Mantis Piercings 101-Pros and Cons

In this article, we’re going to talk about mantis piercings.

What Are Mantis Piercings?

Mantis piercings are usually done in sets. They’re done on the front of the nose. They’re a type of forward nostril piercing.

So, basically these piercing nose mantis piercings are done right on the front of the nose, pointing outward. They are usually done, well almost all need to be done with studs.

As far as history, if you don’t take account nostril piercings in general, which have been with us for a very long time and is represented in a lot of different cultures, this piercing is pretty much a modern invention, at least the placement.

It has only come about in like maybe the last 15 to 20 years. I’m sure somebody before that got it done, but as far as having this name and popularity, not until recent years. And it is an extremely rare piercing.

What is the rarest piercing ever? Well, mantis piercings are definitely up there on that list.

Mantis Piercings Pros

1. Rare and Unique Piercing

As I just mentioned, they’re a rare piercing. This is not something you’re commonly going to see. It is not a piercing we do every day. It is rare.

If you like the unusual and have kind of a different look, here’s a good piercing for you. If you’re searching for “mantis piercing near me,” you might find that not many studios offer this specialized service.

2. Long History of Healing

It heals pretty much just like a nostril piercing. There’s a little bit more contact than you would have with just a piercing on the side of the nostril, just basically because we all lead with our nose.

But for the most part, it’s going to heal with little or no problems. Are mantis piercings safe? Yes, when done by a professional piercer with proper aftercare, they’re as safe as any other nostril piercing.

3. Enhances and Draws Attention to the Area

If you really like your nose, it’s one of those things that’s going to make people look at it because it’s going to pop. You can go big and bold with very large settings.

Or you can go really simple and very delicate with really small gem settings. It is a piercing that’s going to enhance and make your nose look better.

4. Large Variety of Different Jewelry

You can wear, with threadless jewelry and even threaded jewelry, so many different ends. I couldn’t name them all. I could start today and I’d be in the ground before I ended.

There are a lot of different manufacturers doing a lot of incredibly imaginative and creative things. You just have an endless variety of ideas.

With mantis piercing jewelry, you can do gold, you can do titanium, you can do anodized titanium in different colors. There’s all kinds of options for piercing jewelry mantis piercings. So, a lot of variety.

5. Can Wear Rings

Also, you can wear rings in these. Depending on the placement, it may not be the most comfortable. But it’s a possibility once that piercing is seasoned well and it can handle it. Some people even explore nose ring mantis piercings once fully healed.

Mantis Piercings Cons

1. Can Affect Employment and Social Interaction

This could affect employment and social interaction. It could make it so that you can’t be in certain hobbies and activities that involve dress codes.

I always tell people your best option is to talk to your employer or coach or whoever is in charge and ask if it’s going to be an issue. This is not a piercing you’re going to be able to hide. I’m sorry, that’s not possible.

2. Can’t Sleep on the Piercing

I don’t know if this is going to be as big of a factor for most people. But if you’re one of those people that sleeps with your head buried in the pillow, not a good piercing for you.

Does a mantis piercing hurt? We’ll cover pain levels in detail later, but sleeping on it during healing can definitely cause discomfort.

3. Can’t Wear Makeup in the Area or Cosmetics

Also, you want to keep cleansers away from the area and moisturizers. Those things can cause issues in a healing piercing. So, at least during the healing period.

Even after it heals, heavy powders and cosmetics tend to collect on the jewelry and make it look terrible. So, you kind of want to be a little more careful about it.

4. More Noticeable Than a Traditional Nostril Piercing

It’s definitely more noticeable than a traditional nostril piercing mantis piercings setup. If you’re one of those people that doesn’t like people coming up to you, random strangers, and asking you about your piercings, this may not be the piercing that you want.

Because it’s going to draw attention to you wherever you go because it’s not something everybody sees every day. You might find discussions about this on mantis piercing reddit threads where people share their experiences.

5. A Little Bit More Difficult to Heal

Can be a little bit more difficult to heal than traditional nostril piercings. Mainly because it’s on the front of your face. And as I mentioned earlier, we tend to lead with our face.

We either hit things when we’re not paying attention, either with our nose or our toes. It’s the leader. So, you have to be aware. You don’t really realize how much contact an area gets until you have a piercing there.

The mantis piercing healing time can be affected by this increased contact.

