Belly button piercing care

BellyButton Piercing Care

Worldwide,the belly button has become a fairly popular location for piercingsin the last decade. These piercings are usually adorned withjewellery or pendants. Even though they look great, they must behandled with as much care as any other piercing. Understanding whatproblems might crop up after getting a belly button piercing isimportant because there are ways to avoid them.

Piercingsin the navel take a fair amount of time to fully heal up after thetrauma of having a needle pushed through the skin. This is true forall piercing locations and indeed all wounds of this type. Piercingwounds can become infected or painful if not treated properly.

Hereare a few tips to help healing the piercing area to a normal statequickly and safely.

CareTips

Duringthe first few weeks after getting a belly button piercing, much caremust be taken to keep the area clean and steps must be taken toprevent infection or aggravation of the wound. The peopleadministering the piercing will offer advice and perhaps materials toaid in proper after-care. Before taking any of the following steps,check the belly button and the piercing for any pre-existinginfections. These must be dealt with before wearing the piercingjewellery, or the infection may become worse.

Try tokeep the area around the piercing as dry as possible, making sure todry the area more than usual after bathing (tissue paper is advisedfor this purpose). This is because wounds can becomeinfected easily if there is moisture trapped in them. Public swimming poolsor spas can also pose a threat from water-borne bacteria that caninfect the pierced area. Applying a waterproof plaster or bindingover the area is advised if going swimming.

Sterilisedstainless steel or titanium piercings are preferred for piercingjewellery, as they do not tend to irritate the skin. Do not weartight fitting clothing, as this can rub or pull on the piercing andaggravate or irritate the wound. Loose clothing will help the area tobreathe too, which will help heal the wound faster.

Anotherway to encourage the wound to heal is to soak the area in a saltwater solution for around 15 minutes each day. This solution istypically composed of half a tablespoon of salt dissolved into aquarter cup of sterilised water (boiling water will sterilise it, butallow the water to cool off first of course!). Pour the water into asmall glass or cup, secure it over the belly button and wait.

Typicalhealing time for a navel piercing is quite slow, taking anywherebetween 2 months and a full year. Again, proper care is the key for aquick healing process.