Is my belly button healing or infected?
You must wash your piercing twice daily with a salt solution and clean cotton swab to prevent bacterial growth and infection. Many people, however, mistake signs of healing for an infected belly button. You may experience persistent redness around the belly button and soreness that is simply a symptom of healing.
How do you clean a belly button piercing with saline spray?
On saline sprays The process is simple: spray the saline directly onto your piercing, and let it soak in. That’s it. Unlike saline soaks, saline sprays don’t fully flush the piercing. This is why it’s important to do a combination of both saline sprays and soaks during the first weeks of healing in any piercing.
How long does a belly piercing infection last?
While most belly button piercings heal without issues, bacteria can infect the area before healing is complete. Infections are usually minor. Symptoms can include pain, redness, and swelling, and improving hygiene can help. Complete healing can take 9–12 months.
Can you moisturize belly button piercing?
Moisturizers & New Navel Piercings You should really never apply creams, balms or oils to a new belly button piercing, with the exception of emu oil. Most ointments and creams will clog a healing fistula, potentially trapping in bacteria and leading to infection.
Should I take out my infected belly piercing?
If you suspect an infection, don’t remove the jewelry on your own, unless your doctor tells you to do so. Most piercings don’t need to be removed to treat infections. Keeping the piercing hole open allows pus to drain. Allowing the hole to close may trap the infection inside of your body, causing an abscess to form.
How do you shower with a belly button piercing?
Showering with a New Belly Button Piercing You should never soap up a new belly piercing directly, because soap can dry out your skin and irritate a new piercing. It’s okay if sudsy water runs over your belly button piercing when you’re showering, but you should wash it exclusively with sea salt solution.
What should I know before getting a belly button piercing?
Getting Your Belly Button Pierced Professionally Assess the cleanliness of the shop. Look for general tidiness and watch the artists to make sure that they wear sterile gloves and use sterile solutions on the skin. Be prepared to show identification to prove you’re at least 16 years of age.
How do you clean a belly button piercing?
To prevent and treat an infection, you should clean your belly-button piercing with warm water and soap twice daily. Avoid using alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or harsh soaps. Switch to a milder soap if you notice red bumps around the navel area and experience tenderness.
When can I stop cleaning my belly button piercing?
Clean the piercing regularly, even after the area has healed. Approximately 3 months after receiving the piercing, you can stop cleaning it as regularly. During the life of the piercing, cleaning the area twice a week should be fine. Tea tree oil is a very effective anti-bacterial and it smells nice too.
Is my belly button piercing healing properly?
It may appear to be fully healed within 4-6 weeks , but it can take 3-6 months and sometimes up to a year for navel piercings to completely heal. During the belly button piercing healing process, be sure to follow these belly button piercing aftercare guidelines as closely as possible to minimize the chances of your jewelry migrating/rejecting, promote healing and avoid an infection: