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Belly Button Ring Infection – Follow The Aftercare Instructions!

September 9, 2008 by admin 

Have you ever had an infection? Submit your belly button infection story here!

First Time Belly Rings | Belly Button Piercing Aftercare
Belly Piercing Jewelry Threading | Belly Button Ring Sizes
How To Change Belly Rings

You have to be aware of belly button ring infection – you can get it if you don’t follow the piercing aftercare guidelines.

My wife got her belly button pierced but she didn’t take care of her new piercing well enough. She was given all the information needed to take a good care of her new belly button piercing. She was told to Belly Button Ring Infectionapply a saline solution twice a day to help the new belly button piercing to heal.

Although in the real life it happens a bit different… We’re busy at work, have to do our chores at home, spend time with kids, and so on and on. In this fast course of life we often forget many important things, let alone such a little – soak your fresh navel piercing with a saline solution.

In the picture above you can see my wife’s infected belly button piercing. You can see a red crusty edge around the belly button ring’s exit in the inner part of the navel. The other hole is also a bit reddish. These are sure signs of a belly button infection.

Initially my wife applied alcohol, although she was told by the piercer not to. Why didn’t she listen to him? We had a notion that alcohol cleans the wound and helps it – like when you have a cut on your finger. There was one thing we missed. Alcohol disinfects – not heals.

Around that time I started to look up info regarding body piercing on the Internet and having read navel piercing aftercare information I realised we’d been wrong. Using sea salt and antibacterial soap is number one things to do to help your body heal the fresh piercing.

Later on a red bump formed inside of my wife’s navel right under the piercing and it burst one day when my wife touched the belly ring. Lots of puss and blood oozed out and a small piece of flesh was sticking out as well!

I know we should have gone to a doctor but we didn’t…

It vanished in a couple of weeks after successfully performing hot soaks in shower and saline solution soaks.

However, I really suggest you do it, because I think it was an abscess – a collection of puss formed due to the belly button ring infection and the growth of bacteria inside. And then only a professional can decide if a course of antibiotics is needed or some other kind of treatment.

Belly button ring infection was gone in about a month’s time and when another month had passed, the belly button piercing was finally healed.

Here’s another website with great info – common piercing problems at BodyJewelleryShop.com

In the picture below you can see how the piercing looks after five months – and my wife’s ready to insert new belly rings:-)

Navel Piercing Stories

Join others who have submitted their belly button piercing stories and tell about where and how you got pierced, how you treated your new piercing and where you shop for the belly button rings.

You’ll have your own page within this belly ring guide and I’ll gladly link from it to your other webplaces!

Read and submit the navel piercing stories here click on the pic >>>

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Belly Button Ring Infection to Home Page or to Belly Button Piercing

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Comments

109 Responses to “Belly Button Ring Infection – Follow The Aftercare Instructions!”

  1. PAIGE on November 30th, 2008 5:54 am

    EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW MYN SOO BETTER

  2. Erika on January 31st, 2009 10:50 am

    Hopefully when i get mine that wont happen
    I will make sure that i will clean it twice a day

  3. nicole on January 31st, 2009 11:19 pm

    Does it hurt to get you belly button pierced?

  4. heather on February 6th, 2009 10:52 am

    hey Nicole yea i have my belly button done at first i thought it was goin to hurt but it doesn’t its like mind over matter its really not that bad…

  5. Ashley on February 7th, 2009 4:27 pm

    CAn u use table salt(regular salt) instead of sea salt or do u have to use sea salt?

  6. Kayla on February 11th, 2009 6:10 pm

    i thought mine was infected butt i dontt know its really red andd i cantt really touchh it butt ive been cleaning it with proxicide && cleaning it with soap andd it is getting better andd i gott it donee at 15 it dosnett hurtt at all.

  7. Robert on February 12th, 2009 2:57 am

    Hi Ashley,

    I think you’re better off using the sea salt that can be bought in drugstores. Here’s a link where you can read more about differences between the two types of salt: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sea-salt/AN01142

    In short – table salt may contain some anti-caking ingredients, so you don’t want it for soaking your belly piercing!

    Robby

  8. Jaclyn on February 12th, 2009 4:41 pm

    I was wondering what you do once you have soaked your belly button in the sea salt and water mixture other then drying it.

  9. Ashley on February 13th, 2009 9:33 am

    ya thats not true you clean your belly button 10 times a day with saline solution and twice a day with antibacterial soap mostly during morning when you wake up and the night before you go to sleep. If you clean it only twice a day no wonder you got it infected!! you was working to mutch and too early probly bumping it to often. Your wife needed to take care of it more but you pulled through in the end thats just your luck!!

  10. Tara on February 17th, 2009 6:40 pm

    I got my belly button pirced about 6 months ago.. and it is still discuting… Its developed scar tisse – Keloids? on both sides of it… I still try to keep it moist.. and use a scar ointment… It every now and then.. seems to look and feel better but then it reverts back to being gross. I was allergic to the stainless surgical steel that I was pierced with. ( this piercing is also much deeper than most) I currently have a titanium sprial in it… but I dotn know what to do!.. Im torn between taking it out.. or going the full 12 months for “healing time” but being that its deeper… will it take longer.. probley. I dono.. ANY suggestions will help!!!!! Id hate to take it out and be stuck with a huge scar. HELP HELP HELP!

  11. Erika on February 18th, 2009 10:31 am

    i dont think u r suppose to use ointments becuz they tend to block oxygen from circulating in the piercing. So just use Sea salts and warm water and soak it for 15 minutes everyday and wash it with dial hand soap 2x a day. Trust me that will help ur piercing heal if that doesnt work then go to the doctor

  12. sara on February 28th, 2009 6:56 pm

    I got mine done January 17…they put a ring in it…I wanted a normal jewel but the guy said he couldn’t cuz of policy reasons. I clean it twice a day and use saline spray at least four to six times thru out the day…the top hole is kinda red on the outer edges and whitesh close to the ring..like dried skin..doesnt leak or nothing..only hurts if its dried out. the bottom hole is fine..just wondering if its normal to look a little rough still..and also wondering if anyone know if I can change the ball ring without the pliers…I was thinking if I put a real gold ring in it might spead the healing process. any info would greatly be appreciated.

