If you are interested in adding more piercings to your nose other than a nostril or a septum piercing, then you will definitely want to check out the septril as an option. A septril is a fairly uncommon piercing, and one that even heavily pierced folks don’t normally have; this is a piercing that actually can take years to complete Because of that, this is not a piercing I recommend for beginners. Even though they are incredibly unique and can be quite beautiful and edgy, this piercing will take a lot of patience to fully achieve.
If you think that despite that introduction, the septril might be the right piercing for you, then I am excited to share with you more information about it! It can be hard to find information about septrils because they are a very new and uncommon piercing, and that is why I am excited to bring you this guide! In this guide I will be covering what a septril piercing is, what the procedure is like, after care tips, any dangers associated with the Septril, and a general pros and cons break down of everything about the septril. So please, read on to learn more about what you can expect with this piercing!
Table of Contents
What is a Septril Piercing?
A septril piercing, also sometimes called a jungle piercing, is a complex piercing that involves stretching a previously acquired septum piercing into a higher gauge, and then piercing the bottom of the nose through the cartilage and connecting it to the stretched septum. If you picture the piercing like a T, the top of the T is the stretched septum, with the stem of the T being the septril piercing. This piercing combines aspects of a septum and a rhino piercing but is entirely unique and in many ways, more complex, than both of these piercings.
Because this piercing requires a stretched septum, this is not a piercing you can get on a whim. This is a piercing that will require communication and a long term plan with your chosen piercer, as they will need to work on safely stretching your septum before finally piercing the septril. Because this is a cartilage piercing, the healing can be complex but that’s not the biggest issue with this piercing, and if you are attempting this one, I would hope that you have had some experience with healing cartilage piercings already. Common jewelry for this piercing includes a flat-backed stud or a small curved barbell.
What is the procedure like?
The procedure for getting a septril is vastly different from your more standard piercings because it requires stretching an existing piercing. Piercing diameters are described in the piercing industry in terms of “gauges”. Gauges describe what the diameter of a particular piercing is, and are depicted from the smallest gauge to the largest in a decreasing numerical order. For example, a standard lobe piercing is typically pierced with a 20 or 18 gauge needle, which is very thin. Because skin is quite flexible, almost any piercing can ultimately be stretched at least a little bit. This is done with a tapered needle. A tapered needle is a needle that starts at a smaller gauge, but tapers up into a larger one and slowly stretches the skin around the piercing. The piecing is then fitted with the higher gauge jewelry, sometimes requiring a spacer for larger stretched piercings, and once the stretched piercing is healed, a couple months later you can further stretch the piercing.
A septum piercing is commonly pierced with a 14 or 16 gauge piercing. A 14 gauge measures out to 1.6 mm diameter, or 1/16th of an inch. In order to get a septril piercing, the septum has to be stretched to a 0 gauge, which measures 8.3 mm or 5/16ths of an inch. This is 6 gauges higher in size. Due to the necessary stretching of the septum piercing, in order to achieve a septril safely, it will take take at least 18 months of stretching before you can actually get the piercing.
Because this is a long term piercing, and one you need to work with a piercer to get, the piercing procedure will differ from piercer to piercer. I STRONGLY suggest not attempting to stretch your septum on your own. While it is possible (though not suggested) to stretch your lobes at home with tapers, the safest way is to have any of your piercings stretched by a professional, as it is greatly decreases the chance of developing a blow-out. A blow-out is where your piercing starts to turn inside out, creating a ridge of scar tissue as it is pushed out the back of the piercing. These are not fun, look horrid, and can only be fixed through surgery. The risk of a blow out with a septum is a lot higher than your ear lobe, because there is a mixture of skin and cartilage in the septum area. Your piercer will know when it is safe to proceed; don’t do this at home alone.
After you have finished safely stretching your septum, the rest of the piercing process is honestly what you would expect. Your piercing is marked, double check it is in the place that you want it, and you can finally get the septril piercing. Your piercer will use piercing tongs to grasp your nose, holding it on the front of the septum and inside the stretched septum piercing, and then a piercing needle will be inserted through your septum and into the stretched septum piercing, and out one nostril. The piercer will then thread through seamlessly whatever jewelry you have decided on and you are finally done!
