Backings for Nose Studs

So the first time I was asked if I sell backings, I had no idea what the customer was talking about. I asked some questions and did a bit of research and discovered that backings are little silicone discs that slide onto the wire of your nose stud. Inside your nose. Let that sink in for a moment.

You put a nose stud into your piercing hole. You take a tiny little rubber disc and you slide it onto the wire up your nose. You heard me - you put a little rubber disc up your nose. The place where you breathe in air and send it on a direct path to your lungs. A place where no rubber disc should ever be. 

Now I'm not saying it couldn't be a good idea in theory. In theory, you might want to secure your stud, if, say for example, you're "sizing down". "Sizing down" is when you want to change to wearing thinner gauge jewelry, so you wear the new thinner gauge and wait for your piercing to shrink a bit to adapt to the new size. 

In theory, you might wear your jewelry to bed and be a tosser and turner kind of sleeper. You might want to secure your stud to prevent losing it in the middle of the night.

In theory, you might be an athletic person who is always knocking their nose stud out. Or maybe you knock it out when you shower and you find it annoying, and expensive if you have to keep replacing your nose stud. 

All of the theories are valid, because there are definitely times when a more secure nose stud would be desirable. The reality, however, is that you are counting on a flexible little disc riding on a slippery smooth wire, in an even more slippery environment, to stay in place. That's a chance I'm not willing to take.

There are several good options for nose studs, and it's usually possible to get a good fitting stud that you like and feel comfortable in. Sometimes our end style needs even change over time. I started with a screw, then used an L end for years.  A few years ago I went through a period of time where I wore the bone ends all the time, but I take my jewelry out every night to wash my face, and taking it in and out every night was stretching my piercing. I switched to one of my screw ends, and then I found I liked it a bit better if I shortened up the shaft length and tightened the screw part up a lot. It's now my preferred fit and it feels nice and secure.

I like pointing my screw ends toward the septum. It's resulted in a nice fit for me because the screw portion goes upward and hugs my nostril on the inside. Some people prefer it if the screw portion points the other way. And that's just fine too - it's a matter of preference and comfort. I highly recommend you choose an end style that fits with your lifestyle, and don't be afraid to:

• try another style on for size - literally
• ask a piercer to take some measurements for a custom fitted piece - they can measure your nostril thickness, and give some advice on what might be best
• ask me about options to get a better fit - I am always open to making a different shaft length, or adjusting the screw portion tighter or wider.

For more information on fit, including fitting for nose rings, check out my FAQ page.