, you should wait until your nose has completely healed, which takes 1 to 2 months. However, you can apply the makeup around the pierced area.

Just avoid putting any pressure on the piercing and keep it clean, as research has shown that areas like your nose are more susceptible to infections after piercing.

Nose piercings take time to heal up. Everything you put on your face has the potential to aggravate that healing process. I know makeup is life, but you should wait it out. You certainly don’t want the piercing to swell up.

With nose piercings, it is easy for bacteria and germs to get in there. The more stuff you put near it, the more you could put yourself at risk for an infection. And a serious infection of that new piercing would mean you’d need to take it out.

But don’t worry! I promise you won’t have to be bare-faced for long, unless you want to be. There’s nothing wrong with going natural, but if you have any events coming up that you want to wear makeup for or you just like preening and all that, keep reading and I’ll walk you through wearing makeup after getting your nose pierced.

I want you to do it the right way so you won’t risk infections or complications so read onward!

When Can I Wear Makeup after Nose Piercing?

Since your nose piercing is right in the center of your face, you want to be sure to take good care of it. Neglecting to follow the proper procedure for cleaning it daily can lead to infections or slower healing.

Experts recommend you stay away from makeup until it heals. That can take 1 to 2 months. But if things are healing nicely, you might be able to get away with it sooner.

The struggle is surely real for us makeup-lovers! If you can’t wait at all, I get it, which is why I have some tips for navigating your nose piercing and makeup application in a safe way following further below so keep reading!

How to Help Your Nose Piercing Heal Properly

But first, before I go into all that, let’s get that piercing healed up as quickly and healthily as possible. I’ve got some great tips for you to help manage that and keep infections away to make the healing process go more smoothly.

■ Aftercare Should Start on the Day You’re Getting Your Nose Pierced

From that same day you get your nose pierced, you should be fully devoted to caring for it. That means keeping things clean. Before you clean your piercing area, you should wash your hands.

You’ll need a saline solution that you’ll likely get from the place that performed the piercing. You can also make your own though with ¼ of a teaspoon of fine sea salt and warm water.

Cotton swabs like those by Q-tips(Amazon link), yes, that’s the brand’s name, or bulb syringes work the best for application. If you’re really in a pinch, you can simply dunk your nose into a cup or bowl with the saltwater creation.

One day one, you’re likely to experience some pain and tenderness, so take it easy. Be gentle and avoid touching the area. Don’t even think of touching it with your hands if you haven’t cleaned them. That will make it easier to get an infection.

■ The Aftercare Continues after You’ve Pierced Your Nose

It doesn’t stop there, loves, for you must continue to pamper your piercing on your nose until it heals completely. As good protocol, it’s wise to keep up the habit a week or more following that. Even when it looks healed, it might need more recovery time.

The thing about proper aftercare is that it all revolves around hygiene. You have to keep up your habit of using saline or that saltwater solution I mentioned to gently cleanse it. This stuff keeps bacteria from building up and causing an infection.

Infections are painful and they’ll look way gross which you want to avoid at all costs. So, religiously clean your nose piercing each day. The salt also won’t impede the healthy skin cells that are working hard to regenerate around the area of your piercing.

You can also choose specialty aftercare products if you prefer. The place you had your piercing done might even recommend a few things like Urban ReLeaf’s Piercing Solution (Amazon link) which has 4 oz of a sea salt solution mixed with tea tree oil, aloe vera, and vitamin E to moisturize and nourish your skin, as for the application, you can use those medical cotton swabs I’ve mentioned earlier to get the most mileage out of your piercing solution.

And that’s great but do know that that adds to your overall costs for upkeep of your new piercing, granted, together, they’d only set you back about $20 but if you’re on a tight budget, you can make due with the tips I’ve mentioned before.

Whatever you do, whether you make a saltwater solution, use saline, or use something recommended by the piercing artist, keep your nose clean as they say!

Don’t be alarmed if you notice clear discharge around your nose piercing during the healing process. It usually dries and creates a crusty appearance around it. While it is incredibly tempting to pick at it or move your jewelry around, leave it be. It’s all very normal.