  13. leah on March 3rd, 2009 10:30 am

    mine is infected, i just changed the ring and cleaned it once with dial soap and now its good :D

  14. Robert on March 4th, 2009 2:58 am

    Hi Sara,

    First of all – gold belly ring is not going to speed up the healing process – surgical steel, titanium or bioplast are the materials you need:

    http://www.belly-button-rings-guide.com/navel-ring-bioplast.html
    http://www.belly-button-rings-guide.com/titanium-the-strongest-belly-rings-around.html
    http://www.belly-button-rings-guide.com/navel-rings-steel.html

    Secondly – you’re cleaning your belly button WAY too often! Six times a day… Well, no wonder the piercing is red and tender! Once or twice a day will definitely suffice, and there are some who don’t touch piercings at all and allow their bodies take care of everything, read more about it here:

    http://body-jewelry-guide.com/leave-it-the-hell-alone.html

    About changing the ring – I’d say wait till it’s absolutely healed, otherwise you can get a nasty infection or something. Read this infection story – Samantha’s piercing was very fine until she changed the belly ring too early:

    http://www.belly-button-rings-guide.com/samantha-belly-button-infection.html

    So don’t clean it too often, wait till it heals properly, go to another piercing studio which don’t have some weird policies, and ask for a nice belly ring! :-)

    And yes, you need special pliers for opening the CBR belly ring :-(

    All the best,

    Robby

  15. Morgan on March 4th, 2009 4:56 pm

    i got my belly button peirced about a week and a half ago and i think its really infected, but i have no idea how because i clean it right and everything. i just want it to heal is there anything else i can do to help it heal better?

  16. foxlover27 on March 7th, 2009 12:57 pm

    I WANT MINE DONE SO BAD DOES IT HURT :D

  17. Robert on March 8th, 2009 5:54 am

    It depends – for some it’s not painful at all, some feel some pain, but overall the pain subsides in a days time or so.

    Robby ;-)

  18. Carolyn on March 12th, 2009 8:43 pm

    Welllll, because im an idiot, i had my friend pierce my belly button at school without any ice or clamp. It didnt get infected thank god, but i DONT recommend it. It bled like a mo fo, and hurt too!

  19. Kehlee on March 17th, 2009 10:34 am

    I got my belly button pierced about 4-5 months ago.And i just recently changed the ring from my plain starter to a dangly one.The gauge is the same but for some reason it hurts even if i touch it a little. I clean it daily with soap and water.And ive been reading and everyone says to use sea salt.What exactly is sea salt?

  20. Robert on March 17th, 2009 11:45 am

    Hi Kehlee,

    Sea salt is similar to table salt with one exemption – it doesn’t contain iodine which is an irritant for many people.

    You can find sea salt in drugstores and a typical preparation is as follows: mix a one third teaspoon of sea salt in a cup of warm distilled or boiled cooled water.

    You can also buy ready solutions like this one: http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com/online_store/easypiercing_physiological_salt_solution_9280427.cfm or this one: http://www.h2oceanstore.com/h2ocean-piercing-spray-p/h2o-spray%204.htm

    Hope this helps, ;-)

    Robby

  21. Michelle on March 30th, 2009 3:50 pm

    I got my belly pierced for my birthday earlier this month March 12th, and its been almost 3 weeks now, it doesn’t hurt like the beginning but it does have redness around the holes. I clean it twice a day, but on the top hole it’s a little more red than the bottom. Also when cleaning i notice the bottom gets stuck to the belly ring so i have to kind of push it out so be able to clean it. I was just wondering is there’s any advice about what other care i should be taking.

  22. Robert on March 31st, 2009 6:44 pm

    Hi Michelle,

    I don’t think you should force the skin off the jewelry. It won’t grow to it, and when it’s nicely healed – I’ll come off by itself.

    By cleaning it too thoroughly you’re probably actually hampering the healing process. Remember – your body’s doing the healing job and you’re task is to help it heal in the first place instead of cleaning. It’s the same if you have a cut or something – you wouldn’t touch it many times a day cleaning it etc, etc. That way it would heal slower, right?

    So even if it’s hard to imagine, piercing is no different with the only difference there’s jewelry inside. :-)

    Hope it helps,

    Robby

  23. Kat on April 6th, 2009 7:41 pm

    My belly button ( the inside of it, not around the belly button piercing) is producing pink-ish blood. Do you know what it can possibly be?

  24. Robert on April 7th, 2009 3:14 pm

    Hi Kat,

    It depends on how long it’s been since you got the piercing…

    If it’s just a few days after – you might have traumatized it or something. If a long time – it can be that infection got trapped inside and now the skin burst and the stuff’s coming out. However, it sounds like it’s oozing constantly, not one big burst of blood, so I’m not sure….

    If it doesn’t stop, go back to the piercer!

