Removing a nostril piercing is straightforward once you know what type of jewelry you’re working with and how to handle it safely. Most nostril jewelry comes out with clean hands, a little patience, and the right technique for the specific style. Before you start, make sure your piercing is fully healed, which takes a minimum of six months for most nostril piercings.
Make Sure Your Piercing Is Ready
A nostril piercing goes through several healing stages, and removing jewelry too early can cause problems. The piercing may look calm on the surface while still healing internally. Most nostril piercings need at least six months before the tissue is stable enough for safe jewelry removal. If your piercing is newer than that, you risk irritation, swelling, or difficulty reinserting jewelry later.
If your piercing is actively infected, with swelling, heat, redness, or pus, leave the jewelry in. Removing it can trap the infection beneath the skin by allowing the hole to close over it. The NHS advises keeping jewelry in during an infection unless a doctor specifically tells you to take it out.
Identify Your Jewelry Type
Nostril jewelry comes in several styles, and each one has a different removal method. Before you start tugging, figure out what you’re dealing with:
- L-shaped stud: A straight post with a 90-degree bend at the bottom that hooks inside your nostril.
- Nose screw (corkscrew): A post with a curved, spiral-shaped tail that twists into place inside the nose.
- Push-pin or threadless stud: A decorative top that presses into a hollow post. There’s no screw mechanism, just friction holding it together.
- Nose bone: A straight post with a small ball on the end that pops through the hole.
- Hoop or seamless ring: A circular ring that passes through the piercing, sometimes with a bead or clasp holding it closed.
How to Remove Each Style
L-Shaped Studs
Wash your hands thoroughly or put on clean latex or nitrile gloves. Gently grip the decorative top on the outside of your nose with one hand. With your other hand, reach inside your nostril and feel for the L-shaped bend. Push the end of the post slightly toward the piercing hole from the inside while pulling the top gently outward. The post should slide straight out once the bend clears the inside of your nostril. A slow, steady pull works better than a quick yank.
Nose Screws (Corkscrews)
These are the trickiest to remove because of their spiral shape. Hold the decorative top firmly and slowly rotate the jewelry, following the curve of the corkscrew. Think of it like unscrewing. You’ll feel the curved tail moving through the piercing channel as you twist. Some people find it helps to gently push inward first to give the curve room to rotate, then pull outward while continuing to twist. Go slowly. Forcing it can scratch the inside of the piercing.
Push-Pin or Threadless Studs
Grip the flat backing (the part inside your nostril) firmly between your thumb and finger. With your other hand, hold the decorative top and pull it straight out from the post. These rely on a slight bend in the pin to stay in place, so you may need a firm, deliberate pull. If your fingers slip, wearing gloves gives you better grip.
Nose Bones
These have a small ball on the end of the post that sits inside your nostril. The ball is slightly wider than the piercing hole, so removal requires gently pulling the stud straight out. It will pop through with mild resistance. This can pinch briefly but shouldn’t be painful in a fully healed piercing.
Hoops and Rings
For a seamless ring (no visible opening), hold the ring on either side of where the gap is and gently pull the ends apart. If the ring is snug or stiff, small sterilized jewelry pliers can help you open it without bending the ring out of shape. For captive bead rings, grip the ring on both sides of the bead and pull gently apart until the bead pops free, then slide the ring out. If the bead feels tight, pliers make this much easier.
What to Do When Jewelry Is Stuck
Don’t force it. Tugging hard on stuck jewelry risks tearing the piercing tissue. Instead, try softening the area first. Spraying sterile saline solution around the piercing loosens dried skin cells and debris that may be holding the jewelry in place. A water-based lubricant applied around the post or ring also reduces friction and helps it slide. Avoid oil-based lubricants, which can clog the piercing and irritate the skin.
Clean gloves make a noticeable difference in grip, especially with small, smooth jewelry. If you’ve tried lubricant and gentle manipulation and the jewelry still won’t budge, visit a professional piercer. They have tools designed for this and can remove stubborn pieces in seconds without damaging your piercing.
Cleaning the Site After Removal
If you’re removing the jewelry permanently, the hole still needs care while it closes. The Association of Professional Piercers recommends continuing to clean the site with sterile saline wound wash (0.9% sodium chloride, no other ingredients) until the hole has fully closed. Don’t mix your own salt solution at home. Homemade mixtures tend to be too concentrated, which dries out the skin and slows healing.
Spray the saline directly on the site once or twice a day. Avoid touching, twisting, or picking at the closing hole. Keep makeup, moisturizers, and other products away from it until the skin has sealed over completely.
How Quickly the Hole Closes
Closure time varies significantly from person to person. A newer piercing (under a year old) can start to shrink within hours of removing the jewelry, and may close completely within a day or two. A piercing you’ve had for several years may never close entirely, though it will likely shrink to the point where jewelry can’t pass through without re-piercing.
If you’re removing jewelry temporarily, for a medical procedure or a work event, reinsert it as soon as possible. Even well-established piercings can tighten quickly enough to make reinsertion difficult. Some people keep a clear glass or plastic retainer on hand for situations where visible jewelry isn’t appropriate but they want to keep the piercing open.