Preparing for the Mantis Piercing

Finding the Right Piercer

The first thing is this is not a common piercing. And this is not a piercing every piercer does every day year round. This is a piercing they’re going to do a lot less of.

So you really need to find somebody that has some experience with this or a lot of experience piercing in general. When searching “mantis piercing near me,” make sure to read reviews and check portfolios.

Check Employment and Organization Rules

If you are employed or involved in an organization that has a dress code, talk to the person in charge before you get these piercings. Because they will possibly affect your ability to be employed at that place or participate in that activity.

It’s better to know this beforehand. Don’t do something then ask for permission later. It just isn’t going to work out.

Piercer Qualifications

Your piercer needs to be very professional, well experienced, informative, and makes you feel comfortable. Also, they should give you a consultation on the piercing that covers some of what it’s going to take to heal it, what you’re going to need.

Cross-contamination prevention. We’ll go into that a little bit later, too. And the piercer should evaluate your mantis piercing anatomy and get an understanding of whether or not the piercings are going to work or not.

Mantis Piercing Aftercare Instructions and Products

Next thing you want to know is whether or not your piercer provides aftercare instructions and products. Do they sell the product or is it something you should buy in advance?

As far as instructions, do they give you verbal instructions and written instructions? A lot of places don’t, even the better studios. And I do not understand why. They’re just making more work for themselves by not taking five minutes to sit down and discuss how to take care of the mantis piercing properly.

Mantis Piercing Jewelry Quality

The mantis piercing jewelry should be of high quality and biocompatible materials. Most reputable shops aren’t going to have issues with that. Quality mantis piercing jewelry is essential for proper healing.

Plan for Isolation

This piercing demands isolation. Plan ahead. Plan on how you’re going to sleep. Plan on how you’re going to live your daily life.

If you wear a mask on a regular basis, figure out if you don’t have to do that anymore. Do those things in advance. Don’t get the piercing and then realize you’re going to have all these problems.

Mantis piercing is going to need to be isolated for at least two months.

Mantis Piercing Healing Time Expectations

Cross-contamination prevention, take that into account in advance. And I’ll go into that in depth when we get into aftercare or healing the piercing. Mantis piercing can take a long time to heal.

Sometimes in some cases depending on your health, your immune system, it could take as long as 3 to 4 months. It just heals when it does. So take that, think about that in advance. The mantis piercing healing time varies from person to person.

Downsizing

Jewelry will probably need to be downsized at some point. So you’re going to have to go back to that piercer and have them downsize the jewelry. Plan that ahead.

Usually most places will give you about six to eight weeks, maybe sooner. It’s important you downsize jewelry because it makes your life easier and it reduces the likelihood of migration and catching the jewelry.

Piercing Method

Mantis piercing should be done freehand. I don’t know why you would use forceps for this, but I’m betting there’s somebody out there that does. But it should be done freehand.

Future Nose Piercings

If you have any future nose related piercings in the planning stage, talk to them about that at the time of marking to make sure there’s room for those piercings or they’re going to interact well with that piercing.

That includes other nostril piercings, septum piercings, and even rhino piercings. A rhino piercing goes through the tip of the nose vertically and can affect the placement of mantis piercings.

Anatomy Requirements

Last one is you must have the correct anatomy. Usually with this one, that isn’t a huge problem. How it’s placed, the angle of the piercing may be dictated by that and how that piercing is going to look in the long run.

They should discuss that with you. In some cases we have to do it more angled off to the side instead of straight back. Otherwise the jewelry will never sit right.

It may cause other issues like bumps. So they should talk to you about what’s going to work best with your mantis piercing anatomy.

The Mantis Piercing Experience Itself

Mantis Piercing Pain Level

Does a mantis piercing hurt? On a scale of one to 10, I’ve heard this one is maybe a little bit more than a nostril, which I would say is a two to four. This can be a three to seven depending on the person.

I don’t know if it’s because the area is a little more sensitive. But usually people think it hurts a little bit more. The mantis piercing pain level is manageable for most people.

Consultation and Jewelry Selection

Consultation and jewelry selection is the first thing we do. We’re going to go through how to take care of it in the consultation, what it’s going to take to heal it, whether or not you have the correct anatomy for it.