  25. Sarah on April 16th, 2009 11:07 pm

    I don’t know if mine is infected or not. I just got it done 3 days ago and it is red around both holes and is swollen just a llitle bit. It don’t hurt unless I bump it. Please tellme if it infected or not. you

  26. Robert on April 17th, 2009 1:55 am

    Hi Sarah,

    I don’t think it’s infected – it’s body’s natural reaction to a wound! Your body needs to heal it, and don’t bee too worried unless it gets very painful and starts oozing yellow pus or something. Please read this article and it’ll give you a peace of mind:

    http://body-jewelry-guide.com/if-my-piercing-starts-to-bleed-changes-color-or-gets-bruised-and-swollen-do-i-definitely-have-an-infection.html

    Robby

  27. kelsey. on April 20th, 2009 10:45 am

    i got my belly button pierced on january twenty-first.
    it kinda hurt, not really.
    the pain went away in about two days.
    it rocked my world, biggest adrenaline rush of my life.
    i think mine could be infected but i don’t know for sure,
    nor do i really care because it doesn’t hurt at all.
    any questions just ask.

  28. cait on April 20th, 2009 8:56 pm

    Hi ,
    the exact same thing has happend to my belly button, a hard ball has formed underneath it, im pretty sure it popped, but now what do i do ?

  29. Liz on April 21st, 2009 3:50 pm

    I had mine done in Oct..it started to heal nicely then got infected. I followed the care instructions I got but this didnt work and I ended up going to the doctors, so far I have had antibiotic powder and cream..it starts to clear up and I have a completely clear week then it goes all yukky again..at the weekend it got tender then when i touched it went pop and all pus came out..I dont really want to go back to the doctors, What can I do? And how can I tell if im allergic to the gold ring? At the moment Im using salt water to clean it.

  30. Reem on April 27th, 2009 12:36 pm

    I got mine done about a week ago, and it was perfectly fine.. all of a sudden about 2 days ago, my skin started to get red around the top ball of th ring. AND THEN. it started to stretch. so the hole became as big as the ball!!!! the hole became like a cave and the ball would keep moving into it….

    i dont know why its stretched, i accidentally bumped into it a little hard on the second day of getting it against a door, when i looked at it, there was a blob of pus i think right next to the top ball! but i dont know if thats what stretched it!

    now i stuff my belly button with cotton to push the ring up and keep the ball out of the hole which is working i think, because the hole looks like it got smaller (but its still too big!)

    will it stay like that?! its only been a week! the skin couldn’t have healed that quick to let the hole stay that big! RIGHT?! will it get smaller if the ball stays out of the hole?????

    i use betadine solution, as well as neosporin twice a day because it looks infected.

    HELP!!!!!!!!! :( i always wanted a belly button ring! and its sad to think that it wont turn out right after i finally got it! :’(

  31. mel on April 27th, 2009 10:00 pm

    LISTEN HERE:

    all of you are contradictiong eachother, your all saying different things.
    I have a double naval piercing and i know how to PROPERLY care for it okay.

    1) yes it will probably hurt but only for a few seconds
    2) you shouldn’t change the bar for atleast 6 weeks or longer
    3) you must soak it 2-3 times a day in sea salt and warm water, also you can use an antiseptic spray or gel which you should be able to buy at the piercer place or a drug store (chemist)
    4) sleep on your back or side for the first 3 weeks and don’t play with it unless cleaning. don’t bump it on anything!

    BE PATIENT!!!!!!!

  32. Evie on May 2nd, 2009 9:20 pm

    You guys, if u first get ur belly button pierced, and a few weeks or even earlier than that it looks red and crusty, its NOT infected!! that’s part of the healing process, trust me, I have 17 piercings I should know. I’m not saying all of them are JUST healing, because there is always a chance of it getting infected, but going through everything I’ve been through, its not infected its just your body’s way of dealing with healing around a hunk of metal. Now, If you’ve had it done for a while and you change it and THEN it feels weird you could be getting an infection.

  33. Dawn on May 7th, 2009 8:06 pm

    Hi,
    I’ve had my belly button pierced for 3 months. It seems to get infected once in a while but then goes away. Today I woke up with a piece of bloody flesh hanging out of the hole! It hurts to touch and is oozing clear liguid and blood.
    I took the ring out and soaked it in peroxide. I put the ring back in and it’s sitting on top of the fleshy blob! It’s gross and kind of scary. Should I take it out and leave it out? I really don’t want to, but I also don’t want this flesh exposed. Other infections I read about seem to be redness and swelling. Mine seems really bad.

  34. kimberly on May 11th, 2009 3:13 am

    mine got infected and had an allergic reaction to the metel and i had to go to hospital they removed the ring and gave me antibiotics.
    let you know how it is in 3 days

  35. megan on May 11th, 2009 11:12 pm

    so i got my belly button peirced 2 weeks ago..well on wednesday the 13th, it’ll be 2 weeks, it didn’t hurt, but its been red ever since.. the 3rd day hurt like hell, and then it got better… but now, its starting to hurt,and its super red around the holes.. i am fair skinned, so i think it looks worse than most ppl.
    ive been cleaning it with dial soap, but i think i messed up because i havn’t been drying it properly. can epson salt be used to soak it with? i know sea salt, but i dont have that right this second.

    is it infected? or is just healing?

  36. kimberly on May 17th, 2009 5:01 am

    Got belly button piercing it wasnt what i wanted was to shallow. The guy didnt even show me what it would look like in the mirror befor he done it.
    It got irritated so they changed it to soon and it ended up getting infected went to er monday.
    I still ended up taking it out anyways.
    They wasnt really wanting to give my money back,
    I ate the $40.00
    They dont give you anything to put on your piercing
    wouldnt recommend them to anyone.

    Trust me your better off going somewhere else…

    Do research before getting anything done.

    sincerly,
    A very dissatisified customer

  37. kimberly on May 17th, 2009 5:02 am

    well its finally healed luckily they caught it before it got bad.
    no bumps or cyst.

  38. megan on May 17th, 2009 5:30 pm

    commenting back on my own post..sea salt works wonders!

  39. Robert on May 18th, 2009 6:55 pm

    Yeah,

    The majority agrees on one thing – sea salt is the best option for taking care of a fresh belly piercing!

