WhitneyNavel Piercings- Aftercare, Jewelry, and Tips
June 15th 2008 20:58
Belly button piercings are probably one of the more common piercings that you see in today's society. They're easy to hide, and typically easy to heal. The one thing that I'm tired of hearing is the all-mighty question asked by 12 and 13 year old girls- "how do I convince my mom to let me get my belly button pierced?" What's sad is that most of these girls don't understand or won't actually care for the piercing once they get it.
When you get any piercing you need to be able to properly care for it in order to prevent infection, migration, and rejection. Although, there's not much that you can do to prevent rejection, you can prevent infection.
Before you actually get a navel piercing, you want to make sure that you understand proper healing techniques. You want to be able to plan out when you'll be able to clean the piercing, which should be at least twice a day for 10 minutes for hte first 2 weeks with saline solution only, and then at least once a day for 10 minutes thereafter, until fully healed.
You want to avoid going swimming until the piercing is healed. I realized that most females, especially the younger crowd, want to get their navel pierced during the summer so that they can show it off in their two piece bathing suit, which is fine, as long as they avoid going swimming. That means no swimming pools, lakes, oceans, ponds, whatever... Just don't do it. The bacteria levels in any body of water is just not the risk of infecting your new piercing. Before you go swimming, make sure that the piercing is 110% healed. The risk isn't worth it.
Also, avoid tanning beds until the piercing is healed.
You want to make sure that you know the common signs of belly button infection so that you can potentially stop the infection before it becomes severe. Common signs of navel infection include redness, swelling, warmth/fever in the area surrounding the piercing, pan, and pus.
For the few days or so, don't start to stress out because the are around your new piercing is red, swollen, and painful. Give the piercing at least one week before you start to stres out, as by then the area around the piercing should be substantially less swollen and painful. As for the redness, now that will depend on your body, and is pretty much person-to-person as to how fast the redness fades.
When you're picking out jewelry for your belly button piercing, make sure that you stick with steel or another high-grade metal. You want to avoid wearing dangle belly button jewelry and other large navel rings for long periods of time because the weight can severely irritate the piercing.
If you’re pregnant and you’re worried about losing your navel ring, don’t worry. You can find pregnancy belly button rings that are typically banana barbells that are much longer to accommodate your growing abdomen area.
You still want to keep watch on the barbell to how large your abdomen grows. Some women will quickly grow out of the steel pregnancy barbell. In this case, you’ll want to find tygon that you can have sized for your navel piercing. A body piercer is the best place to find tygon; plus the piercer will be able to help you with your piercing.
And, lastly, stretched belly button piercings... It's possible. It's actually more common for males to stretch their navels, but it's not uncommon to see a female stretch her belly button piercing. As with stretching an ear piercing, you want to stretch one gauge at a time, and remember that slow and steady wins the race. You never want to race a stretching.
As you increase the gauge, you want to watch out what jewelry you use in the piercing. You don't want to snag or potentially cause a tear to the skin. If you want to stretch your navel piercing, I'd definitely suggest that you go to a reputable body piercer to ask for jewelry tips.
When you get any piercing you need to be able to properly care for it in order to prevent infection, migration, and rejection. Although, there's not much that you can do to prevent rejection, you can prevent infection.
Before you actually get a navel piercing, you want to make sure that you understand proper healing techniques. You want to be able to plan out when you'll be able to clean the piercing, which should be at least twice a day for 10 minutes for hte first 2 weeks with saline solution only, and then at least once a day for 10 minutes thereafter, until fully healed.
You want to avoid going swimming until the piercing is healed. I realized that most females, especially the younger crowd, want to get their navel pierced during the summer so that they can show it off in their two piece bathing suit, which is fine, as long as they avoid going swimming. That means no swimming pools, lakes, oceans, ponds, whatever... Just don't do it. The bacteria levels in any body of water is just not the risk of infecting your new piercing. Before you go swimming, make sure that the piercing is 110% healed. The risk isn't worth it.
Also, avoid tanning beds until the piercing is healed.
You want to make sure that you know the common signs of belly button infection so that you can potentially stop the infection before it becomes severe. Common signs of navel infection include redness, swelling, warmth/fever in the area surrounding the piercing, pan, and pus.
Tri- Belly Button Piercing
For the few days or so, don't start to stress out because the are around your new piercing is red, swollen, and painful. Give the piercing at least one week before you start to stres out, as by then the area around the piercing should be substantially less swollen and painful. As for the redness, now that will depend on your body, and is pretty much person-to-person as to how fast the redness fades.
