The week I turned 18 I got both a tattoo and a septum piercing, but because most people are interested in the septum I decided to talk about that one. I know a lot of people wonder how it works and how much it hurts and so on and so on, but hers my own experience.
At A Glance Author madelinne Contact madelinne@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist kohri Studio chaos tattoo Location gastonia, nc My friend Kohri of Chaos Tattoo was my trusted piercer, because he was both my friend and a talented kind of guy. So I went in and he asked what I was looking for and I told him I wanted a nostril piercing. He looked at me funny and asked how I was going to hide it at work. I work at a taco bell, and though my managers are cool, they aren't that cool. And yes I said taco bell, imp 18 what do you expect? Anyway. So then he showed me that his septum ring went up into his nose. And I was a bit cautious about this, but decided that the septum would be really neat anyway.
So he sat me down and set up and put on a different pair of gloves every time he touched something, always washed his hands, and used sterile needles. Which is always a good thing. He took a toothpick and dipped it in something, it was colored and I think it was the antiseptic stuff. Anyway, so then he dotted on where the needle would go through. I decided to get a 16 gauge because my nose is small and I didn't want anything huge to be in my face. The one thing about the 16 gauge is that it tends to sway in your nose a lot. So the one thing people will most often tell you is that your nose ring is uneven. And then fix it. It's pretty strange, but you get used to it. Anyhow, so then the needle went through and I expected it to hurt a lot more then it did. The one thing it did do was cause a lot of pressure to build up and it does make your eyes water, not because of pain, but pressure. So that was a relief. It didn't bleed and the only times it hurt were when I would bump my nose against my shirt when I was changing or something, but it went away in about a week.
I'm very pleased with my septum ring and I like that it is in the middle of my face, like my labret is. It's easy to take care of and it doesn't get in the way of tissues. So don't worry about sneezing. In fact I have a cold right now and I don't notice its there.
You don't really need a retainer in order to stick the septum up your nose though; I actually find it to be a really neat trick when your out in public and start complaining about something being up your nose and then you pull the jewelry out.
The one thing about the septum though is that it's hard to find decent jewelry if you get anything other then a 14 gauge. I've been told that having a 16 gauge isn't the best thing in the world, because like I said, it sways. But if you're mostly concerned about a perfectly centered septum then get a sense of humor. Also when you lay down to take a nap or go to sleep you can feel the jewelry on your upper lip and it can get on your last nerve. The best thing I've found to do is push one side up so far into your nose that you can't push it anymore.
Also the ball on the right side of the jewelry used to come loose a lot until I went to pacific sunwear while I was in Florida and they sold me a pretty blue one. But getting the balls back onto a septum are hard, at least to me, because the ring is at an angle and they are small. So get someone who isn't grossed out by your nose to help you if you decide to change it or take it out. I also like to clean mine every once in a while. When this cold goes away I'll take it out and clean it. It just makes me feel better.
People have the misconception sometimes that the septum is way back near your skull, instead of closer to the tip of your nose, so if you don't like that idea then skip the septum. Also there isn't much of a variety in jewelry except for expensive kinds or colored ones like I have, so most girls don't like getting these types of piercing. Which is fine.
Anyhow, as my last piece of advice: if you decide to get a septum, then don't let the people at work make you a nametag that says 'Bull winkle', because then people will ask you if that's your real name.