    Robby

  40. Karra Niesen on May 19th, 2009 2:01 pm

    um i got my belly button pierced exactly a week and 3 days ago and its still a lil red and it still gets kinda crusty around it but it dosent hurt at all anymore so how do i kno if its infected??

  41. Robert on May 20th, 2009 1:56 am

    Hi Karra,

    It’s not infected – it’s a normal body reaction and your body’s just doing the healing job!

    Robby

  42. Felicia on May 25th, 2009 10:14 am

    Hi everyone,

    I’ve had my piercing for a little over 3 weeks and everything was going fine until just this morning I woke up and my piercing was very sore. I looked at it and it was completely swollen to the point where my barbell has no place to move. The piercing feels very hard and it was pussing a lot. I did a sea salt soak for 15 minutes but most likely I am going to seek a second opinion from my piercer. I was just wondering if this happened to anyone else and if it did what was the outcome?

    Thanks

  43. amanda on May 25th, 2009 3:16 pm

    i got my belly button pierced about a week go for the second time, when i got it the first time it got infected and i took it out (i know dumb idea) anyways i was looking at the dial soap bottle the other day and i noticed it has sulfate in it, i am allergic to sulfate (in medicine) so could the dial soap be giving me the infection? is there another soap to use?

  44. shay on May 27th, 2009 8:58 am

    Hey eVery1.. .I got my belly button peirced almost a month ago May 4th to be exact and for the first week or so I used A&D ointment b/c I didn’t have the spray. And I would clean it daily with anti bacterial soap. Now I use Bactine spray that my piercer recommended n all my friends and after 2 more weeks passed 2 dark circles formed around both holes , it doesn`t hurt but white crust forms around both holes when it it not moistured. It also gets stuck sometimes when it is dry like that but I try not to bother it and white puss comes out sometimes*. I started to think it is infected or maybe I’m doing something wrong; but after reading all of your experiences and responces I’m guessing that its just the normal process for healing .. .I guess i`ll jus wait..stick it out and see what happens.

    P.S . Thnxs to everyone I am no longer worried!

  45. Chancho Pinky on May 27th, 2009 2:31 pm

    you need to use sea salt spray..or get the actual sea salt and dilute it with equal amount of water, for example 1/2 cup sea salt+1/2 cup warm water.WARM water guys..then get a cotton ball soak it witht he solutiona nd put it over your piercing for at least 20 minutes and don’t play with it for at leat a month or two

  46. sally on May 31st, 2009 6:36 am

    help me
    i got my belly pierced 2 days ago and now its kinda itchy!!
    is that bad or does it just mean its healing please help i want a good healing process with no infections

  47. Laurenn on May 31st, 2009 10:07 am

    i had my belly button pieced days ago; but the day after i got it done i got pushed in a swiming pool + forgot my bellybutton was not meanna be in water and today i discovered that i have like a whitie coulor scab around both ends of the piecing i scrubbed it off with the antibactiiral wash but should i be worried???

  48. KRIS on June 2nd, 2009 11:00 am

    Hey-
    I got my belly button pierced on 9/2/08 and not only has it still not healed but recently, as of 5/29/09 it got really infected..the bottom hole started to emit pus and right beneath the hole a bump had popped up and burst leaving a discharge and what appears to be flesh out of it. ive been cleaning it with rubbing alcohol, saline solution, and then applying neosporin..is there anything else i can do?

  49. Amy on June 4th, 2009 9:44 pm

    I just got mine done like almost a week ago and i now have redness and white discharge,,,it freaks me out! ohh….but i did hear that if it is infected you shoudl not remove the ring and let it heal because the infection will be trapped and can spread through out your body!

  50. Shelby on June 5th, 2009 1:54 pm

    It doesn’t hurt to get your belly button pierced.
    It can get infected easy though.
    Something’s wrong with mine.

  51. star on June 6th, 2009 10:42 pm

    hey i got my belly button pierced in april and the bottom is ok but the top bleeds a lil and a lil pus comes out i think its infected and im going to the doctor to check it out but there tends to be ike a red crust around the top.. what am i to do???

  52. sierra on June 7th, 2009 4:49 pm

    Hey, I just got mine done thursday (june 4 09) I thought it was going to hurt to get it done but it really dont it shocks you when the needle goes through but to me it really dont hurt but omg when cleaning it that crap hurts like crazy i tend to roll over at night and bumping it. I have a hoop so it tends to catch on my shirts alot when pulling up. I am 14 around my birthday I decided I wanted mine done my parents both said I gatta wait to i am 16 but i did not want to wait i talked my dad into it then he talked my mom into it how much i wanted it at imes i regant it. they is a lil bit of red ness around it and mainly in the morning they is a lil bit of crest pus stuff my sister has her done and she says it ok it means its healing. But omg it hurts

  53. sally on June 8th, 2009 8:00 am

    no body answered my question!!

  54. allison on June 15th, 2009 11:10 am

    Hey so I got my belly button pierced about 6 weeks ago, or so and its been doing fine but there’s a little bit of scar tissue at the top and yesterday it started oozing a reddish color, almost like it was bleeding on the inside but it doesn’t hurt or anything, so I’m not sure if its infected. I’ve been using the sea salt and also an antibiotic ointment.. Is it okay to use that? and also, could my piercing be infected?

  55. Stephanie on June 23rd, 2009 1:16 am

    Hey, i got my belly button pierced about a week ago. It was doing fine, and now its started producing a little bit of clear gooey stuff in the morning and its a little red around the top hole. The weird thing is that i only see they clear gooey stuff when i clean it in the morning, and not when i clean it during the day, or at night. Could it be infected? I’m using anti-bacterial soap and sea salt spray that the piercer gave me. Anything else i should do?