If it’s bothering you that much, take a cotton swab and soak it in that saline solution, then gently apply it to the crusty area. Whatever you do, DO NOT use that cotton swab to pry away the crust.

Incidentally, on the interior of your nose, you should also be cleaning it in this fashion. Again, there’s no poking and prodding. Be gentle with your cotton swab soaked in saline.

A great time to get rid of any crusty buildup is in the shower. The warmth and the steam usually make it come off on its own.

And speaking of being in the shower, don’t forget that you should use a mild soap on the actual jewelry every day. This further helps cleanse away bacteria and crust that might adhere to your nose stud or ring.

A good way to tell that your piercing has finally healed is when you stop noticing that clear discharge. From this point on, you can simply wash it as you normally would the rest of your face with a mild soap.

You may want to touch up though once daily with the saline for about a week or so after that just to be sure. Then reserve your saline and cotton swabs for care should it get ripped or torn. In those instances, you’ll want to baby it as you did when you first got the piercing.

Just because your nose piercing has healed though doesn’t mean you should play around with your piercing. Follow clean-hand procedures and take the time to change and clean your piercing jewelry with mild soap and water at a minimum of once a week.

As the healing process continues, you can start to think of applying natural oils after you cleanse the area. Coconut oil, jojoba and even emu oil work great. They also make moisturizing products designed specifically for those with piercings in the face like this one by Tea Tree essential oil.

Now that you know how to clean and care for your nose piercing, you might be wondering what you should avoid. Follow me further down as I discuss all the pitfalls you should stay away from!

Things You Should Stay Away from When Your Nose Piercing Is Still Healing

Once you’ve had your piercing for a while, you’ll be used to it. But during these early days, it’s so important to avoid making any of the mistakes I’m about to talk about. During the healing process, it’s a very tender time for your skin.

You don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the piercing with bacteria. If you get an infection, it will slow down the speed of healing and you’ll just be waiting longer for it to get better.

Even worse, infections can leave behind scars and bumps, so please read on to see what you need to avoid during this healing time!

■ Touching Your Jewelry

I have talked about keeping skin clean and clear in my posts before, especially when it comes to oily skin. One of the biggest offenders is hands on the face. When you keep touching your face and touching your jewelry with unwashed hands, it’s the most likely way you’re going to get an infection.

Think about all the things you touch all day, every day. You open the door at the office. You touch the railing on the subway. You put your hands on the counter while waiting for them to make your burrito at Chipotle. You get the idea.

Germs on hands are one of the biggest reasons why people get sick. Keep. Your. Hands. Away. From. Your. Piercing!

■ Always Wash Your Hands before Cleaning Your Piercing

Now, the only time I’ll permit you to touch your piercing is when you’re going to clean it like the good girl you are who wants to avoid an infection.

But again, see my first point. Don’t touch your face or your piercing with dirty hands. So, wash your hands well with warm water and mild soap before you begin that cleaning!

■ Using the Wrong Products When Cleaning Your Piercing

Alcohol and peroxide are great when you trip over your dog’s leash and scrape up your leg. They’re not great for the tender area on your nose where your new piercing is. These harsh ingredients can cause irritation which is something you definitely want to avoid.

Stick to the saline solution, that saltwater mix, or any product recommended by a professional and expert piercer in the business that is designed for helping clean it and heal it.

■ Taking off Your Jewelry during the Healing Process

Chances are, if you got your nose pierced, you likely have your ears pierced. Am I right? If you were old enough to remember having your ears pierced (some parents have their children’s ears pierced as babies), then you probably recall one of the biggest rules…you need to leave that jewelry in your nose piercing for the entirety of the healing period.

Taking it out too soon could close the hole up, even on the same day!

If it’s really bothering you, go back to the piercing studio and they can replace the jewelry with another option that will work better for you. Never do it alone!

Once your piercing has healed, you can feel free to change your jewelry whenever you wish. Just remember that even after healing, if you take your nose jewelry out, you should aim to put something back in its place as soon as possible.

