Whether you just got pierced at our Orlando studio or are healing one from elsewhere, your aftercare in the first 12 weeks determines how well (and how quickly) your piercing settles. Here is the realistic week-by-week of what is normal, what is not, and what to do.

The two rules that beat every “tip”

• Leave it alone. Do not touch, twist, rotate, or play with the jewelry. The single most common cause of healing problems is trauma from messing with a piercing.
• Keep it clean — not drowned in product. Rinse with sterile saline once or twice a day. Skip alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, tea tree oil, and “piercing cleaners” with surfactants. They cause more damage than they prevent.

Week 1: swelling and tenderness

The piercing site will be tender, slightly swollen, and may bleed for the first day or two. A pillow against the area at night can ache. You may see clear or pale-yellow fluid — that is normal lymph fluid, not pus. Continue saline rinses. Sleep on the opposite side if possible.

Weeks 2–4: settling in

Swelling starts to come down. Some piercings begin to feel “normal” already. You may notice crusting around the jewelry; soften it with saline first, then gently rinse it away. Do not pick.

Weeks 4–8: the downsize window

This is the most important visit. The longer post that was installed to allow for swelling needs to come down to a snug, healing-friendly length. If you leave the long bar in too long, the jewelry catches on hair, clothes, and bedding and slows healing. Come see us — if you were pierced at Pokes and Pouts, the first downsize is included.

Months 2–6: the boring middle

Most of the day-to-day discomfort is gone. The piercing looks healed. It is not. The channel of skin around the jewelry is still rebuilding for months under the surface. Keep saline rinses going on a relaxed schedule (once a day or every other day), and resist the urge to change the jewelry yourself.

Months 6–12: full healing

For cartilage and most body piercings, this is the realistic window for full healing. Earlobes are much faster (6 to 8 weeks). You can usually swap jewelry safely now — though for the first change we strongly recommend coming in so we can check the channel and install the new piece without trauma. Browse implant-grade body jewelry in our shop to find your next piece.

When to message us

Call or message us right away if you see: spreading redness or heat, thick yellow or green discharge, severe pain that gets worse instead of better, or fever. These can indicate infection and need a real assessment. Contact us any time during healing — we would rather see you for nothing than miss something.

Need to be seen?

If anything feels off during healing, book a check-in visit at our Orlando studio.

If you are looking into permanent makeup in Orlando, the first decision is usually microblading or powder brows? Both are types of cosmetic brow tattooing, both last for years, and both are excellent — but they look and heal differently. Here is how to choose the right one for your skin and the look you want.

What is microblading?

Microblading is a manual technique. The artist uses a fine blade to draw hairlike strokes into the upper layer of skin, depositing pigment that mimics real eyebrow hairs. The result is extremely natural and lives best on people with sparse or patchy brows who still want a soft, hair-by-hair look.

Best for: normal to dry skin, people who want a natural, undone brow, and anyone whose existing hair pattern needs filling in rather than full reshaping.

What are powder brows?

Powder brows (also called ombre brows) are done with a digital machine that places thousands of tiny pigment dots into the skin. Heaviest at the tail and softer at the front, the result looks like a soft, filled-in brow — like wearing a tinted brow product every day.

Best for: oily or combination skin, people who already wear brow product daily, anyone wanting a more defined or “makeup-on” finish, and anyone whose previous microblading did not heal well.

Combo brows: the best of both

Combo brows blend the two: hairlike strokes at the front of the brow for natural detail, and a soft shaded fill through the body and tail. For many clients in Orlando this is the sweet spot — defined enough to skip daily product, natural enough to never look stamped on.

How skin type changes everything

Oily skin spreads pigment over time, which makes crisp microbladed strokes blur into a soft shadow within a year or two. If you have oily skin and choose microblading, you may be disappointed by how the strokes heal. Powder brows handle oily skin much better. Dry skin holds microblading beautifully.

At your consultation we look at your skin type, the brow shape that will flatter your features, and your day-to-day routine before recommending a technique. There is no wrong answer — just the right answer for you.

How long does each last?

• Microblading: typically 1 to 2 years before a refresh, less on oily skin
• Powder brows: 2 to 3 years on most skin types
• Combo brows: 2 to 3 years

Florida sun is hard on pigment. Daily SPF on healed brows is the single best thing you can do to keep your work looking fresh.

Book a brow consultation in Orlando

Not sure which is right for you? Come in for a consultation. We will look at your brows, your skin, and your goals together and walk you through every option. Book your appointment or learn more about permanent makeup at our Orlando studio.

“How much does a nose piercing cost in Orlando?” is one of the most common questions we hear at Pokes and Pouts. Like most things in piercing, the answer depends on a few moving parts: the studio, the jewelry, and the placement. Here is what to expect in 2026 if you are getting pierced in the Orlando, FL area.

Typical nose piercing cost in Orlando

For a standard nostril piercing at a professional Orlando studio, expect to pay roughly $60 to $90 for the piercing itself, plus the cost of jewelry. A high-nostril piercing or a septum may run $10 to $20 higher because of placement complexity.

You can absolutely find lower prices in mall kiosks or unlicensed shops, but the savings rarely pay off — the jewelry is almost always non-implant-grade, the equipment is reused or improperly sterilized, and infections, embedded jewelry, and migration become real risks. A nose piercing is in your face for life, and a $30 savings is not worth restarting the entire process months later.

Why jewelry quality changes the price

The single biggest variable in the total cost is the jewelry. At Pokes and Pouts in Orlando we only install implant-grade body jewelry — titanium, niobium, or solid gold. A simple titanium nostril stud runs roughly $30 to $60. A small gem or solid 14k gold piece runs $80 to $200+. Cheaper “surgical steel” or alloyed gold pieces look similar but routinely cause irritation in fresh piercings.

If price is a concern, ask the studio what materials they install. Any studio that cannot tell you the alloy by name is not the right one for a fresh piercing.

What is included in a Pokes and Pouts nose piercing

• A full consultation and anatomy check before any needle comes out
• Single-use, sterilized needle
• Implant-grade jewelry placed at the correct angle and depth for healing
• Written aftercare instructions plus a direct line to message us during healing
• A complimentary check-in to downsize as the swelling goes down

Hidden costs to ask about

Some studios charge separately for the downsize visit, for jewelry adjustments, or for the initial check-in. Ask up front whether those are included. At our Orlando studio, the first downsize is included in the price of the piercing.

Book your nose piercing in Orlando

Ready to get pierced? You can book your appointment online or learn more about body piercing in Orlando at Pokes and Pouts. We are located at 1084 Lee Rd #10, Orlando, FL 32810.