Cleaning Navel Rings

The most important advice you can get about navel piercing is how to care for the wound as well as the jewelry. It seems many women today wear navel rings, so they must be easy to care for, right? The can be, but any wound requires careful attention.

1. Only touch your piercing when you clean it.
2. The best place to clean your piercing is in the shower. Let the warm water fall on your stomach, just above the piercing (not directly on it, or the water pressure could irritate the skin).
3. While you loosen any crusting around the piercing with this "trickle-down" method, lather your hands with medical grade soap (anti-microbial soap with no fragrance is fine). Rinse.
4. Use a soaked Q-tip to gently brush away any dead skin or crusting from around the piercing.
5. Let air dry.
   

Some people find that a sea salt soak after the shower works well to speed healing, but many piercing professionals agree that any piercing should be left alone to heal on its own. Just keep it clean, don't agitate the navel ring and remove the crust from around it once a day as it heals.

Healed Belly Ring

You can tell if any piercing is healed mostly by the look of it and also how it feels to the touch. Is it still tender? If it still hurts to a minor touch, it probably is not healed. If there are crusts around the edges of the piercing and it is still leaking fluid, it is still healing as well. If your piercing is not leaking, crusting, bleeding or inflamed, I'd say it is probably healed enough to change the jewelry, but generally it is not completely healed until between 4 months and a year. Don't leave jewelry out of a fresh hole for long or it may close up, and I'd recommend having a piercer change the jewelry.

How to Care for a New Navel Ring

You endured several minutes of pain to make your fashion statement with a new navel ring. What do you do next? How do you care for this tender area? When can you change the belly button ring?

People who get body piercings should educate themselves on proper aftercare.

Here are some tips for aftercare of a newly pierced navel:

· Always wash your hands before touching the pierced area. Do not touch it except to clean it.

· Take showers rather than bathing. Showering will breed fewer bacteria than a bath.

· Wear clean, breathable clothing that protects your piercing during sleep. Make sure your bedding is clean and change it regularly.

· Protect the navel with a hard, vented eye patch (sold at pharmacies) that is secured by using a length of ace bandage around the body (to avoid irritation from adhesive). This patch is used protect the pierced area from restrictive clothing, excess irritation, and impact during physical activities such as contact sports.

· Leave jewelry in at all times. Even a well healed piercing can close easily. Carry a clean replacement in case of accidental loss.

If you follow these aftercare guidelines you will have a better chance of combating possible infection.

Dealing with an infected belly piercing

If your belly button piercing should become infected, do not remove the ring. The piercing must be free of germs and bacteria before removing the belly ring or the harmful germs could get trapped and worsen the infection. If your piercing begins to produce a thick or discolored liquid see your doctor to get proper treatment for the infection.

Problems With Your Belly Button Ring

When piercing your navel, or any part of your body, you run the risk of infection. Your belly button must be cared for every day. It typically takes 38 weeks for your navel piercing to properly heal.

While healing there are some problems that may arise. Here are some signs that there might be a problem with the pierced navel.

1. You have a green or yellow discharge.
2. The pierced area is bleeding, splitting, oozing or cracking and it is more than a week old.
3. The navel jewelry is moving or migrating from its original position.
4. Red streaks are radiating from the piercing or pain and redness.
5. Developing a rash or hive soon after the procedure.
6. A lump or bump forming at the base of the pierced area.

If you have any of these signs after you get a navel ring then you need to seek the advice or your piercer or in some situations a medical professional. The main thing is to alleviate the problem as soon as possible.

The Best Navel Ring to Get Pierced With

There are many different types of navel rings available for you to put in your belly button piercing. The best navel jewelry to get initially is made of stainless steel, as it is easier to sterilize and less likely to react to your body. You have the choice of a CBR (captive ball ring) or a barbell, and while you might be tempted to get the barbell, a ring is easier to keep clean and will heal faster. You can turn the ring and clean the entire length of the navel jewelry better than if you were to get a barbell, but once you're healed you can always change into a barbell.

Healing typically takes about 6-12 months, and if you want to change jewelry, make sure to get it done by a piercer, as they are more likely to be sterile than you are at home!

