Nose piercing becomes a common and popular body modification all over the world. When you get a nose piercing it takes time to heal, but sometimes, it can smell foul like fishy or cheesy even your nose piercing can smell like poops. But why does my nose ring smell like fish, and what to do to avoid a fishy smell from nose rings and piercings?
Nose rings and piercings can smell fishy if you don’t maintain proper hygiene and a healthy diet and lifestyle. In addition, bacterial infection, allergic reactions, and poor-quality jewelry can be another reason why nose rings and piercings can smell fishy.
Today in this article we will tell you why nose rings and piercings smell fishy. Moreover, we will tell you what to do to avoid these types of fishy smells after piercing.
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Why Does My Nose Piercing Smell Like Fish
You are here which means you experienced a fishy smell from nose rings and piercings. But you don’t know why nose rings and studs can smell fishy. There are 6 reasons why nose rings and studs can smell fishy. Here are the reasons.
Reason 1: Initial Healing Process
If your piercing is new and you are in a healing period, then a fishy smell is normal and not uncommon. Because, due to the body’s natural healing mechanisms and the presence of lymph fluid, blood, and dead skin cells in the piercing area, it can produce a foul smell like fishy.
But proper aftercare and piercer instructions will help you to avoid fishy smells during the healing period.
Reason 2: Poor Hygiene
This is one of the major reasons why nose rings can smell fishy, poops, cheesy, or shit. And because of poor hygiene, you can experience smell even if your piercing is old.
If you touch your nose piercing and rings without cleaning your hands or if you don’t clean your nose ring for a long time then it can create an environment conducive to bacterial growth, resulting in an offensive odor.
Because if you don’t clean nose piercing regularly then bacteria, dead skin cells, and oils around the jewelry can produce a foul smell. Even, because of that reason your piercing can face infection also.
Reason 3: Bacterial Infection
As we mentioned before if you don’t clean your piercing area properly and regularly then you can face bacterial infection. And bacterial infection is one of the main reasons why our nose rings stink.
If you don’t clean your piercing properly, bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, can colonize the area around the nose ring, causing infection.
If bacterial infection happens in your piercing, then it won’t be bound with the foul smell. Bacterial infection can create other symptoms like redness, swelling, discharge, and increased pain. Sometimes, bleeding from piercing means bacterial infections
Reason 4: Poor-Quality Jewelry
We don’t focus on this reason, but poor-quality jewelry plays an important role in producing odor and infections in the piercing area. If jewelry is made from low-quality materials, like nickel or copper alloys, can produce a foul smell after reacting with the body’s natural oils and sweat.
On the other hand, if your skin is sensitive or has allergic problems, then poor-quality jewelry can create infections and smell.
Reason 5: Excessive Sebum Production
Sebum, which is known as natural oil produced by the sebaceous glands, helps to keep the skin moisturized. However, for individuals, sebum can overproduce oil, which can mix with dead skins and other dirt from skins and produce a fishy smell.
Reason 6: Diet And Lifestyle Factors
It’s may weird to hear but it’s true. Sometimes, some people say us, why my nose piercing smells like fish while we maintain proper aftercare and clean nose piercing and rings regularly.
Believe me or not, sometimes dietary and lifestyle factors can produce a foul smell. Especially, smelly foods like garlic, onions, and strong spices can affect body odor, which can also produce a fishy smell.
These are the main 6 reasons why does my nose ring smell like fish. So if you ever experience fishy smells and other foul smells with your nose rings and piercings then you should avoid them.
And don’t worry if your piercing smells fishy, because below we will share how you can avoid the fishy smell from nose rings and piercings.
What To Do If My Nose Ring Smell Fishy
So, you already knew the reasons why nose rings smell like poops or fish. And here in this part of this article, we will tell you what you should do if your nose rings smell fishy. Here are a few steps that you should follow to avoid foul smells from nose rings and piercings.
Step 1: Maintain Proper Hygiene
Maintaining proper hygiene can reduce the risk of infections and foul smells by up to 90%. So to stay away from foul smell you should maintain proper hygiene.
Before cleaning and touching nose rings and piercings make sure that your hands are clean and germ-free. You can wash your hand using soap.
Clean the area around your nose piercing twice a day using a saline solution or an alcohol-free antimicrobial solution. Gently remove any debris or jewelry from the piercing.
Step 2: Ensure Jewelry Quality
You need to ensure your jewelry quality if you want to avoid the fishy smell from nose rings and piercings. Especially, if your skin is sensitive then make sure that your nose ring is designed for sensitive skin.