Then we’re going to go through and go to the jewelry case and select an end that’s going to work best for you or what you like. And kind of go through that process of choosing the correct piercing jewelry mantis piercings options.

Listen to your piercer. They have experience with this. If they say you kind of want to stick with smaller or bigger or what have you. If your style is more big and bold, then maybe a larger piece is going to work better or larger pieces. But if you’re not, smaller pieces are going to look better. So listen to what they have to say and ask for their insight.

Waiver/Release Form

Then we have you fill out a waiver or release form to give us consent to do the piercing. And there’s a lot of people don’t read it. They just go bang bang bang bang and then fill it out. It’s important you read that because it’s going to cover things like health issues, medication, whether or not you’re intoxicated, and things that we don’t have control of.

So, it’s kind of partly you’re consenting to do it and giving the authorization. But it’s also a way of, it’s kind of a questionnaire. So, if there’s issues that you have with health or pre-existing health conditions or you’re on some type of medication, talk to them about that. I’m sure they’ve dealt with it in the past.

Setup Process

Next, we’ll set up the area. Basically do the setup where we lay out all the equipment we’ll need, unwrap it or undrape it, get everything in its proper order.

Disinfecting

Then we’ll disinfect the area usually with a surgical scrub. Personally, I like Betadine, Providone Iodine. It’s what works for me and I’ve had very few people react to it.

Marking

Then we’ll mark the piercing. Marking is a collaborative effort. You need to look at the marks, especially if we’re doing matching.

Because your nose isn’t perfectly shaped. It’s organic. It’s a little longer and a little this way and that way on each side.

And I know I’ll say this till I’m blue in the face to certain people and they still don’t like the way the thing looks. I can, I have an eye for it. I’m usually pretty good at hitting it.

But sometimes just a little bit of insight like, oh, this one looks a little bit this way or that way. I’m happy to go, okay, well, let’s move that mark.

You also want to look at it up close. But it’s important to look at it at arm’s length or further. Most people do not see you this close. They see you at arm’s length. So if it looks straight here and crooked there, this is what people are going to react to.

The Mantis Piercing Process

After we’ve done that, we’ll take a needle receiving tube or a cork, insert it inside the nostril, inject the piercing in and through in one smooth motion.

Then we push the needle out with a needle guide pin. Hook the jewelry in the back, usually a flat labret stud. Push it forward. Put the end on. And we’re done.

Might be a little bit of bleeding that we need to stop. Usually doesn’t bleed a lot. You might have a little bit of throbbing and aching related to mantis piercing pain. That lasts a few minutes. And if you’re doing the other one, then we just repeat.

Doing Both Piercings

And something I don’t usually mention to clients when they’re in the chair or on the table, but the reality is usually when you do two of things, the pain does increase a little bit.

So take that into account. Not always, and then usually it’s kind of a slight difference. But it’s kind of like the first time you do something, your body’s going, “No, don’t do this.” And the second time is screaming, “Don’t do that.” So I do understand that that’s normal.

Eyes Watering

This may also make your eyes water. Anything has to do with the sinuses can do that.

Final Steps

Then after we’re done, we’ll go through mantis piercing aftercare instructions. Of course, we stop any bleeding that may occur. And then you pay me and we say goodbye until you downsize.

Mantis Piercing Healing Time

Average Healing Time

Average mantis piercing healing time, like I said earlier, this could be about two to four months. But that 8 to 12 weeks, two to three months is probably a good estimate for most people.

Everybody heals at different rates because we’re all a little healthier or unhealthy or what have you. The mantis piercing healing time depends on various factors including your immune system and how well you follow aftercare instructions.

Cleaning Routine

During which time you’re going to want to clean it twice daily using a sterile saline spray. Personally, I like NeilMed Piercing Aftercare.It comes out in a fine mist. But it’s not always available where you live or what have you.

What to Look for in Saline

So when you’re looking for saline, a couple things you want to look for.

First off, it should be in a hard metal can. It should be under pressure there. It shouldn’t be a situation where it’s a pump bottle or it comes out of a squirt bottle. It should say sterile on it somewhere and it probably will list the method used to do that. UV is a pretty common one.

Then when you flip it over in the back and you look at ingredients, you’re only going to see two things.

First one’s going to be some form of purified water. The second thing is going to be sodium chloride. Basically, water and salt. Nothing else. So, if it has anything else in it, I would suspect that it isn’t in fact sterile.