Navel Rings and Healing

You should avoid having any clothing rubbing against your navel rings (not “naval body jewelry”!), so you may want to unbutton or unzip the top of your pants until your belly button piercing heals. The rubbing from clothing will not only be painful, it will disturb the healing process. Correspondingly, you and your friends should avoid touching your navel ring until your belly button piercing is fully healed.

What are the Health Risks Associated with a Pierced Navel?

Getting your belly button pierced can be exciting. Choosing your belly button ring may be thrilling, but what are the risks?

There are some health risks associated with body piecing. Listed below are some the common risks you need to know before your pierce your navel.

Infection--Can result from inadequate care or improperly sterilized equipment. Certain types of infection can cause scarring and even lead to blood poisoning, not to mention it is very unattractive.

Allergic Reaction--Can result from allergies to metal in jewelry, which can lead to difficulty breathing, rash, swelling and maybe even hospitalization.

Excessive Bleeding--If you hit a large blood vessel and cannot stop the bleeding you may have to go to the hospital to get it cauterized.

Cross Contamination--Needles that are not properly sterilized can contaminate individuals with hepatitis, HIV or other blood-borne pathogens.

Keloids--These are toughened knots of scar tissue that look like cysts at the base of a piercing.

Can't donate blood--You cannot donate blood for one year after getting a body piercing--no exceptions.

These risks may seem minimal, but they can be extremely dangerous if they are not treated early. Know what to expect and educate yourself about these and other risks before you pierce your navel or any other body part.

Piercing outie belly buttons

Outie belly buttons can be pierced, but are much more complicated to pierce than "innie" belly buttons. It is important to find an experienced piercer to pierce an outie belly button. If you decide not to pierce your belly button, you can get alternative body jewelry such as a belly chain.

History of Belly Button Piercing

Belly button jewelry is a relatively modern invention. Although the belly button area has long been considered an erogenous zone, there is no evidence from primitive cultures to suggest that they practiced belly button piercing. Christy Turlington's revealing of a belly ring at a London fashion show has been cited as the moment that belly button jewelry became part of mainstream fashion. Soon afterward, Naomi Campbell, Madonna, Cher, and Janet Jackson were also sporting navel rings.

Sexiness of Navel Rings

The navel has long been considered an erogenous zone because of the difference between men and women's stomachs which is why its fun to highlight your belly button with a belly ring. Typically, women's stomachs are longer, more deeply recessed, and rounder in the lower region. There also tends to be a greater distance, proportionately, between a woman's navel and the genitals. Try wearing erotic belly rings to further enhance the sexiness of the navel.

Navel Piercing Procedure

When you go in to get your navel pierced, the first thing you should do is look around. Is the shop clean and well lit? Does the piercer look competent (are they businesslike, have they done this before?) Ask to see the instruments that the piercer will be using to put in your navel ring. Most of the time, they will be taken out of the autoclave (sterlizer) or sterile packets right in front of you. This is a good thing - don't accept their word for it that the instruments are sterile.

Have the piercer mark where they're going to pierce your navel with a pen and ask to go look in a full-length mirror before having the actual piercing done. You should be satisfied with the placement before the needle touches your skin.

After getting pierced, make sure the piercer gives you aftercare instructions and lets you know what type of treatment to use on your new piercing. A printed sheet is best, but don't feel weird writing this info down if it's just told to you - this is your body, take care of it! Make sure to ask how long you should wait before showering/bathing, and also ask the recommended procedure if something goes wrong.

This procedure will allow you to get the best experience out of getting your new navel ring.

Unusual Belly Button Piercings

If you're looking to get a different type of belly button piercing, ask your piercer. You might be able to get a lower belly button ring (which is where the bottom area of the navel is pierced) or a horizontal belly button piercing (instead of a barbell inserted above the navel, a ring is pierced horizontally above the navel).

These belly button ring styles are not as common as the typical belly button piercing, but can give you a different look. Just make sure to go to a reputable piercing shop and ask if the piercer has experience with different types of belly button piercings. Both you and the piercer should feel comfortable with any piercing that is done.