People with nose piercings that have had them for years have had them close up completely within just a few days of having the jewelry out. Then you’ll have to start all over again.

■ Applying Your Makeup and Skincare Products over Your Pierced Nose

I promised you makeup tips for nose piercings, and that’s coming in just a second! But first, please, do not but your makeup, moisturizer, or other cosmetics on the area of the piercing.

I’m going to tell you how to apply makeup to avoid a mishap so you don’t get an infection in your nose piercing.

■ Swimming

I love swimming just as much as the next gal, but when you have a new piercing (in your nose or anywhere else), swimming is a horrible thing to do. In pools, hot tubs, and natural bodies of water, there are tons of bacteria floating around. You’re extra susceptible to infections during this time.

With a nose piercing, you are lucky in that you can keep your head out of the water. However, be careful with splashing children or drunkenly-splashing friends who might accidentally get your piercing wet.

How to Wear Makeup around Your Nose Piercing

Ah, finally we’re here! So, you want to know how to wear makeup without antagonizing your new nose piercing. Again, I must insist you wait about 5 to 7 days minimum before you attempt it. You probably won’t feel up for it before then anyway. Piercings do have that mighty sting. Here’s what to do!

■ Use an Angled Brush to Apply Foundation around Your Nose Piercing

If you don’t already have an angled eyeliner brush, get one. This is such a handy little tool for so many things, but while your nose piercing is healing, it can help you obtain more control near the area of your piercing. You’ll want to prime the area too.

Follow these simple steps with your angled brush and foundation:

• Dip that angled brush! Put it into the foundation without dunking the entire brush. You want to minimize how much product you get on it. That area is very tiny around your piercing and you have to paint the surrounding portions in such a way that you don’t get too close.
• Be gentle! Don’t rub your brush on your skin. Use the tip of the brush to tap like a Monet in the vicinity. With the angled brush, it’s so much easier to be precise without touching the tender healing area.
• Give it the finger! No, not THAT one! Clean your hands and use your pinkie to blend the foundation AWAY from the piercing. Do not touch the jewelry with your fingers or the brush. You don’t want to ruin the dazzle of your jewelry.

■ Use a Cotton Swab or a Q-Tip to Apply Concealer around Your Nose Piercing

Not in the mood to wear foundation but want some coverage? Perhaps you don’t have an angled brush around your makeup kit. Not a problem. A simple cotton swab can help with that. Here’s how to work it!

• Use medium coverage concealer! Concealer is ideal if you have some blemishes in the vicinity of the piercing. Concealers that come in twist-tubes are super-good for being precise. You won’t even need a Q-tip!
• Or use that Q-tip! If you have a foundation or cream concealer, you can gently apply it with a cotton swab. It definitely works in a pinch!
• Tapered makeup brushes work too! If you want the concealer to give you coverage rather than a full face of foundation, tapered blending brushes can really make skin flaws vanish away and are easy to use without upsetting the site of the piercing.

■ Or Simply Use Your Fingertips

You can always use the hands you were born with to apply makeup, but remember my golden rule: WASH THEM FIRST! It’s messier than using makeup tools or cotton swabs, but it will get the job done.

One thing about fingertips though is if you have bulkier fingers, you might not be able to get close to the piercing without touching it. So err on the side of caution. If you think you can’t get up close enough, then choose one of the other methods. You don’t want to get makeup in that piercing.

Consider sweating as well. If you live in a hot climate or you go to the gym, you should be extra careful with makeup moving down your face and into the piercing area.

While going to the gym with makeup on isn’t the best idea even without a piercing since it can lead to breakouts, you can’t avoid sliding makeup when you live somewhere hot or it’s summertime. That’s why you should wait until it heals, but if you can’t, be gentle and light in your application.

Conclusion

You can wear makeup after you get your nose pierced, but you should most definitely wait before you bust out your favorite makeup. The longer you wait, the less likely to get an infection. Waiting for 1 to 2 months until the piercing has fully healed is the ideal situation of all.

By following these proper care tips and keeping it clean, you’ll be able to enjoy that extra bit of dazzle that will bring more light to the center of your face!