Your Burning Questions About Nose Piercings: Answered

I mentioned in my last post that I recently had my nose pierced. I've wanted a nose stud for years: I always used to look with deep envy at the tiny diamonds some Indian women wear (actually, if I had my way, I'd just BE Indian and wear saris everyday, etc...but that's another entry), so the day before Easter, I finally pulled the trigger. And I'm NOT SORRY.

Now, if you're anything like I was, you probably used to look at people with nose rings and wonder things like "how do you get it in there?" and "what happens if you get a cold?" I don't claim to be any great expert, me with my eight-day-old piercing, but I can give you a quick FAQ for the uninitiated.

1) Yes, it hurt. Not as badly as I thought it would, but I had a burly guy shove a 2.5 inch L-shaped needle manually through my cartilage. To be honest, the insertion of the jewelry was a bit more uncomfortable than the needle part. It bled, too: my sister said it looked like "turning on a faucet" This statement makes me a little worried about the plumbing at my sister's house, but never mind.

2) Sneezing is not a problem, despite what you might think, although it's a good idea to sneeze with your mouth open. I actually was afraid to sneeze for several days, what with images of shooting the stud across the room (ping!). Blowing one's nose, however - that's tricky. I'll let you know when I figure out an option that doesn't involve Q-tips (sorry). The biggest issue is that very little in the world makes you want to sneeze like having a giant metal rod in your nostril.

3) I am wearing what is called a "nose screw", which is kind of questionmark-shaped and holds its place with surprising security. It kind of curls around the upper edge of the nostril so that there's not a big thing of metal just floating loose in the cavity. There is no need for a back like an earring (talk about your germ traps) and no need to shove one's fingers up one's nose.

Tomorrow is my first day in front of students. I'll let you know how it goes.