A nose retainer is a small, discreet piece of jewelry or a medical device designed to keep an opening in the nose from closing. The term covers two very different products: piercing retainers, which hold a nose piercing open when regular jewelry isn’t practical, and medical retainers, which maintain airway shape after nasal surgery or reconstruction. Most people searching this term are looking for the piercing version, but both types serve the same core purpose: preventing tissue from shrinking or sealing shut.
Piercing Retainers: Keeping Your Hole Open
A nose piercing retainer is a small, nearly invisible placeholder you insert into your piercing when you can’t or don’t want to wear standard jewelry. Common reasons include workplace dress codes, school policies, medical imaging like MRIs, or surgery. Without something in the hole, a nose piercing can begin closing within hours, especially if it’s newer. A retainer solves this by filling the channel (called a fistula) with a low-profile, often clear or skin-toned piece that’s hard to spot.
Retainers come in the same gauges as regular nose jewelry, typically 18 or 20 gauge for nostril piercings and 14 or 16 gauge for septum piercings. Most have a flat or rounded top that sits flush against the skin rather than a visible gem or hoop.
Materials and Which to Choose
The material matters more than you might expect, especially if your piercing is still healing or you have sensitive skin.
- Glass: The gold standard for sensitivity. It’s hypoallergenic, doesn’t harbor bacteria the way plastic can, and is safe for healing piercings. Glass retainers are also the best choice for MRI scans, since they contain no metal. If you need a retainer for a medical procedure, glass is the safest bet.
- PTFE (Bioflex): A flexible, biocompatible plastic that bends with your body. It’s safe for new and healing piercings and can be trimmed to length. Its flexibility makes it comfortable for septum piercings.
- Medical-grade silicone: Soft and comfortable for healed piercings. Not all silicone is medical-grade, though. Cheap versions can cause reactions, so check product labeling before buying.
- Acrylic: The most affordable option, but it has real downsides. Acrylic can become brittle over time, holds bacteria more readily than glass, and isn’t suitable for fresh or healing piercings. It also can’t be sterilized in an autoclave because it isn’t heat-resistant.
If you’re prone to metal irritation or have sensitive skin, glass or medical-grade silicone are your safest options.
Using a Retainer for Surgery or MRIs
Metallic body jewelry should be removed before entering an MRI environment because of potential safety risks from the magnetic field. The problem is that even short-term removal can allow the piercing tract to start closing. A nonmetallic retainer, particularly glass, lets you keep the channel open without interfering with imaging. For other surgeries, retainers prevent the need to repierce later, since operating rooms typically require all metal jewelry to be removed.
If your procedure is scheduled, swap to a retainer a day or two beforehand to make sure it fits comfortably and stays in place. Your piercer can help you find the right size and material if you’re unsure.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Clean your retainer after every use with warm water and mild soap. For a deeper clean, you can place silicone retainers in boiling water using a sterilization container. Avoid chemical cleaning products on silicone, as they can degrade the material over time. Glass retainers are the easiest to keep sanitary because their smooth, nonporous surface resists bacterial buildup. A quick soak in saline solution works well for day-to-day care, just as you’d clean regular piercing jewelry.
Medical Nose Retainers After Surgery
In a medical setting, “nose retainer” refers to a device placed inside the nostril to preserve its shape during healing. These are used after rhinoplasty (nose jobs), nasal reconstruction, and cleft lip and palate repair.
After rhinoplasty, a small plastic splint is typically worn for one to two weeks to minimize swelling and maintain the nose’s new shape. This external or internal splint is sometimes called a nasal retainer, though surgeons more often use the term “splint.”
After nasal reconstruction, the stakes are higher. Multiple surgical steps can produce prolonged scarring, which increases the risk of nostril stenosis, a condition where scar tissue narrows or closes the nostril opening. Nasal retainers placed inside the nostrils keep airways open, support healing tissue, and resist the natural contraction that scar tissue undergoes. Medical nostril retainers come in a wide range of sizes, from 16 mm to 30 mm wide, with both standard and long versions to fit different anatomy. They’re typically made from silicone or coated medical-grade materials that absorb secretions without sticking to the wound.
Retainers in Cleft Lip and Palate Care
For infants born with cleft lip and palate, a specialized device called a nasoalveolar molding (NAM) appliance uses small nasal stents to reshape the nose before surgery. These wire-and-acrylic stents gently lift and position the nasal cartilage during the newborn period, reducing the severity of the deformity so that surgical repair is simpler and produces better results. In babies with bilateral clefts (affecting both sides), the stents can even gradually lengthen the columella, the strip of tissue between the nostrils, without surgery, using slow, steady pressure that encourages tissue expansion.
Septal Buttons: A Different Device
A septal button is sometimes confused with a nose retainer, but it serves a distinct purpose. It’s a small, flexible plug placed through a hole (perforation) in the nasal septum, the wall between your two nasal passages. Septal perforations can cause crusting, nosebleeds, airway obstruction, and a whistling sound when breathing. A septal button seals the hole from both sides using pliable discs connected by a flexible hub, and it can be placed in an office setting under local anesthesia. Some patients with septal perforations also see improvements in sleep quality, specifically in sleep apnea severity, after a button is placed.