How to Use Saline

How to use it? If it comes out like a fine mist, just mist both sides of the piercing. Let it stay in contact for about 5 minutes or so. That’s all you really need to do.

If it comes out like a squirt gun or a freight train, I suggest doing compresses. Best option is a sterile piece of gauze sponge. Saturate it to the point where it’s very damp.

Lay it against the piercing for about five to 10 minutes. Both of those things you want to do twice daily.

Shower Routine

The other thing is once a day at the end of your shower. Because most people shower at least once a day. Tilt your head back, let the water, pull hair if it’s in the way out of the way, and let the water flow over the area for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Why Clean the Mantis Piercing

What we’re doing with the saline and the shower is we’re removing the hardened crusty discharge, the crusties. The reason why we want it off there is a couple different reasons.

First off, the movement of the jewelry. Sometimes that discharge, it can agitate it, which can lead to issues. The other reason is comfort. It doesn’t feel good when that happens. It can feel like a scab’s being pulled off in some cases.

Of course, it’s best if the jewelry just stays stationary. But we’re moving around and we’re organic and things move. So, if you feel like you have an excessive amount of it or it’s just not coming off, see your piercer and have them clean it for you. There might be something else going on that they need to address.

But the other reason is I don’t want you to run to a medicine cabinet and start pulling out everything tipped in cotton or a sharp point or some complete stranger on the internet with no credentials suggested and start digging around. You’re going to cause issues.

Cross-Contamination Prevention

The next important part of it is practicing cross-contamination prevention.

Most of this is common sense stuff. Wash your hands before you handle it. Really you don’t need to handle it often. And there’s no reason to spin it. There’s no reason to rotate it or mess with it. Leave them alone.

No oral contact or exchange of bodily fluids on or around the piercing until it heals. Keep your environment clean, your clothing, your bedding, your towels, anything that comes in contact with the area. Clean it on a regular basis or change it often.

Other Mantis Piercing Aftercare Tips

No Swimming

No swimming. You’re going to hear all kinds of conflicting ideas on this one.

Your piercing is an open wound. There is no body of water on Earth that is large enough for you to submerge your whole body in and move around in that doesn’t have microorganisms in it.

Chances are one of those microorganisms could work their way into the piercing and cause an infection. The treatment does more to keep that water looking blue and clear than it does to actually kill anything.

And the harshness of those chemicals can cause issues with piercings. I know your mom told you when you were eight and you had a skinned knee that when you got in the pool and it burned, it was good for it. No, it isn’t. It actually probably prolonged the healing of that skinned knee.

Keep Pets Away

Keep pets away from it. Don’t let them sleep in the bed with you. Especially the smaller animals like to sleep up by your face and mess with you while you’re sleeping.

Avoid Contact with Masks

Avoid contact with masks or anything that goes over the face. If you have something that it’s always coming in contact with, like a mask, I really suggest changing them very often. If they’re disposable or completely disinfecting them between usage.

Keep Cosmetics Away

Keep cosmetics away from the area, moisturizers, fragrances, anything that comes out of a bottle that doesn’t come out of your body naturally should be kept away from the piercing.

Don’t Play with the Mantis Piercing

I already said this, but I’m going to say it again. Avoid playing with the mantis piercing, messing with the piercing, spinning it, rotating it, playing with it.

There’s no reason to do that and it’s going to prolong your mantis piercing healing time and increase your likelihood of infection or some other problem.

What to Expect: First Few Days

First three to five days, it’s not uncommon to see a little bit of bleeding off and on. It’s also not uncommon to have redness, discoloration, heat, tenderness to touch, inflammation off and on up to about a week.

Tenderness to touch is your body kind of teaching you to leave it alone. It’s kind of like it’s screaming every time you bump it, “I’m working here. Leave me alone.”

Mantis Piercing Jewelry

Leave Jewelry In

Jewelry needs to be left in the piercings at all times. Only taking out to replace. It’s not a bad idea. Most reputable shops, some don’t charge to change jewelry. Some do, some don’t.

Find that out and find out why, especially if you’re buying the jewelry from them. It’s not a bad idea the first few times it is changed to have it done professionally.

Initial Mantis Jewelry

You need post jewelry during the healing process. Flat back labrets, threadless is what I generally suggest. Threaded’s fine too.

