Can a Septum Piercing Close Up? (Plus How to Prevent It)

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Stop your septum piercing from closing with our expert advice

Co-authored by Karissa Sanford and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: October 10, 2023 Fact Checked

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• Does a septum piercing close?
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• How long does it take?
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• Preventing It from Closing
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• What to Do If It Closes
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• Will it heal if you don't want it anymore?
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• Expert Interview
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• Warnings

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If you need to take your septum piercing out, there’s always a risk of the hole shrinking or closing. Septum piercings can close up when there isn’t any jewelry, and it may only take a few minutes or hours to happen. Luckily, keeping your piercing intact is easy as long as you keep your jewelry in. Keep reading, and we’ll cover how long it takes for a septum to close, what you can do to stop it, and what to do if you want to put jewelry back in. We’ll even explain how to make your piercing close if you decide you don’t want it anymore.

Things You Should Know

• Septum piercings may close whether they’re new or completely healed if you remove the jewelry. Piercing holes can shrink within minutes, but it may take a few days.
• Wear your septum jewelry at all times to prevent the piercing from closing. Flip the jewelry inside your nose or wear a plastic retainer if you want to hide the piercing.
• Visit a piercer if your septum closes completely to have it opened or re-pierced without the risk of skin damage.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

Does a septum piercing close?

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1. Yes, a septum piercing can shrink or close if you remove the jewelry. Just like any other piercing, there’s always potential for your septum to close when you take out the jewelry. Whether you got a brand new septum piercing or have one that’s fully healed, the hole is more likely to shrink the longer you leave your jewelry out.

   • The skin inside your piercing starts to rebuild itself when you remove your jewelry, so it can cause the hole to tighten or close off.
   • Even if the hole doesn’t close up completely, it may become too small to fit the original jewelry back in.
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Section 2 of 5:

How long does it take for a septum piercing to close?

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1. Septum piercings may close within minutes or days. How long it takes for septum piercings to close depends on many things, like the quality and size of the piercing, your age, how fast your body heals, and how well you take care of it. Even if your septum piercing has fully healed, it may still close within a few minutes without jewelry. For other people, it may instead take multiple days or even weeks for the piercing hole to shrink after you take out the jewelry.

   • Septum piercings go through a mucus membrane in your nose, which tends to close up faster than regular skin.

Section 3 of 5:

Preventing a Septum Piercing from Closing

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1. 1
   Let your piercing heal for 6–8 weeks before changing jewelry. After getting a new septum piercing, leave the original jewelry in for the entire time your septum is healing, which is about 6–8 weeks. As it’s healing, be sure to clean your piercing at least twice a day with saline solution to prevent infections.

   • Try not to move your jewelry around and be careful not to bump it, or it may increase your overall healing time.
2. 2
   Keep jewelry in your septum piercing at all times. Because the piercing hole can potentially shrink in a short time, just leave jewelry in as much as you can. If you want to change your jewelry, then wait until you have the new ring or barbell before taking the old one out. As long as you keep jewelry in your piercing, there’s no risk of the hole closing up.

   • If you notice your piercing is sore, red, puffy, or has a yellow discharge, then it may be infected. Even with an infection, leave your jewelry in so the bacteria doesn’t get trapped inside of your skin. Clean your piercing and contact your piercer or doctor to determine the next steps.
3. 3
   Wear a retainer or hide your jewelry when you don’t want it visible. If you have horseshoe-shaped jewelry in your septum, simply flip it up inside your nostrils so it’s out of sight. If you need to remove your jewelry completely after it’s healed, put in a plastic retainer to help hold the hole open and prevent it from closing.

   • If your septum piercing is still healing, you’re still able to flip it up and down, but keep the movements to a minimum so you don’t prolong your recovery.
   • Wash your hands any time you touch or handle your septum piercing to prevent bacteria from getting inside.
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Section 4 of 5:

What do you do if your septum piercing closes?

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1. See a piercer to reopen the hole if you want to put jewelry in again. If your piercing has already started to shrink, avoid forcing jewelry through it because you could damage your skin and cause infections. Instead, contact your piercer to see what they can do. They may be able to widen the piercing gently with special tools, or they may have to re-pierce the hole completely.

Section 5 of 5:

Will a septum piercing heal if you don’t want it anymore?

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1. Yes, the hole will close on its own once you remove the jewelry. Even if you decide you don’t want your septum pierced right after getting it, wait until it’s completely healed to remove the jewelry to prevent infections. After that, just remove the jewelry and let the hole shrink down, which may start within the first day or two. Usually, after a few months, only a small hole or mark will be visible once the piercing closes.
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Warnings

• Leave your jewelry in if your piercing is swollen, leaking colored discharge, or hot to the touch to prevent infections from getting trapped.
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