Bridge Piercing Experience

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Karen L. Hudson is a tattoo artist and contributing writer for . She has been an amateur artist as a hobby since grade school, and served a 12 month tattoo apprenticeship in a tattoo studio.

Bridge piercings are notoriously edgy, but they come with some concerns. Namely: how much does it hurt and what's the aftercare like? Bridge piercings can be surprisingly subtle despite their unusual placement, but they're always eye-catching. If you're wondering whether or not you'd be a good candidate for a bridge piercing, or thinking about getting one and daunted by the prospect of taking care of it, you've come to the right place.

Nose Piercing: Everything You Need To Know

A bridge piercing—also called an Erl—is a horizontal bar that sits across the bridge of the nose. It's considered a surface piercing since most people don't have a lot of flesh for the jewelry to grab onto in this area, so the risk of migration and rejection is high.

Aftercare: Clean twice a day with salt water rinse or a piercing-friendly cleanser recommended by your piercer. Avoid touching or twisting. Do not change jewelry until the piercing is completely healed.

The short answer is: maybe. Everyone’s pain tolerance is different so it’s not easy to narrow down pain level, but since the bridge piercing is pierced through tissue, and not cartilage or an area with a lot of nerves, people say it’s not that painful of a piercing, says piercing artist Tess Dipple. More like you feel slight discomfort.

Bridge Piercing Information & Aftercare

A representative from New York Adorned concurs, telling : Bridge piercings can be a little higher on the 'pinch and pressure' scale, but if you’ve gotten any cartilage piercings on your ear you should be able to handle a bridge piercing.

A bridge piercing can take eight to 10 weeks, maybe even up to 12 weeks to allow the soft tissue to heal, says Dr. Paul B. Dean, a dermatologist. After this time, you can change to a shorter curved barbell if needed, but it will take an additional period of several weeks for the inner tissue to heal.

All piercings, including bridge piercings, are $40 at New York Adorned, says the salon's rep. Be wary of salons that charge significantly less, as they might not be reputable.

The Sims Resource

Dipple says she charges $50 for the bridge piercing and titanium jewelry, which is sterilized in our hospital-grade autoclave and is included in the price.

Every shop is going to have different prices for piercings, but if you pay anywhere from $30-$50, you should be fairly safe if you've done your research. The jewelry will be the biggest price variable.

It's important to keep the piercing area free of exposure to harsh cleansers, makeup, and hair products during the initial healing time.

How Long Does It Take A Nose Piercing To Heal?

The most important way to care for a bridge piercing is to keep things clean. A bridge piercing should be cleaned daily with a gentle cleanser and also using a warm salt water rinse two times a day to remove any bacteria, says Dean.

At New York Adorned, piercers recommend NeilMed Piercing Aftercare Fine Mist Wound Wash ($14) to their clients. It’s a gentle spray we ask clients to apply morning and night.

Contrary to popular belief, you shouldn't poke and prod your new piercing too much—including rotating it. Twisting and turning used to be standard for aftercare, but new protocol says to leave the jewelry in place for the duration of your healing process and avoiding fiddling with it—the only things we want touching that area are warm water and saline spray. Ultimately you want to prevent any trauma to that area while your body is healing, says the NY Adorned rep.

Bridge Piercing Full Guide To Get Pierced In 2022

If you want to change out your jewelry, we recommend coming in to visit us (or a reputable piercer in your area) for help, as body jewelry can be tricky to maneuver—especially if you're not familiar with it, says the New York Adorned rep.

It's important that you wait long enough after the initial piercing before swapping your jewelry. You shouldn't remove or replace jewelry until the area is completely healed, cautions Dean.

The starting gauge of your piercing needs to be determined by your piercer, based on how much tissue you have available in this area. The larger gauge you can comfortably wear, the better (to hopefully prevent rejection).

The Complete Guide To Getting A Nose Piercing, From Nostril To Nasallang

Contrary to the rumor that a bridge piercing will make you cross-eyed, no Erl piercees have reported any involuntary eye-crossing. Most forget it's even there. If you're noticing the jewelry out of the corner of your eye, the bar is probably too long. It shouldn't be any more visible to you than your nose itself.

Bridge piercings also don't interfere with the wearing of glasses or sunglasses. Just make sure it's pierced up high enough and you should be fine.Once you start piercing any part of your body, you’ll never be able to stop. Trust us; we’ve seen it one too many times. The adrenaline and the euphoria that come with piercings are truly mystifying. One of the most exotic piercings yet is insanely popular these days is bridge piercing. Its location is quite unusual – found on the bridge of your nose.

The eccentricity of its position requires the exclusive use of barbel jewelry. You can’t wear rings because they are too small and all other designs don’t fit this particular piercing. The upside to bridge piercing is that it’s not as painful as cartilage piercings.

What Is A Bridge Piercing? Costs, Healing, Pain, Aftercare, Jewelry

However, you must find a reliable and experienced piercer to do it since the process of placing it in the center of your face can be challenging. Let’s learn more about bridge piercing and why people go crazy over it.

A bridge piercing, also known as Erl piercing, is placed right in the middle of your nose across the bridge. In this piercing, the barbell jewelry is inserted at the smallest area of your nose in between your eyes.

Anyone who has the guts to pierce their nose bridge qualifies for a bridge piercing. But, if you are wearing corrective eyeglasses, you have to be extra careful with their position making sure it doesn’t interfere with your lenses. If it does, try finding a shorter barbell or find a piece of jewelry with a flat end.

Nose Bridge Piercing: Everything You Need To Know

The average cost of a bridge piercing is $30, but sometimes it can go as high as $60 depending on the type of jewelry you want to use, the expertise of the piercer, and the location of the studio.

Most people assume that a bridge piercing is extremely painful since it’s pretty close to your eyes. Interestingly, people who have tried it say that it’s not as painful as others think.

But of course, you have to consider that every person’s pain tolerance is different. But generally, bridge piercings are pretty tolerable when it comes to pain.

The Ultimate Guide To Bridge Piercings: Types, Aftercare, And Tips

Compared to a septum piercing, bridge piercings have a faster healing time since the needle only passes through a small amount of skin. The average healing time for a bridge piercing is between 30 and 60 days.

One thing to keep in mind is that the outside may look healed, but the inside still hasn’t. So, make sure you continue to follow all the precautions and instructions given by your piercer, even if the site looks healed.

The secret to expediting the healing process is proper aftercare. Besides faster healing, diligently following aftercare instructions will reduce your risk of infection and other potential complications. So what do you need to do to ensure that your piercing heals well?

The Truth About Bridge Piercings

First, you must wash your hands with soap and water before touching your piercing. Next, piercers recommend you use saline solution to clean your piercing.

You can spray it on the site or use a Q-tip or cotton ball soaked in the solution. After rinsing, don’t rub the site dry but instead, pat it with a clean paper towel. It’s also essential to sleep on a clean pillowcase because bacteria from dirty pillows cause most infections.

You can only touch your piercing when you’re going to clean it, which means you’re not allowed to fiddle or play with it as this can irritate and cause an infection. While your piercing is still healing, avoid hot tubs and swimming pools. You should also steer clear of products that contain harsh ingredients like perfumes and dyes.

Bridge Piercing Aftercare: Process, Healing, And Considerations

A more convenient way to clean your piercing is getting Dr. Piercing Aftercare swabs. These conveniently packaged swabs use advanced technology for easy, sanitary application.

At Dr. Piercing Aftercare, we’ve developed convenient medicated