Nose piercing

Nostril piercing is a body piercing practice often associated with India. In India the outside of the left nostril is the preferred position of the piercing as this is supposed to make childbirth easier. Nostril piercing has become popular amongst the industrialised nations, as have other forms of body piercing. Celebrities such as Madonna and Sinead O'Connor have their nostrils pierced.

It was first performed in the Middle-East about 4,000 years ago. From there it spread out to India in the 16th century. Later on the piercing was introduced by the "hippie" culture in the 1960s and '70s. Afterwards "punks" and younger cultures in the '80s and '90s adopted this sort of piercing and even today, nostril piercing is still very popular among youth in the US and Canada.

A nasal septum piercing is different from and less common than a nostril piercing. The side of the nose is thin flesh, but the nasal septum in between the nostrils is cartilage covered by flesh. This makes a nasal septum piercing a much more serious proposition compared with a nostril piercing, and as a result nasal septum piercings are much rarer.

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