Avoid jewelry that is made of low-quality materials, switch to those jewelry which are made from titanium, surgical steel, or gold. Because these jewelry materials are less likely to react with your body’s natural oils and sweat.
Step 3: Consult A Professional
You can consult with a professional, health advisor, or your piercer who can give you valuable advice about aftercare and avoid fishy smells. If you notice redness, swelling, discharge, or increased pain, with a fishy smell then you should consult with a healthcare professional.
Step 4: Review Aftercare Routine
Why does my nose studs smell like fish? The reason is you don’t maintain a proper aftercare routine. After piercing you should practice and follow the aftercare guide for piercing, that given by your piercer.
Avoid touching your nose rings unnecessarily, as it can introduce bacteria. Moreover, avoid using harsh cleansers and alcohol-based products that can disrupt the natural healing process.
Step 5: Adjust Diet And Lifestyle
You should maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle because some foods contain strong odors like garlic, onion, and strong spices. So try to avoid these types of foods during the healing period.
Step 6: Patience And Time
Note it, during the piercing healing process, it’s normal to get some types of odor. So, stay with patience and wait till heal properly. Moreover, if you consistently follow proper aftercare and maintain good hygiene odor will reduce soon.
Remember, the reason for the piercing smell can vary from person to person. Because everyone’s body is unique and the treatment can also vary from person to person.
So that’s the six steps that you should follow if your nose piercing smells like fish. If you follow these steps then you can avoid foul smell as soon as possible.
Common Hygiene Mistakes That Can Lead To A Fishy Smell
You already knew why nose piercing and rings smell fishy and what to do if you experience this type of smell. Moreover, here we will tell you some common hygiene mistakes that can lead to fishy smells.
Mistake 1: Inconsistent Cleaning
Forgot to clean nose piercing regularly is a common mistake. It’s recommended that clean your ear and nose piercings twice a day after the piercing. Sometimes earrings can smell like fish, but why? Because of the same reason.
Skipping cleaning the piercing area allow bacteria, dead skin cells, and oils to can lead to odor.
Mistake 2: Using Harsh Cleansers Or Products
If you use harsh cleaners like alcohol-based solutions or strong soaps on your nose piercing can lead to a fishy smell.
Mistake 3: Touching The Piercing With Dirty Hands
The common mistake that we do always and that is we touch nose piercing using dirty hands. Yes, if we touch piercing areas or jewelry unnecessarily that can lead to bacterial infections and fishy smells.
Mistake 4: Using Dirty Or Contaminated Jewelry
Wearing dirty jewelry in your nose piercing can contribute to a fishy smell. So it’s mandatory to clean nose rings or other jewelry often.
How Low-Quality Jewelry/Nose Rings Materials Can Cause A Fishy Smell
Well, we already mentioned that low-quality jewelry can be a reason for the fishy smell in nose piercing and nose rings. But did you ever think how low-quality jewelry can contribute to fishy smells? Here we will discuss that topic.
- Low-quality or poor-quality materials can react with body fluids like sweat, sebum, and lymph fluid, which can cause a fishy smell
- Low-quality materials can tarnish or corrode when exposed to moisture and emit an unpleasant metallic odor
- Low-quality jewelry may have rough surfaces, scratches, or microscopic pores that can trap bacteria, dead skin cells, and other substances and cause stinks
- If your skins are sensitive then low-quality jewelry or rings can cause a fishy smell
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does the nose ring smell like fish?
A: There are several reasons why nose rings smell like fish, like poor hygiene, low-quality materials, bacterial infection, excessive sebum production, and wearing nose rings without cleaning them properly for a long time.
Q: Is it normal for a nose ring to have a fishy odor?
A: If you are in a healing period, then it’s normal to get fishy and other types of odor from nose piercing. But if you take proper aftercare and clean your nose ring properly then your healing fishy odor will also go from your piercing and rings.
Q: Can poor hygiene contribute to the fishy smell?
A: Yes, poor hygiene is one of the major reasons why your piercing and nose rings can contribute fishy smell. So, after piercing try to avoid touching the piercing area with dirty hands.
Q: When should I seek medical help for the fishy smell?
A: If you feel any pain or notice any redness, swelling, or discharge from your nose piercing then instantly seek a medical advisor.
Q: Does the fishy smell go away after the piercing is fully healed?
A: Yes, if you take proper aftercare and maintain all the instructions provided by your piercer then the fishy smell go away after the piercing is fully healed.
So now it’s clear to you why does my nose ring smell like fish? If you have more questions like this then feel free to ask us, we will answer all of your nose rings, earrings, and piercing-related questions. In this blog we regularly share tips and suggestions about nose rings, earrings, and piercings, so stay connected with us.
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