  56. karine on June 30th, 2009 3:15 pm

    so i got my belly button done near the end of march 09 and it got infected twice 1st time i got it changed while on holiday in france by a piercer and it started healing nicely but had to change it back to 1st one and it got infected again then i changed it for a longer metal 1 which cleared up the fleshy bit hanging out its a LOT better than it was i have not long changed it again for a bioplast 1 as i thot that would be better frt it and it is its just still light red at the top and seems to be taking ages to go away i knw i still have 2 months left but my friends1 has recently gone n we got it done 2gether also puss still comes out now n then which is good right? anyways is hasnt happened in a few days but it itches which i knw means its healing but at the bottom bellow my belly button is a sort of reli reli teeny very light rash sort of thing around not everywhere around but at the bottom of my belly button and around the sides not bad at all reli its not but wondering if thats cos its itchy?. plz reply as soon as

  57. karine on June 30th, 2009 3:18 pm

    oh and i think it got infected cos the bar was too tight i think for the bar the piercer took waay too much of my skin or too deep my cusin who got it done years ago says its quite deep not toooooooo deep but….

  58. Leila on July 3rd, 2009 1:48 am

    All of you who think using stuff like hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol,neosporen, ect. are damn stupid.
    THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD USE IS STERILE SALINE SOLUTION!
    Even soap isnt a very good idea.
    I know this for a fact so dont push this to the back of your head after you read this.
    My piercer recomends ONLY sterile solution, wound wash saline solution works the best. The reason why I dont doubt my piercer, is because he guarantees all his piercings, and if it get infected, he will take care of it, and if its so bad it needs to be taken out, he will refund your money till you want it redone.
    Anything besides saline solution will irritate the piercing because everything else has something in it that will try to help it heal, your body is the only thing that should be trying to heal your piercing. Remember, you are trying to steralize and clean it, not help it heal!

  59. Alexa- on July 3rd, 2009 2:30 am

    i got my belly button pierced about three weeks ago and i cleam it twice a day but the past week its been red and rough looking at the top. just yesterday it started geting really itchy i keep cleaning it but is there anything i can do to stop the itching? i need suggestions. HELP HELP HELP!!!!

  60. RaJ on July 5th, 2009 5:16 pm

    How long should you soak in saline??? 10-15mins???

  61. laura callam on July 12th, 2009 4:16 pm

    how long does it take for your belly button to heal after getting it pierced??? also if it scabs and i went on holiday would i have to cover it up???

  62. jenny on July 13th, 2009 10:27 pm

    The saline solution hurts and stings for a few seconds but it works wonders.

  63. ash on July 15th, 2009 11:38 pm

    hey i got my belly button pierced on july 10th, 2009 and its red at the top but not the bottom plus its kinda sore at the bottom it sometimes stick so whats up with that? it leaks like clear liquid is that normal with healing or what???? can someone please let me know

  64. Beatgurl Bango..! =) on July 29th, 2009 8:43 pm

    HEY… HERE IS MY STORY.. I GOT MY NAVAL PIERCED MAY 26.. AT ELECTRIC IMAGE IN MISSISSIPPI.. THEY DID A WONDERFUL JOB.. NO INFECTIONS.. PUSS.. OR REDNESS.. THANK GOD…! THE FIRST 2 WEEKS I CLEANED IT 3 TIMES A DAY.. AND NOW ITS ONLY ONCE OR TWICE.. I AM STILL VERY GENTLE WIT IT AND I USE THE SPRAY THEY TOLD ME ABOUT THE THE SHOP AND I USE A CREAM ON IT.. ALL I DO IS SPRAY IT ON AND FORGET IT.. FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS I SWEAR I FORGOT IT WAS THERE…

    NEED MORE ADVICE…??? QUESTIONS???
    FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AT
    hottgurl3156@yahoo.com

  65. jaime on July 31st, 2009 10:43 am

    So what exactly did you do to heal it? The same thing happened to me, but it’s taking a long time, and I have been using alcohol too. What should I use to heal it?

  66. Dede M on August 4th, 2009 1:28 pm

    ohkayy so i already know im alergic to nikel.. because when i got mii ears pierced at piercing padoga (i think) they got infected because the earings were gold plated.. i wear nothing but gold.. all mii rings necklaces braclets and earings are gold and i really want a belly button piercing but im scared it will get infected because the ring.. so should i just use a gold ,silver, or plastic ring.. please help me….

  67. Jessica on August 5th, 2009 1:39 pm

    My belly button ring isn’t infected.. I don’t suppose but it seems like everyday there’s less and less skin covering the bar. This is the second time I’ve had it pierced becasue the first time it pushed it’s way out. Does anyone know how to prevent that?

  68. Lisa Jones on August 7th, 2009 4:03 am

    I got my peircing on 4th of July. I thought they peirced it to high and deep. The belly ring is so tight with no room to move. Yes it felt like fire. I was in pain for about a week and an half. Then it seemed to be fine with alittle discomfort. Now Aug. 7th I can’t tell you how much pain I am in. Just touching it feels like I am on fire with a burning sensation. I can’t even bend over. I feel like I just want it out. I don’t know what to do. I have a family to take care of so I can’t lay on back for comfort all day. What should I do Help!!!!

  69. Jordan on August 11th, 2009 12:49 pm

    I got my navel pierced about two weeks ago, and YES it did hurt. Not much though. Well now it’s RED around the holes, top and bottom. Is this normal? I’m using a antibiotic ointment, warm water, and hydrogen peroxide to clean it….and so far, the redness has been receding….SLOWLY! What can I do to make it heal faster?

  70. Ally on August 13th, 2009 7:24 pm

    Ok, so I got my belly button pierced Jun 2007. Yes that long ago. My problem is it still hurts once it rubs on my jeans or shorts. If I squeeze the piercing after removing the piercing, it feels like a ball inside.If I squeeze it, it hurts. What do I need to do to fix this? Do I need to go see a doctor? Did I do something wrong? I followed all the instructions correctly & its been 2 years! WTF?

  71. Jordan on August 15th, 2009 4:10 pm

    Okay. I got my navel pierced about three weeks ago, and at first it was fine. After about three days it started to get red and really sore. And my advice is: DON’T ONLY USE SEA SALT SOAKS! And clean it often. What I did was (although this is against what most people say) I cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide, and a triple antibiotic ointment. IT HEALED IN A WEEK!! Trust me, it really works!

  72. Jenna on August 16th, 2009 7:46 pm

    ok so me and my friend have wanted to get our belly done for a while and then this girl asked her to go camping wih her and now she is alll ike no we have to wait because i dont want it to get infected and stuff so like for the frst weekk what happpends and are you able to go in water with it

  73. anetia on August 18th, 2009 10:19 am

    hi. i got my naval pierced 5 months ago and never had any problems up until now. on the bottom hole of my naval piercing there is a blister type thing that looks pinkish, pus comes out of it sometimes and blood if i apply pressure. should i just leave it alone? PLEASE HELP

  74. Julie on August 19th, 2009 12:19 pm

    I got a piercing a few months ago and noticed that when I changed the piercing the bottom hole of my naval has something sticking of it like if it were a little muscle hanging out of it….I took my piercing out becuase it didn’t smell good so I kept it out…With my navel get back to normal to put my dumbell piercing back? I don’t want the hole to close and then have to get this done again. HELP!

  75. Andrea on August 19th, 2009 11:41 pm

    I got my belly button pierced a week ago and I changed out the ring two days ago. And it seems to be infected. Any advice??? The skin around it is red. And there was pus and bleeding but its better now that I took it out and cleaned it then re inserted it.

  76. ashley on August 22nd, 2009 12:35 pm

    heyy. im 13 years old and i have had my belly dun now for six weeks for the first3 weeks i clean it with savolon spry i do recomend that :) buut i most strongly recomend using sea salt and boiling water but let the water cool down coz it will burn when i say boild water its coz it is steroieed nd wont let it get infected mine is red at the moment totally normally smm might get watery stuff coming owt its normall it is cleaning its self :) DO NOT YOUS A QUTITIP it just spreads the germs about and it will infect :D in the uk you have two be 13 or llook 13 and ou hav to have an dult with you :) mine cost £25.00 wich i thought was a good amount you do not want a cheapest place two go because you might find that it is a scruffy place i hope this helpt soo muchh :D love you all xoxoxoxo

  77. Ashley on August 26th, 2009 6:23 pm

    i got my belly button pierced about 3 weeks ago
    i clean it with sea salt twice a day along with antibacterial soap

    now around the top piercing its still quite red and alittle swollen…could it be infected?

    also today i got the ring caught on a loose spring on my bed and it ripped the ball off and i couldnt get it to stay on…luckily i had bought a barbell a week ago for when i was able to change the ring…is this going to cause any problems bc after all the hassle i went thru to get this done, i would hate to have to take it out or for it to be infected

  78. Daniela on August 27th, 2009 9:16 pm

    hey I got mah belly pierced about two weeks ago so far its pretty good just have the redness on da top hole and the crust in the morning I clean it with dial soap when I shower and then 4 to 6x a day I clean it wit H20cean aftercare spray.. you could find it at any piercing shops. =]

  79. beth on September 1st, 2009 10:18 am

    hi i got my belly done about two months ago and its been on and off with pussing and being ok when i got out the shower today a huge piece of red flesh was hanging out looked like a bubble of red paint, since than i have cleaned it with savlon and i have taken my bar out and left it to dry then i have put a huge plaster over it but i dont if this is the right thing to do but i cant get rid of it
    what should i do ???

  80. jas on September 4th, 2009 6:17 pm

    Ive an innie belly button and i think my piercing is done wrong as it kinda sits inside and when i sit, the ball is all i see. is that normal?

  81. Angie on September 4th, 2009 7:52 pm

    Hey everyone,

    I got my belly pierced in March. I cleaned it twice a day with saline solution, and I would take out the ring about once a month, disinfect it with rubbing alcohol, and then put it back in. I even used Bactine once in a while on the piercing. I was very, very, very careful about making sure it didn’t get infected.

    However, a couple weeks ago, I started to notice a lot of pus and blood come out of it (through the bottom), and a small piece of flesh formed around the ring (through the bottom as well). I tried putting a new ring in. I put tea tree oil on it. I put rubbing alcohol (which I just learned today is probably one of the worst things to do) over it. I tried extra doses of Bactine with saline solution, and I used Neosporin on the piercing every night. Nothing worked.

    I went to the doctor this morning, and she told me to immediately take it out. I was given oral antibiotics, and she told me to cleanse it with saline and put antibiotic ointment on it daily. She said it should be gone within the next week.

    I wish I had gone earlier, since she told me the little piece of flesh will not go away any time soon, and I might have to do some kind of silver nitrate treatment on it.

    Word of advice: If you think it might be an infection, go to your primary physician asap. :)

  82. Lizziiee x on September 6th, 2009 12:38 pm

    i had my belly done 5ays ago, and it has a huge red ring round the top bar, and white stuff round the edges of the holes, and very sore, i take it its a infecton, how do i clear i up?

    Can someone give me some truthful advice please?

  83. Sara on September 9th, 2009 12:06 pm

    I was told to NEVER use neosporin and rubbing alcohol. Only use saline solution (& maybe bacitracin). I’ve have my belly button pierced for 6 years and never had one infection. I use rubbing alcohol now to disinfect the navel rings I purchase but then use a sea salt/water combo and then them soak over night before I put them in. Neosporin has something in them that makes it help HEAL the wound/piercing. This is why you cannot use it on tattoos (it will draw the ink out). A&D isnt too bad of a choice but Bacitracin is what I was using (given to me by piercer). This was like I said 6 years ago but I’ve never had a problem. I waited, I think, 8 months before I first changed my belly button ring. Now I probably change it every few months or sooner if I break the dangly part off if I have that type in.

