How long does a rhino piercing take to heal?

A rhino piercing typically takes six months to a year to heal completely. This longer healing time is due to the complex nature of the piercing and the limited blood flow to cartilage tissue. Proper aftercare is essential throughout the entire healing period.

What is the proper aftercare for a rhino piercing?

Proper aftercare for a rhino piercing includes washing the piercing twice daily with a saline wound wash, keeping bedding clean, avoiding makeup and skincare products near the piercing, and returning to your piercer for a jewelry downsize after 4-8 weeks. It's also important to avoid touching the piercing with unwashed hands and prevent snagging on clothing or towels.

What are the risks associated with a rhino piercing?

Rhino piercings are highly prone to migration and rejection. They can also leave severe scarring in a noticeable area of your face if the piercing doesn't heal properly, rejects, migrates, or if you decide to retire it. Other risks include infection, inflammation, and difficulty isolating the tip of your nose to prevent snagging or accidental touching.

Are there different types of rhino piercings?

Yes, there are variations of the rhino piercing including the standard vertical tip piercing, horizontal rhino piercing (which goes side to side), double rhino piercing (combining both vertical and horizontal), and the half rhino or septril piercing (which only involves the bottom of the nose).

When should I downsize the jewelry in my rhino piercing?

You should return to your piercer to downsize the jewelry in your rhino piercing around 4-8 weeks after getting pierced, but only after all swelling has completely subsided. This downsizing is important to help avoid snagging the jewelry on towels and clothing, but it doesn't mean the piercing has fully healed.

Rhino Piercing Information & Aftercare Guide

Q: What is a rhino piercing?

A rhino piercing is a rare nose piercing that goes vertically through the tissue at the tip of the nose. Also known as a vertical tip piercing or vertical nasal tip piercing, it resembles a rhinoceros horn when jewelry is inserted. This type of piercing is not recommended for beginners as it's relatively difficult to heal.

Q: How painful is a rhino piercing?

A rhino piercing is considered quite painful compared to other nose piercings. The pain is intensified because the piercer must go slowly to ensure the piercing is centered and straight, making the process longer than typical piercings. Additionally, the thickness of the tissue being pierced contributes to the higher pain level.

Q: What type of jewelry is used for a rhino piercing?

Curved barbells (also known as banana barbells) are typically used for rhino piercings. When initially pierced, the jewelry will be longer than necessary to accommodate swelling, and after 4-8 weeks, you'll need to return to your piercer for a jewelry downsize once the swelling has subsided.

Q: How much does a rhino piercing cost?

The cost of a rhino piercing ranges from $30 to $100 for the piercing fee, plus an additional $30 to over $100 for the jewelry, depending on the material and ends you select. It's also customary to tip your piercer at least 20%, though this isn't mandatory.

Q: Is a rhino piercing suitable for everyone?

No, a rhino piercing is anatomy-dependent. You need to have enough tissue at the tip of your nose to pierce through, and the piercing needs to go deep enough for the jewelry to be stable and prevent rejection or migration. It's also not recommended for beginners due to its difficult healing process and maintenance requirements.

Rhino piercings are rarely seen, especially outside the body modification community—at least until they started trending on TikTok. Soon, they blew up, and more and more people wanted to learn about them. This piercing is not for beginners and is known for being relatively difficult to heal. That being said, if you’re an experienced piercing collector, this unique piercing catches much attention.

Ready to learn all about this piercing, including what it is, where it’s located, and proper aftercare? We’ve got you covered in this comprehensive guide.

What Is a Rhino Piercing?

A rhino piercing is a nose piercing. Also known as a vertical tip piercing or a vertical nasal tip piercing, it goes vertically through the tissue at the tip of the nose.

What Is a Rhino Piercing?

Placement & Anatomy

A rhino piercing, like many other piercings, is anatomy-dependent. You need to have enough tissue to pierce through, and the piercing needs to go deep enough for the jewelry to be stable and prevent rejection or migration. One of the reasons this piercing is so rare is that it is uncommon for someone to have the proper anatomy for it.

Rhino Piercing Jewelry

There are only two jewelry options for a rhino piercing: a curved barbell and a straight barbell. A curved barbell should be used for piercings that are done more outward, closer to the tip of the nose. A straight barbell should be used for deeper piercings closer to the nose's inside. In order to keep the jewelry stable, the piercing should be done at a minimum of a 14 gauge. Sometimes, a 12-gauge is used for extra stability. Switching between straight barbells and curved barbells isn't recommended.

