How Young is Too Young for a Nose Piercing?

 Back to School, Christmas, Birthdays. Times have changed and where once we couldn’t wait for the newest light up sneaker or Lisa Frank merch now kids want piercings instead. The problem with social media and all the images available to these kids is that not everything is suitable for the youngest. What’s worse is that piercers who aren’t ethical or knowledgeable will happily pierce these kids without a second thought. There’s many reasons you should wait to get your pre-teens nose pierced. Just because it was ok to do so 20 years ago doesn’t mean we don’t know better now. 

So what age is right?

The truthful answer is there isn’t one but you can make a smart decision for YOUR child. 

Anatomy

When we are born a lot of our bodies are made of hyaline cartilage. This stuff is squishy and will eventually harden or become bone. It changes with your body and grows with us until we’re adults. If you damage this cartilage it can permanently affect your growth and body formation. Your nose is made of Hyaline Cartilage. If you feel your own nostril and then feel your child’s you’ll find there’s a significant difference in how squishy or pliable that cartilage is. Until kids are mid-teen age (14-16) it isn’t even close to being fully formed yet. 

Piercing too early means that there’s a potential to damage the growth of this cartilage. Piercings if they are removed almost always leave a noticeable scar but damaging this cartilage may also cause permanent disfigurement as it won’t grow properly. The popularity of nose piercings mean that in a few years we’re likely to see a lot of girls opting for nose jobs to fix a nose that has not grown evenly because they chose to get pierced before the cartilage was formed enough. 


Maturity

Piercings require care. They require very specific care in fact and most kids are not able to follow instructions well enough to care for their piercings. And why should they? Most kids will mess with stuff that bothers them and between the swelling, catching on clothes etc chances are they’re going to be messing with that piercing more than is healthy. Aftercare even for some adults is hard to follow. 

For the health of the piercing and your pre-teen sometimes it’s better to give them a couple more years until they’re mature enough to take care of it themselves.

In a “worst case scenario” of what happens if it’s not taken care of infections, scarring, and even nerve damage in the face can happen. While all that sounds scary it’s definitely not a common outcome but why chance it?

Quality

As an adult you choose where you get your mods done, and hopefully you choose someone here. That being said choosing a studio where your piercers are knowledgeable and licensed is essential. Most ethical piercers who value their clients and their craft will not pierce your younger child’s nose. While the state of Virginia does not have a minimum age for piercing it’s up to your piercer to make an ethical decision of whether your money is more important than their morals. 

There are certainly piercers who will gladly take your money over your child’s health and there are plenty who are unlicensed. If you’re being turned away from quality studios because of your child’s age there’s probably a reason and this is one of those times to be firm and listen to the professionals. Your kid won’t die if they don’t get their nose pierced. Going to a studio that will do the piercing irregardless puts your child at risk. Studios that don’t have licensing or ethics are also more likely to skip cleanliness needs or use cheap jewelry which adds a whole other level of problems. 

Our Recommendation

We generally will not pierce your kid’s nose until they are at least 14, and we may still turn them way if their anatomy isn’t formed enough. For us just because it’s trendy doesn’t mean that it’s right. We will gladly evaluate your kid’s anatomy in person, even if they’re a little young, but it doesn’t mean they will get pierced. 


Questions? Want to come and get a consultation or piercing? Contact Us

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