Belly Button Piercing: Facts, Precautions, Aftercare, Pictures

Belly button piercing can be described as the piercing that is located in and around the belly button. Piercing of this type is quite popular among teenagers especially girls as they flaunt their bellies in bikini’s and belly shirts. The piercing is actually carried out on the navel’s upper rim and people with ‘outie’ navels get pierced quite easily. The healing of the piercing generally takes 6 months or less depending on the after care.

How is Belly Button Piercing Done?

Like all surface piercings, piercings in the navel also hurt a lot but, the experience and skill of the piercer can reduce the pain to some extent. Steps to belly button piercing:

The person is asked by the piercer to decide upon the choice of the jewellery that she/he would like to sport in the piercing.
The person is asked to expose the navel so that the piercer can size up the navel with the help of some marker.
Surgical clamp is attached to upper portion of belly button for stabilizing the tissue before the puncture is performed.
With the help of a hollow long needle the piercer skilfully pierces the navel and inserts the jewellery of choice within it.
Deep breathing throughout the piercing procedure is highly important as it helps to keep calm and increases comfort.

Belly Button Piercing Kit

In general the Belly Button Piercing Kit includes:

One Navel Ring
One 12 Gauge Piercing Needle
Latex Gloves (one pair)
Piercing Cork
Cleaning Wipe and Antiseptic swab
Cotton Ball
Piercing Clamp

Belly Button Piercing Location

The piercing is generally carried out through the navel’s rim. The common observed placement happens to be the navel’s top ridge as well as navel’s bottom ridge. Nearly every person can have a piercing in the navel, however it is always advised to avoid navel piercings when the creasing of the torso runs through navel which can put increasing pressure on the jewellery.

Belly Button Piercing Pain

Getting any part of the body pierced turns out to be a very personal and unique experience. The piercing experience depends on different factors like mind state, mood, body part, piercers experience and piercing level comfort. Piercings in the belly button are considered as surface piercings where the needle is inserted through the navel’s rim. As the tissues around belly button are quite soft, the piercing can definitely hurt but, that again depends on how much pain the person can endure. Being skinny or well-built does not help with the pain as every person has soft tissues in and around the navel. The efficiency of the piercer plays a vital role towards reducing the pain as he/she can complete the procedure quite fast without much of a hassle.

Belly Button Piercing Bleeding

Like every other type of piercing, piercing in the belly button definitely causes bleeding but only to a little extent. The bleeding starts to occur as the area is pierced and some tissues have been damaged. However, the bleeding associated with the piercing stops once the tissues start healing up. It is extremely important to take proper after care and avoid too much cleaning which can further complicate the issues.

Belly Button Piercing Infection

Body piercings definitely look attractive and classy but, breaks within the skin can also lead towards infections. In case, the piercing has been handled un-hygienically without proper after care, chances are that the piercing can fall prey to attacks from fungi and bacteria leading to severe infection. Symptoms of infection include:

Pain in and around navel area.
Redness and swelling even after the initial weeks of healing.
Oozing of puss from pierced belly button.
Skin discolouration around entire abdomen when infection has reached an advanced stage.
Presence of abscess within the navel.

In case, the pierced belly button is infected, it is important to get it checked from the doctor so as to avoid further complications.

Belly Button Piercing Jewellery

The jewellery for the belly button piercing generally depends on the type of the belly button. Different people have different navels and the choice of jewellery is entirely dependent on that factor. Barbells of different shapes, styles and sizes are available to choose from which can range from elaborate crystals to simple coloured knobs. In case, the navel is not of ‘outey’ type, the preferred jewellery should be curved belly bars. In case, the navel of the person is round, small and deep, then curved bars with teardrop or normal round shape look quite attractive. People with classic ‘outey’ navels can sport top droppers as the top can be pierced quite easily. Some other pieces of belly button jewellery include English Rose, Butterfly, Amour, Open Triangle and Diamond Solitaire.

Belly Button Piercing Migration

Migration refers to the jewellery movement within the pierced area from its original position to new location. Migration generally takes place during piercing of insufficient or unsuitable tissue or when the diameter of the jewellery is small. These errors are often committed by untrained and inexperienced piercers. Migration can even result from use of improper aftercare products as well as emotional stress or physical trauma during healing period. But, there are times when everything has been carried out properly, but the piercing still migrates without any specific reason. Before the piercing procedure is carried out in belly button, it is always wise to check whether the person is allergic to metal used to manufacture the jewellery.

Belly Button Piercing Rejection

Like all varieties of surface piercings, piercing in the belly button also face the risks of rejection. The symptoms of rejection will include redness of the area accompanied with greenish to yellowish discharge. The person also experiences moderate to mild pain in and around the area along with formation of crust at pierced point. Moderate to slight movements start to occur during rejection of belly button piercing. The movement continues till quite a few months and does not lead to stretching or pulling of the skin. As it displaces, the skin starts to heal around the piercing which gives the impression that it is moving altogether. However, by the end the jewellery is completely rejected by the body. Daily aftercare with anti-bacterial solutions should be carried out along with application of non-iodized salt water with cotton swab at least two times a day.

Belly Button Piercing Precautions/How to Stop It from Rejecting

It is the natural urge of the body to reject anything foreign that is introduced to it. However there are a few measures which can be taken to prevent rejection of belly button piercing.

It is important to make sure that piercer has ample experience with piercings and makes use of proper sterilization process, jewellery and tools during piercing.
Jewelleries made of glass, titanium, gold and sterling silver should be preferred as they have less chances of rejection. Small gauges should also be avoided.
The piercing should be handled with properly washed hands which reduce infections risks.
Jewellery movement should be minimized as much as possible during healing period.
Aftercare recommendations should be followed religiously without any delay.
The jewellery should be left for suggested period of time that can range from four to twelve weeks. Introduction of foreign substances and products for skin care should be avoided.

How long does Belly Button Piercing Last?

The amount of time required for piercing in belly button to close up generally varies from one person to the other. The closing up of the piercing depends on several factors like piercing type, time span and availability of scar tissues. While, some piercing in belly button takes years for closing up, newer piercings tend to close up within a few weeks or even months. There are also instances where the piercing has migrated out, but the hole has remained leaving it impossible to carry out another piercing in that same area.

Belly Button Piercing Prices

Cost of piercing in the navel primarily depends on the following factors:

A big portion of the price is dependent on the material the jewellery is made of. People can choose from simple designs to complicated and intricate designs.
Popular options for materials include gold, silver, titanium as well as various metal alloys. Choice of the material greatly influences price of navel piercing.
Prices also tend to differ from one piercer to the other. It is always a good idea to carry out some research before opting for a piercing salon.

In general, the average price of piercings in navel ranges from $ 40 to $ 100. Prices are not fixed and people have the opportunity to negotiate the prices with the piercer.

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