The only additional thing with the threaded is you do want to make sure you check it on a regular basis to make sure that the balls or end is on there tight.

Switching to Rings

After about 6 to 12 months where the piercing is healed and it’s strengthened, it is possible to put circular jewelry in these piercings, rings. The only thing with it is if you start to notice any issues with the piercing, you need to immediately go back to straight post and give it more time.

Nose ring mantis piercings can look stunning once fully healed.

What we want is for that hole to kind of widen a little bit and also the tissue around it to thicken so that it’s not as sensitive. It’s very sensitive at the beginning.

Mantis Piercing Jewelry Downsizing

Downsize loose fitting jewelry. I don’t know if I mentioned this in the aftercare. I generally suggest downsizing in four to eight weeks.

Six weeks seems to be about the perfect spot for most people. Once that swelling goes down, there’s really no reason to have super long jewelry in the piercing. It looks kind of goofy and it’s constantly getting snagged and caught on things.

If you’re having issues with it getting caught, it’s especially important that you have it downsized. Do not wear long jewelry in piercings after they’ve healed.

There is absolutely no reason for that. And usually most places will give you a discount when you downsize. Proper mantis piercing jewelry sizing is crucial for comfortable healing.

Living with the Mantis Piercing

Isolation Even After Healing

These mantis piercings do need to be isolated even after they healed. Trauma to the piercing can cause a healed piercing that looks beautiful to suddenly become an angry little man or woman or somewhere else, somewhere in between. You do need to keep things away from them.

When to Consult Your Piercer

If you notice swelling or discomfort, consult your piercer. Even if it’s a healed piercing, there might be something going on.

You might have snagged it and caught it and it might have torn or what have you. And some precautions need to be taken. And possibly a jewelry change, especially if it’s swelling. You might need a longer piece of jewelry.

Keep Jewelry In

Leave the mantis piercing jewelry in at all times. This is not a piercing that you can take out. It’s not a forever piercing. If taking out for long periods of time is probably going to cause this piercing to close.

Abandoning the Piercing

If the Piercing is Healthy

If the piercing is healing or already healed and the area is healthy, there’s no signs of infection or other problem, removing the jewelry is not an issue. The piercing will close eventually.

Fresh vs. Healed Piercings

If it’s a fresh mantis piercing and it hasn’t healed completely, the two holes will probably close and then fill in. If it’s been in there for a while, often they will look like they’re healed for years after the jewelry is removed.

And that’s because it collapses the piercing, reconnects the tissue, and then fills it up. So don’t be surprised if it still looks open. Some people worry about mantis piercing scars, but with proper care and professional piercing, scarring is usually minimal.

If There Are Signs of Infection

If there are any signs of infection or other problem, consult your piercer or a medical professional before removing the jewelry.

The reason for that is we don’t want to create a situation where your body is fighting off an infection in the piercing and it hasn’t quite isolated it. And it gets trapped inside that piercing and then you have to go back for medical treatment including lancing and draining the piercing.

Or it leads to bigger problems like the infection spreading.

Always consult your doctor or a piercer before removing jewelry in a problem piercing. Usually in those cases during the healing process. But even after the healing process it can happen.

You get it caught just right, it snags. You take care of it and then suddenly it gets infected and you don’t really notice it and you think it’s just going to get better. Prolonging it is only going to make it worse. And removing the jewelry could make things even worse.

One Final Thing: Sebum

A lot of people call me up. I’ve had this call a number of times. “I squeeze my old piercing and this nasty, gross, smelly substance comes out. Is it infected?” No, it isn’t.

What that is is sebum. It is a waxy substance that your body produces. It has kind of the consistency of cream cheese. It can have a very distinct odor to it. It collects in crevices, it collects in piercings, and it seems to collect more around scar tissue.

With mantis piercings, basically what it does, it’s a natural product of your body. It oils your hair follicles and it also helps keep you watertight. With piercings, sometimes it’ll collect inside there and then you squeeze it and that stuff comes out.

My first question to you is why are you squeezing a piercing that’s shut? I know we all like to squeeze things that we think things are going to come out of. I don’t know why, but it’s fascinating for some people.

Don’t squeeze it. There’s no reason to. Your body will reject that stuff over time or it’ll dissolve. There’s no reason to be concerned. It’s completely normal.