High Nostril Piercing: The Complete Guide

A high nostril piercing goes through the nostril well above the traditional crease placement — closer to the bridge, where the side wall of the nose is taller and tighter. The result reads less 'classic nose stud' and more deliberate design detail, especially in profile.

The tissue up there is different: denser, with less room to work on the inside of the nose. That cramped interior is why high nostrils are harder to pierce, harder to change, and stricter about jewelry than a standard nostril. It is a placement you go to a specialist for, marked precisely to flatter the slope of your specific nose.

High nostrils are popular as symmetric pairs — one high on each side — or stacked above an existing nostril piercing for a two-stud column. Both looks depend entirely on millimeter-level placement, so expect (and demand) an unhurried marking process.

High nostrils rate around 6 out of 10 — a notch above a standard nostril, because the needle passes through denser cartilage-adjacent tissue and the clamp-free working angle is awkward. Eyes water, you sneeze or want to, and then it is done.

Healing runs 3 to 6 months, longer than a classic nostril. The high placement is harder to clean from the inside, sits right where glasses and sunglasses rest their weight, and gets disturbed every time you blow your nose. Saline twice daily on the outside, patience on the inside, and blot — never wrench a tissue across your nose — during colds and allergy season.

Makeup deserves a mention: foundation and powder migrate into fresh high-nostril channels easily given the location. Keep a clean margin around the piercing until it has fully settled.

Here is the trade-off that defines this piercing: rings are effectively off the menu. The placement is too far from the nostril's edge for a hoop to wrap around — there is simply no path. High nostrils are a studs-only placement, permanently, and the interior is too tight for most L-bends and labret backs to seat comfortably.

The standard answer is an 18g nostril screw — a stud whose tail curls to hold itself in place within the shallow space. Changing one yourself, by feel, high inside your nose is genuinely difficult; most wearers have their piercer do swaps. If your dream nose look involves a hoop, get a classic nostril placement instead — this is exactly the decision previewing both on your own photo settles.