Your bodily fluids like mucus, sweat or saliva cannot infect your own piercing. However, other people’s bodily fluids still pose risks of infection to a healing piercing. While your boogers are sterile to you and will not directly infect your nose piercings, they can irritate the piercing and delay healing.
Blowing bubbles in a sea salt solution is an effective way to loosen up crusts and boogers so they fall out on their own without touching the piercing. Never pick at them with your fingers or tools like tweezers which can damage the piercing. With proper aftercare and leaving the piercing alone as much as possible, boogers should not cause any issues during the healing process.
Your Boogers are Sterile to You
All of your bodily fluids are sterile to you, which mean they can not give you an infection. This includes saliva, sweat, mucus, blood, genital secretions, and urine. Anything that comes out of your own body will not make you sick or cause an infection. Although it is important to remember that other people’s bodily fluids can still give you an infection. For this reason, you will need to take a break from kissing and other sexual acts if you are healing an oral or genital piercing.
So in short, no, you don’t need to worry about your boogers infecting your nose piercings.
Can Boogers Get Caught in Your Piercing?
Boogers stuck to a healing nose piercing can be painful and irritating. If your jewelry turns, the crust attached could get twisted inside the piercing, damaging it. This can lead to bumps that delay healing and cause discomfort. Frequent sea salt soaks will help loosen up any boogers attached to the jewelry so they fall off on their own without needing to be picked or squeezed.
Blowing Your Nose and Nose Piercings
Blowing your nose too hard can hurt a healing nose piercing. The best way is to gently hold a tissue over your nostrils and blow softly into it. Do not squeeze or pinch your nose. Blowing your nose lightly without touching the piercing will not harm it, though it may be slightly sore in the initial days. Rough nose blowing can damage a fresh piercing and slow down healing.
Dealing with Boogers and Healing Nose Piercings
The only way to properly deal with boogers for a healing nose piercing is through sea salt soaks and allowing them to fall out on their own. Any manipulation of the area like nose picking can damage the piercing. Soaking your nose in a sea salt solution and blowing bubbles will loosen up dried boogers and crusts so they release from the piercing without intervention.
Q-tips can be irritating but for stubborn boogers, very gently prodding at them after a long soak may be necessary for some. Find high-quality cotton swabs and dip them in the solution. Carefully and lightly try to help loosen the booger from the front area of the piercing only. Never insert the Q-tip into your nose or piercing. With regular aftercare, most boogers and crusts will come free on their own within a week or so as the piercing starts to heal.
In summary, boogers themselves will not infect a healing nostril piercing, but picking at them or any crusts on the piercing can damage it and lead to problems. Proper aftercare like sea salt soaks, not blowing your nose too hard and not touching or manipulating the area is key. Be patient through discomfort from boogers, as they will release from the piercing on their own if given enough time and the right environment to soften and loosen their hold. Let your body do what it does naturally, and your nose piercing will heal as smoothly as possible.