For pain levels, you can expect for this piercing to hurt. I do not have a septril personally, and know that my pain tolerance would not allow me to get one. I had to be pierced once with a tapered needle in my ear lobe and it HURT. The needle is dragged through your piercing site and slowly stretches the hole, and that feels like a horrible burn as it is dragged through. From what I understand, this simply becomes more painful the higher gauge you go. While the final piercing of the actual septril is similar to pretty much any other piercing, the stretching of the septum will be long, painful, and hard. It is because of this I can’t stress hard enough that if this is one of your first piercings, this one is NOT for you. If you like this piercing, check out Rhino piercings, as even though that is also a complex piercing, it is a much easier piercing compared to this one.
How Much Does Septril Piercing Cost?
This varies location to location, and will depend on the experience level of the piercer and how well known the shop is. Because a septril is not a commonly sought after piercing, this is not an advertised piercing. The final piercing will probably cost between:
- $50-80 US
- £30-60 in Britain
- €40-70 In Europe
Note that this price range does not include the jewelry nor the cost of the stretching time. That will be an additional cost, all together adding up to a rather pricey piercing.
I have my septril Piercing! Now what?
Congrats on the new piercing, you really had to wait for this one huh? At this point, you have shown a lot of dedication and frankly, I’m very impressed. The healing process from here on out should be fairly easy. Like most other cartilage piercings, the septril will take probably around 9 months to heal, but could take up to a year. Do not touch your piercing, and if you absolutely need to, then do it with clean hands. You should be using a saline soak to wash the piercing at least twice every day, and for this one, the best options are either just to submerge the piercing in the saline or use a saline spray. You can gently use a q-tip dipped in saline to remove any crusties around your piercing site, but be gentle! Follow these standard care tips and your wait will be finally rewarded! Remember, every piercer has a specific healing guide that works best for them, and might differ from ours. Follow their information above anything else.
Are there any risks with a septril?
With the actual final piercing of the septril, no. At least, not more than any other piercing. Because it is a cartilage piercing, there is a higher chance of infection developing, but if you take proper care you should be fine.
However, is there danger in the stretching of the septum? Absolutely. This is where most of the danger of this piercing comes from. Stretching is a very long and arduous process for the body and can take a long time to heal. You are increasing the chance of infection because of the stretching, as your body is going to be continually healing the piercing site for months straight. This will ultimately lower your immune system and could put medically higher risk people in danger. If you are immunocompromised, talk to your doctor before attempting this to make sure it is a safe procedure for you. Also, stretching increases the chances of a blow-out developing, as I mentioned above. A blow-out will require a surgery to fix and, especially if the stretching is attempted at home, is fairly likely. Finally, one of the reasons a lot of people like piercings is because if a piercing is removed, the body modification is barely visible. Piercings create a small hole somewhere that most people wouldn’t notice, and eventually will heal entirely. Stretching changes that. Until a certain gauge, a stretched piercing will shrink significantly, but never entirely back to its original size. Past a 2 gauge though, surgery is needed to sew back up the stretched piercing site. Since you need to stretch your septum to a 0 gauge for a septril, this is a permanent stretch that, if you decide is not for you, can only be undone through surgery. Because of this, I HIGHLY recommend that you thoroughly think through whether this is the right piercing for you.
Pros and Cons of Septril Piercing
That was a lot. To make this a bit easier for you, let’s summarize.
Pros
- Uncommon piercing will make you look very unique
- An interesting modification to a septum
- Really cool placement
Cons
- Long, painful process
- Involves permanently stretching the septum
- Expensive because of stretching
The septril piercing is definitely an intense piercing for those harder core piercing fans that are willing to go through the arduous experience of stretching an existing piercing. Because this piercing takes so long, it is really not for those newly interested in the piercing scene, and one I recommend you try your best to look at piercing videos of first as well as research the stretching process. As the author of this article I am not afraid to admit that this one is simply not for me, as not only am I a fairly impatient person, but stretching a piercing site is simply outside of my own wheel house. Please make sure that this is the right piercing for you before you start the process.
If you decide this is the right piercing for you, I have so much respect for you, and think that this is one hella cool piercing that I will be very jealous of!
Septril Piercing Images
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