When you're picking out jewelry for your belly button piercing, make sure that you stick with steel or another high-grade metal. You want to avoid wearing dangle belly button jewelry and other large navel rings for long periods of time because the weight can severely irritate the piercing.
If you’re pregnant and you’re worried about losing your navel ring, don’t worry. You can find pregnancy belly button rings that are typically banana barbells that are much longer to accommodate your growing abdomen area.
You still want to keep watch on the barbell to how large your abdomen grows. Some women will quickly grow out of the steel pregnancy barbell. In this case, you’ll want to find tygon that you can have sized for your navel piercing. A body piercer is the best place to find tygon; plus the piercer will be able to help you with your piercing.
piercing extension for pregnant bellybutton
And, lastly, stretched belly button piercings... It's possible. It's actually more common for males to stretch their navels, but it's not uncommon to see a female stretch her belly button piercing. As with stretching an ear piercing, you want to stretch one gauge at a time, and remember that slow and steady wins the race. You never want to race a stretching.
As you increase the gauge, you want to watch out what jewelry you use in the piercing. You don't want to snag or potentially cause a tear to the skin. If you want to stretch your navel piercing, I'd definitely suggest that you go to a reputable body piercer to ask for jewelry tips.
Strectched Belly Button Piercing (0 gauge)
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Comment by Tri attack
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Anonymous
it's now been over a year since i took it out and there is still a small hole there
i would like to get it pierced again but i'm still waiting for the whole to heal completely
is this normal?
Comment by Whitney
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Comment by Anonymous
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A keloid, is scar tissue, not tight skin. It's generally going to be seen as a bump. A line is not going to be a keloid that I've ever heard of anyway.
It shouldn't get infected so easily, unless you're not following proper aftercare.
Hopefully, you're having a piercer do it, and you're not doing it yourself, as that can definitely increase risk of infection and rejection, as you've seen so far.
Doesn't sound like your body is going to heal a belly button piercing ever. Not everyone can heal them.
Comment by Anonymous
If so please respond. Thank you!
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Comment by Lydia Sofia
There is also a higher chance of rejected with the 2 lower piercings as they're surface piercings, but i'll let you know how that goes with my experience! Gotta wait a few months till i get the last one now
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Anonymous, You should be able to just put the larger gauge in the piercing. Typically, navel piercings are pierced with 14 gauge needles and use 14 gauge jewelry. If you're at an 18g, that's really small. 16g is also fairly small for a belly button piercing. You can find proper 14g jewelry in smaller barbell lengths if that's what you wanted initially. If you're at a 16, try pushing a 14g barbell into the piercing while in the shower. You may want to use a little neosporin ointment to help it slide in. Unless, you went to an inexperienced person, I highly doubt you got it done initially at 16 gauge, unless you requested it.
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Comment by Jaimie leyyten<3333
right back thanks XX
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Comment by Anonymous
never use acohol
use anti bacterial soap ,or dial (orange)
dont touch the piercing after you get it,if you do makesure your hands are cleaned
wait at least 5 months to change it
clean it twice a day..
hope this helps !
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Comment by AnonymousAlaskan
Any tips for Overweight people? Like a size 14/16 ? not a small toned 14/16 but a had 3 kids ,just lost almost 60lbs kinda deal.
So far it seems to be doing really well(( it's day 3 )) . I did it myself ,but have in the past also (only took it out cuz I figured I was too fat to have one)) and I've done several other peoples (( BEFORE I know it wasnt legal to do that! )) and i've done my own nose and it turned out GREAT.
I can't see or feel the post unless I kinda push in, so I dont think it's too shallow or too deep.
BUT my deal is that I wonder if maybe I still have too much skin in it ,because the whole post is covered and you only see the balls on it (( banana bell,small balls not big ones at all)) but I google imaged belly button piercings ((wich is how i found this site)) and I see that a lot of people's look like that but some you can see the post AND the balls.
I don't have a "lip" on my belly button like a small person does.
As I lose weight is this ring going to go where it belongs ? Or will it move up too far or down too far? I've really been losing a lot of weight. I only clean it with warm sea salt water. talked to 3 piercing parlors that agreed with me on that method.
Its not hurting and the only redness is what was there from old scaring ( will miderma treat that once this is all healed up, I think))
I guess I was just looking for any advice or tips for my situation -- losing weight while having it done, not having a lip on my belly button & having enough skin to cover the whole post ( but as I said I saw DOZENS done that way when I googled images of peoples Belly button piercings))
anyways.... thanks in advance for any tips/advice
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