  84. Karen on September 15th, 2009 4:33 pm

    I had my belly button pierced July 4th. The bottom hole looks great and has since I had the piercing done- no pain, no redness. The top hole is sore alot and is usually red. Sometimes I get a clear discharge on the top and sometimes its a little pink. I spray H2Ocean on it in the morning and my husband sprays it on there at night and clean around the top and the bottom hole with Q-Tips. I wiggle it back and forth a few times a day. I have not changed the ring. I LOVE it and don’t want to take it out and give up on it. It sounds like from the posts I’ve read I need sea salt (I thought that was what H2Ocean was?) and Bacirtacin. Please advise… reading all of these posts made me feel better.

  85. mary on September 16th, 2009 2:46 am

    mine did the same thing.. when i took it out though i noticed it was pussing and bleeding.. and so i cleaned the ring and im leavin it in it hurt so bad.. i just got it done 3 months ago.. should i do the same thing soak it in salt water.. and when im in the shower let hot water run on it?… i don’t wanna take the ring out because it hurt really bad i kno there prob is a cut inside from it being irritated.. my dads a doctor i could ask him for penicillin but idk if its needed since its still a fresh wound inside the hole pericing..help plz

  86. Tahlia on September 17th, 2009 8:08 am

    Heyy omg lol mine looks horrible… but im taking as gooda amount of care of it as i can.. lol it looks actually realli red round the edges… but yerh… nyway i did it myself… and i dont REALLI know what to do … but my mates are realli helping me along with it…. ALSO where it said that you shouldnt change the piercing for like a few months or something (mayb it was a different site) im in a kinda bad spot here…. uuhm .. well i kinda didnt have a big enough hole.. so i had to put an eyebrow bar thru … so now i’ve been told to wait only a few weeks.. then try to stretch the hole and get the belly bar thru that way…. any suggestions?…. i REALLI dont know what to do atm…

  87. Tahlia on September 17th, 2009 8:10 am

    Im 14 by the way…… <<<>>>

  88. CJ on September 26th, 2009 2:15 am

    Okay mine has been done for like 4 years and I took great care of it when I first got it and now I have a. Bump around the top part and its all red… The bottoms okay but how do I get rid of the red bump?? Any answers?? Please help…

  89. kasey on October 4th, 2009 7:33 pm

    Hello so i just read about your wifes belly button infection, mines infected and its getting worse…ive had to take it out for soccer often which has caused it to puss and turn red, i put peroxide on it hoping it will work but i dont know… can you help me? please ??
    -kasey :)

  90. DreamLAY on October 13th, 2009 6:54 pm

    Hope This Can Help My Belly Button Heal Because I Have The Same Bump Only Mine Is A Little Bigger. So Sea Salt & Anti-Bacteria Soap. Thanks.

    P.S. Do You Think I’ll Have A Scar After.?

  91. Ruth on November 25th, 2009 2:31 pm

    hey i got my belly button done but i forgot bout it now and it is stuck does anyone no how i can get it out x x

  92. Lucie on November 30th, 2009 11:03 am

    im 13 and i got my belly button done about a month ago, and its become very sore since i knocked it on a table. its been red since i had it done, but it has not been as sore as this. when i touch it its very painful. i dont have much puss coming out of it, but when i clean it with salt & boiled water, i find that there is dried up and crusty puss on the bottom hole.
    do you think that it is infected?
    and i know you can use antibacterial soap to clean your belly button, which i started doing yesterday, but is it okay if you use savlon spray – as it is also antibacterial, and used for cuts ?

    please help me, i’m scared incase it is infected.

  93. William on December 1st, 2009 4:15 pm

    Hi there,
    read our section on Belly Piercing Aftercare.. It’s best to keep using the anti-bacterial soap. It’s recommended by all professional piercers. It is not unusual to have some discharge from the piercing. And the crusting is common. Do not pick at the crust with your fingernails. Clean it off in the shower after you have washed yourself. In the time it takes you to wash yourself, the crust will soften and will be easier to remove. It is possible you have an infection but I cant be sure without seeing it.. But the good news is that it will clear up, if you follow the aftercare instructions and take care not to knock it again. The section on Belly Piercing Aftercare will help.

  94. Nicki on December 2nd, 2009 1:01 am

    mine has this bump on the top .. i uess becas\use i did it while i was styll in training and with all d sweat and thing and i forgot to clean it for a while…. i dunno what to do… any ideas?? you think it will go away??

  95. Ruth on December 3rd, 2009 2:49 pm

    hello im 14 and i got my belly button done about a year ago i dont think my belly button is infected but i forgot about taking it out for a while and when i went to take it out it wouldnt come out i am very worried about this cos i dont no how to get it out. does anyone have any ideas on how i can get it out. x

  96. jodi on December 10th, 2009 10:41 am

    my daughter just had her belly button pierced on nov 21 2009. so far it is not hurting or itching, but is still a little red around the top ball and has onced oozed white pus ( actually just this morning 12.10.09 ) but other than that it is fine. she cleans it once a day with the anti bacterial soap and twice a day with the sea salt. do you think the white pus is infection or just normal for a 3 week old piercing.