Rhino Piercing Jewelry

Rhino Piercing Pros and Cons

As with any piercing, it’s essential to discuss the pros and cons of the piercing:

Pros

One of the pros of this piercing is that it is so rare, so it’s sure to draw a lot of attention from body modification fans and other people.

Another benefit of a rhino piercing is that because of the size of the jewelry needed to keep it stable, there are many options for ends you can wear on the jewelry. You can wear spiked ends or cones to achieve the rhinoceros horn look or ornate or beautiful gemstone ends.

Lastly, the piercing is not in the nostril. Therefore, it won’t affect the flow of breathing and is easier to keep clean because snot and boogers won’t accumulate on the jewelry.

Cons

While the rarity of the rhino piercing is a benefit, it is also a negative aspect of the piercing. Due to how rare it is, it can be difficult to find a piercer with experience performing a rhino piercing where you live. While it can be cool to let your local piercer try a new piercing, it’s better to have someone with experience perform this piercing because it is in such a noticeable location. In fact, you should be wary of a piercer who doesn’t divulge that they haven’t performed the piercing before and doesn’t go over all the risks with you during a consultation.

Another con of the rhino piercing is that it is highly prone to migration and rejection. While the piercing is known to heal, the frequency with which it does is rare. It also leaves severe scarring in a noticeable area of your face. Be sure to consider whether you’d be comfortable having such noticeable and severe scarring if the piercing doesn’t heal, rejects, migrates, or if you decide to retire the piercing.

Additionally, one reason the piercing is more difficult to heal is that it is hard to isolate the tip of your nose. This means it’s easier for the jewelry to get caught or snagged on clothing and towels. You’re also more prone to touching the tip of your nose, which you need to avoid as part of aftercare.

How Long Does It Take to Heal Fully?

Another downside of a rhino piercing is that it takes a long time to heal compared to other piercings. A rhino piercing can take six months to a year to heal completely.

How Painful Is a Rhino Piercing?

Compared to other nose piercings, the rhino piercing is much more painful. This is because it is a slower piercing process. The piercer has to go slowly to make sure the piercing is centered and straight. This compounds the pain because it is not over in just a second. The thickness of the piercing also adds to the pain factor.

How Much Does a Rhino Piercing Cost?

The cost will depend on the shop you go to and the jewelry you select. The piercing or needle fee can cost anywhere from $30 to $100, while the price of jewelry can cost anywhere from $30 to over $100, depending on the material and the ends you select. Tipping your piercer at least 20% is not a requirement, but it’s customary.

Rhino Piercing Aftercare

The aftercare process for a rhino piercing is straightforward and similar to other nose piercings; however, the healing period is longer.

First, wash the piercing twice daily with a saline wound wash.

Next, you’ll want to avoid touching the piercing. This is easier said than done because it’s an area where we wipe our nose when it runs. You need to be more cautious while your rhino piercing is healing. Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching the piercing. Additionally, you want to ensure you’re constantly blowing your nose with a clean, fresh tissue. Avoid wiping your nose on your sleeve, as this can introduce unwanted bacteria into the area.

Fortunately, there is good blood flow to the tip of the nose, so it’s less susceptible to infection. However, this still means you want to avoid swimming in any public bodies of water and taking baths. You also want to ensure your environment is clean just to be safe. Make sure you have clean bedding; if you have pets, don’t allow them to sleep in the bed while your rhino piercing is healing. This way, you can avoid them accidentally bumping or licking the piercing while you’re asleep and introducing any unwanted bacteria to the area.

You also want to avoid getting makeup or skincare into the area as the piercing heals. This means avoiding getting it anywhere near your nose throughout the healing process is best.

Downsizing

When you’re initially pierced, the jewelry will be longer than necessary to accommodate any swelling. Around four to eight weeks after getting pierced, you must return to your piercer to downsize the jewelry. However, you need to make sure all the swelling has completely gone down.

Just because you’re downsizing the jewelry doesn’t mean the piercing has fully healed, either. This is just a part of the aftercare process and will help you avoid snagging the jewelry on towels and clothing when it becomes too long after the swelling recedes.

Is the Rhino Piercing Right for You?

Overall, a rhino piercing is rare and doesn’t have a tremendous success rate for healing. If you’re experienced with healing piercings and don’t mind the risk of migration, rejection, or severe scar tissue at the front and center of your face, this piercing is something you may want to try.