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You may have heard that it’s always unsafe to be pierced with a hoop. While there are many pros and cons of being pierced with a stud vs a hoop, we disagree that a stud is always the better option. If it were completely unsafe, would piercings that can only accommodate hoops, such as the daith, be inherently unsafe? Of course not. And APP agrees with us!
Why is it Recommended to be Pierced With a Stud?
There are a few reasons why it is commonly recommended to have a stud as your healing jewelry. Because a hoop is round, it is more likely to move around, which is a no-no for healing piercings. Hoops are also bigger, which increase the chances of it getting bumped and causing trauma. It’s also been recommended to get pierced with a stud so your piercing hole heals straight, as opposed to the curve it would heal if pierced with a hoop. However that doesn’t take into account if it would actually be better to have a curved hole. (More on that below.)
Hoops can be painful if you tend to accidentally sleep on your piercing, because more pressure will be applied to the piercing than if you were wearing a stud. Another reason is if your hoop ends up turning in a healing piercing, the crusties that are stuck to the jewelry will be torn through your piercing hole, causing unnecessary trauma.
When it it Better to be Pierced with a Hoop?
As discussed above, a piercing healed with a hoop will heal curved, whereas a piercing healed with a stud will be straight. If you’re planning on only ever wearing a hoop, you’re going to want your piercing to be curved because it will be more comfortable. Just like a piercing that is healed with a ring and then gets swapped to a straight stud is painful, a piercing that is healed with a stud and swapped to a hoop is painful.
Studs are also very easy to have hair wrapped around them, whereas hoops don’t have that problem. As someone with particularly curly and unruly hair, I was unable to heal my helix piercing with a stud. No matter what I did, my hair wrapped around the stud and would pull on my piercing. After swapping to a ring, my hair no longer got caught and I was able to safely heal my piercing.
Hoops also have less of a problem with being the wrong size. While it is possible to put in a ring where the diameter is too small to allow for healing, it’s unlikely. And downsizing is not as important for hoops because they aren’t any more likely to be bumped based on their size. (Although if you are having a problem with bumping your hoop, definitely visit your piercer for help downsizing or swapping jewelry).
What is APP and Why You Should Listen to Them
APP is the Association of Professional Piercers. They are the organization that does all of the research into safe jewelry. All piercers can take their courses and become certified, and if at all possible, you should be pierced by an APP piercer. Basically, in the piercing world, they are the end all be all for safe piercings.
When it comes to healing jewelry, they note in their pdf that the jewelry used after initial piercing “must be of a style suited to your build and location of the piercing. Rings are best for some areas, straight or curved bars for others”.
While they are unclear on exactly which piercings are better for rings and which are better for straight bars, they are clear that not every piercing is better off with a stud. If your piercer is APP certified, they will be able to help you make your final decision on your initial jewelry.
Does Healing Take Longer if Pierced with a Hoop?
Generally speaking, yes, a hoop takes longer than a stud to heal. This is due to the ring being easier to turn and will cause excessive damage to your piercing. However, if your post is frequently being caught, that will take just as long to heal. Posts will also need to be downsized, whereas not all rings need to be downsized. The ability to skip the downsizing procedure can help speed up your healing.
If you are careful not to bump your ring or let it move, your piercing will heal just as fast as if it was pierced with a stud.
Conclusion: Can You Get Your Nose Pierced with a Hoop?
Can you get your nose pierced with a hoop? The answer depends on your piercer. We believe that, if you are careful with your healing piercing, there are not going to be any issues with getting pierced with a ring. Unfortunately because the literature from the APP is unclear, some piercers may take it to mean being pierced with rings in areas where it is not forced (a septum for example) isn’t recommended. If you plan on only ever wearing a ring in your piercing, let your piercer know and they may be more willing to let you heal with a hoop.
