The Bridge Piercing: Everything You Need to Know

These days, almost every inch of your body can be pierced. Surface piercings allow you to pierce flat areas of the skin that are seemingly unpierceable, like the hip or chest.

One such piercing that’s growing in popularity is the bridge piercing.

Pain And Healing Time

The bridge piercing goes through the flesh at the bridge of your nose, and since there aren’t many nerve endings in that area, it shouldn’t hurt too badly. The piercer will pinch the skin and push the needle straight through in order to complete the procedure.

This piercing takes around 4 - 6 months to heal, but it could take longer for internal healing. Healing times will greatly depend upon your aftercare practices. Because it will appear healed before it has healed fully, you should visit your piercer to confirm healing before stopping aftercare practices.

Aftercare

It might look like the bridge piercing requires a hefty aftercare regimine, but surface piercings heal similarly to any other piercing.

Clean the piercing 2 - 3 times daily with a piercing aftercare saline solution. Either use an aftercare spray, which you will spray directly onto the piercing and let dry, or soak a clean paper towel in saline solution and gently apply to the piercing for 3 - 5 minutes. It’s important that you use a saline aftercare solution that only contains salt and water. Some piercing aftercare solutions contain additives like tea tree oil that will actually irritate the piercing.

Be careful not to snag the jewelry. This is especially important if you wear glasses or sunglasses. When you place your bridge piercing, make sure that it won’t interfere with the bridge of your glasses, and be careful when taking them off or putting them on during healing.

No makeup or face products near the jewelry. These contain chemicals that will irritate the skin, contributing to infection and rejection.

Bridge Piercing Side Effects

Like all piercings, the bridge piercing is susceptible to side effects. Luckily, these side effects are mostly avoidable through proper care, but they can appear even if you do everything right. 

Piercing infections are among the most talked about side effects. However, they are rarer than you might think and usually appear due to poor aftercare practices. Signs of a piercing infection include intense swelling, a hot feeling around the piercing site, yellow or green discharge, and excessive bleeding. In extreme cases, you might see lines coming from the piercing site. If you suspect a piercing infection, contact a medical professional immediately.

Piercing bumps are probably the most common piercing side effect. They can occur due to poor aftercare practices, exposure to dampness, trauma to the piercing site, snags, and irritation. The most common piercing bumps are pustules (pimple-like bumps), irritation bumps (rash-like bumps), or hypertrophic scarring. Luckily, most of these will go away on their own over time or with proper treatment. If you develop a piercing bump, talk to your piercer about treatment options.

Piercing rejection usually occurs due to a bad snag or the piercing not getting pierced deeply enough. Signs of piercing infection include red, flaky skin around the piercing site, a growing piercing hole, or jewelry that’s noticeably moved. It usually occurs during the healing period, but it can happen at any point in the piercing’s life. If you suspect that your bridge piercing is rejecting, talk to your piercer about your options. Unfortunately, they will likely recommend that you remove the jewelry to let the piercing heal and try again later. 

A note on keloids: Keloids are often misattributed as a common piercing complication. This is woefully wrong. Keloids are the result of a genetic disorder that only affects about 10% of the global population. They can appear after any injury, even bug bites, and they are a side effect of too much collagen production. They are quite large, discolored, and they require surgery to remove. If you or a family member has never had a keloid before, it’s almost certain that you aren’t developing one as the result of your piercing.

A note on glasses: Many people often ask if their glasses will affect their bridge piercing. The good news is that most bridge piercings are placed above where most glasses sit on the nose, so it shouldn’t pose an issue. Just take care as you take your glasses off not to jostle the jewelry.

Cost of a Bridge Piercing

You can expect to pay around $50 for a bridge piercing. It must be done correctly in order to avoid rejection, so make sure to choose a piercer with surface piercing expertise.

Bridge Piercing Jewelry

The only jewelry you can wear in a bridge piercing are straight barbells. This will best fit the anatomy of your nose and decrease the risk of rejection.

The gauge of the jewelry will depend upon your anatomy, so you must listen to your piercer’s recommendation.

Once the piercing has fully healed, you can opt for straight barbells with gemstones, spikes, pearls, or other gorgeous bead ends. 

How to Change Your Jewelry

Because of the location of the bridge piercing, changing the jewelry might take some practice. Simply remove the internally threaded bead end from one side of your straight barbell, carefully slip the bar through your piercing, and twist the bead end securely into place. Make sure that it’s not too tight to avoid stripping the threading.

Due to the piercing location and the long piercing tunnel, you may struggle to change your jewelry at first. Head to your piercer for help so that you aren’t messing with the piercing too much. They’ll also be able to show you some techniques so that you can change it on your own in the future.

For a look that’s edgy and interesting, try the bridge piercing today.