Bridge Piercing Small

A bridge piercing, also called an Erl piercing, runs horizontally across the bridge of the nose. It’s technically considered a surface piercing since the bridge typically isn’t fleshy enough for a dermal.

The jewelry is inserted through your skin, usually at the narrowest part of your nose or right between the eyes. That said, you can play with placement anywhere along the bridge or even have the piercing run vertically, if you have enough flesh to accommodate it.

If you wear glasses, just be mindful of positioning. Most bridge piercings don’t interfere with glasses. If they do, switching to a shorter or curved barbell can help, as can choosing jewelry with smaller or flatter ends.

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

Bridge piercings typically run between $30 and $60. This cost depends on variables like location, the studio, and the type of jewelry you choose. Your piercer’s experience can also influence cost.

You’d think a piercing that essentially sits between your eyes would be pretty high up there in terms of pain, but most people don’t find it terribly painful.

Everyone’s pain tolerance is different, of course. But in general, bridge piercings tend to hurt less because they mostly just go through skin.

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Expect a quick pinch as the needle goes in. Most people find the clamping of the skin (more on that below) more uncomfortable than the actual piercing.

Bridge piercings typically heal faster than other nose piercings because they only pass through a bit of skin. The healing process usually takes around 2 to 3 months.

Keep in mind that tissue heals from the outside in, so your piercing might ~look~ healed a lot sooner — but that doesn’t mean it is.

Day Old Bridge! Is My Bar Too Short? 1st Is Fresh, 2nd Is Tonight. Thanks All!

Some localized tenderness, swelling, and redness are to be expected in the first few days. A bit of crusting and itching is also normal.

You might have heard the myth that a bridge piercing can make you cross-eyed, but a myth is all it is — your piercing won’t leave you cross-eyed. In fact, it shouldn’t be much more noticeable than the bride of your nose is right now.

If you’re hyper-aware of the piercing and bothered by it, talk with your piercer about switching to a smaller, less noticeable piece of jewelry.

Bridge Piercing Information & Aftercare

There’s some risk with any procedure that punctures tissue. Choosing a reputable piercer and taking good care of your piercing as it heals can mitigate most of these.

It’s always a good idea to have the initial piercing jewelry changed professionally. Initial piercings can be a bit stubborn. A pro can make the swap without damaging the thin layer of skin over your bridge.

If a bridge piercing is your jam, find yourself a reputable piercer. Ask for recommendations from friends or find one through the APP’s website.

Nose Bridge Piercing: Everything You Need To Know

Be sure to check out the studio beforehand to make sure it’s licensed and clean and verify that all piercers practice proper sanitization procedures. It also never hurts to ask to see your piercer’s portfolio and references.

Adrienne Santos-Longhurst is a Canada-based freelance writer and author who has written extensively on all things health and lifestyle for more than a decade. When she’s not holed-up in her writing shed researching an article or off interviewing health professionals, she can be found frolicking around her beach town with husband and dogs in tow or splashing about the lake trying to master the stand-up paddle board.

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Bridge Piercing (

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.

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.

I Feel Like My Bridge Is Still Kind Of Long Even Though I Changed It To A Short Bar

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.

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.

What Is A Bridge Piercing? Plus Everything Else You Need To Know

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.

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.

Bridge Piercing Aftercare: Process, Healing, And Considerations

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.

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.

I Just Got My Vertical Labret Yesterday! I Want A Bridge Piercing Next.. But My Eyes Are Small & Awkward (an Insecurity).. Would A Bridge Piercing Look Good Or Bad/ Draw More

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.

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.

The Piercing Gauge Size Guide: How To Measure Your Body Jewelry

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).

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.

All You Need To Know About Bridge Nose Piercing

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.Planning to get a bridge nose piercing? Take a look at this guide and know what to expect during and after the procedure. Also, check out the