  97. jas on December 24th, 2009 9:30 pm

    I NEED SERIOUS HELP QUICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 I GOT MINE BELLY BUTTTON A COUPLE MONTHS AGO NOW ILL ADMIT I HAVEN’T HAD THE TIME TO TAKE CARE OF IT THE WAY THT I SHOULD HAVE WITH WORKING 3 JOBS AND FULL TIME IN SCHOOL…UGHHHH IS VERY STRESSFUL HOWEVER A COUPLE DAYS AGO I NOTICE THE RING HAD A RED PUS LIKE BALLS ON EACH END OF MY NAVEL I TOOK THE RING OUT BECAUSE I WAS SCARED LEAVING IT IN WAS GOING TO CAUSE MORE HARM I USED WOMB WASH NUT UGHHH NOT WORKING ICAN SOMEONE PLEASE EMAIL ME QUICK AN IN FORM ME ON WHAT TO DO MRSUNDERWOOD20@GMAIL.COM THANK YOU

  98. William on December 27th, 2009 3:57 am

    Hi, sorry to hear u had to take the ring out but you probably did the right thing. The piercing aftercare instructions here will help you to clean the infection left by the piercing. If it gets worse or doesnt clear up , seek medical advice. There are antibiotics available. Bactroban is the one most commonly prescribed for piercing infections.

  99. Kailee on January 2nd, 2010 11:40 pm

    I had my belly buttonpierced on my 18th bday and after about a mont or two it just seemed like it never healed right. it was infected and it had white stuff that came out when i would change the ring. i could easily change the ring but the hole just seemed to be getting bigger and bigger. I took good care of it and after about 3 months it still wasn’t healed and my skin fell apart and ring fell out. the skin healed back together but i do have a scar. it doesn’t hurt to bad, but now i have alot of scar tissue and if i ever wanna get it done again im sure it will hurt.

  100. amanda on January 14th, 2010 8:09 pm

    Hi i got my belly pierced a little over 3 months ago would like some advice on what to do have been told different things. It has a large red area at the top and when i clean it puss comes out and is begining to hurt when i touch it. i am not always able to clean 2 times a day and i hit it and stuff because of my job. Can anyone help me ? Thanks

  101. amber on January 26th, 2010 10:21 pm

    okayy i just got my piercing yesterday haha… is it normal for it to bleed a little bit?

    and im in cheerleading.. can i still be active when i have it?

  102. admin on January 27th, 2010 2:56 pm

    It’s normal in the first couple of days to have tenderness and a little bleeding. It’s nothing to worry about. Your jewelry should move as little as possible when healing to avoid pain, tenderness and infections. Cheerleading is not an ideal way to spend your time with a new piercing!! Minimize the movement of the jewelry as much as possible. If your piercing is slow to heal or shows sign of infection, contact your piercer for further advice.

  103. Kizera on February 2nd, 2010 8:52 pm

    I have had my belly button pierced for some time and now for about two months its been acting up. I am pretty sure I got an infection, I just recently got some pink stuff coming out of it with puss, I didn’t know that cleaning it with house salt was bothering it since i was so use to cleaning it with a piercing fluid my cousin had when i was at the piercer. I can’t really go to a doc for certain circumstances but I’m going to buy the sea salt and the soap and clean it twice a day, do you think I will need more like a type of cream or am I set for just the soap and salt? It does not always have puss coming out and is soar on and off.

  104. Machele on February 9th, 2010 3:13 am

    I got my belly button pierced this past dec. for my b-day. and about 3 weeks ago it became really infected there was puss coming out blood was there and no matter what I did if I stood sat moved in any direction it hurt and I went to the hospital one night bc the pain was so horrible and they started messing with it trying to get it out and no sooner than they started touching it, it started bleeding and extremely hurt me so later that same day I went back up to the place that I got pierced at and told them what happened and I wanted the ring out and they told me if I go get some epsom salt (which I got at kroger, there brand for less than $2) and hot water but not hot enough to burn you and dissolve the salt really good and place it on your belly button for 5 to 10 mins once or twice a day within 3 or 4 days you’ll start seeing a huge difference. I did that, once in the morning and once at night, and before I went to sleep I would put neosporin on it and a banaid so my shirt or anything else wouldn’t rub my ring. It’s been about a week and a half and it’s completely healed.

  105. jordan on February 12th, 2010 9:30 pm

    Hey, I have had my belly piercing almost a month and a week ago and I have noticed that I have a black circle around the top part of the piercing what does that mean? What should u do?

  106. jocee on February 19th, 2010 2:04 am

    heyy,
    so I got my belly pierced like 6months ago; the first 3 months it was fine I even changed the ring the first month but it started bleeding so I took it out and put the first ring back in.. & now I noticed I have a reddish bump on the side of the top hole.. if I move my ring white puss comes out.. & it looks all dry & crusty :(
    idk wat to do to make it better ive tried putting neosporinon on it but it burst the bump, blood & what looked like flesh came out, so I stoped messing with it & now the bump is back & it looks like its getting bigger … ANY ADVICE?? !!!

  107. Christie Ann Girard on February 19th, 2010 7:27 pm

    My belly button ring has been out for a year and a half. (i was pregnant and had a baby) My boyfriend wanted me to try to see if my blly bttn ring still wen’t through and when it did he wanted me to keep it in. now the question is now that it has been back in for about a week the area around the top hole looks like it has developed scar tissue to the left and right of it. also my bottom hole directly over top of it. I never had this when it healed originally. there were no infections and no problems. now with the swelling/ scar tissue. i’m not sure how to care for it. it’s been pierced for approx. 7 to 8 years and i have never had problems.

  108. admin on February 20th, 2010 11:31 am

    You really need to have it checked by a professional(medical or piercing).It sounds as though you have an abscess. You may need antibiotics. If an infection is not reacting well to normal treatments, then you need to seek advice.

  109. sanan on February 21st, 2010 6:57 pm

    i have my done now for 3 moths i seen a red buuble on it yesterday i took it and kept it out for the full day i woke up this mornin and went put it back in and it didnt go throught the first holeee there is still a hole and all there cud someone please help mee .

    thanks :) xxxxx

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