I received a message from a woman who had a nostril piercing problem:
I have been having difficulty accepting the placement of my nose piercing lately. When I first got it pierced back in march it was placed perfectly and I was completely happy with it. About a month ago I woke up with no piercing and a tiny bump covering my piercing hole. I just used another nose stud to push through the bump to save the piercing, and although it worked I think I "re-pierced" it tiny bit off from the original opening of the hole. Now to me my piercing sits back a little too much and also tilts back a little. I just would really appreciate your opinion on whether I should take out the piercing and let it close to get it re-pierced again by a professional. Thanks so much!
My reply:
If you hate it every time you look at it, then that would be a reason to take it out. If you go back and forth sometimes feeling fine about it, then it might be best just to let it stay.
One potential consideration is how far away the repierced placement would be from where it is now. If it is only a millimeter or two, then there's some risk of the repiercing merging with the channel you created, and then you'd end up right back to where you're starting from.
If you decide to abandon the current placement, I would suggest you wait six months to a year before repiercing in order to maximize your chance of success in having the repiercing hold its position.
The image from The Piercing Bible shows what I refer to as the "pleasing triangle" and the placement is decribed below:
Nostril Piercing: Placement
The traditional placement for a nostril piercing is at the crease line on the side of the nose. A big smile accentuates this feature to help pinpoint the spot. This area is often thinner than the rest of the nose, so it may heal faster and feel less tender when pierced. The jewelry will rest in a natural niche, where it nestles most gracefully. I find it aesthetically pleasing when the placement of the piercing forms a relatively equilateral triangular shape with the opening of your nostril, from end to end.
Depending on your preferences, other placements are also possible: higher or lower, closer to the tip of your nose or your face. The backing of a nostril screw or mini barbell will be visible when the piercing is too low, even if the jewelry is properly sized. Multiple nostril piercings are another possibility. Due to space constraints, you will achieve the most attractive, comfortable results when you decide on an overall plan before your first piercing is made.
I hope this is helpful.
