Body piercing is a common practice, especially among the youth. According to research conducted by PEW research centre, one out of every four millennials has a body piercing in an area other than the earlobes. One of the most pierced areas nowadays is the navel. Navel piercing is supported by spiritualism in Hinduism, but the majority of people in the USA do it for aesthetic reasons. It's a piercing that is in or around the navel depending on the anatomy. The piercing can take up to one year to heal completely but usually takes 3-6 months. After getting a navel piercing, it's advisable to look for signs of a healing belly button piercing or a possible infection. Keeping track of these two will enable you to accomplish your goal with minimal chances of extreme infections.

Signs of a Healing Belly Button Piercing

The following signs are a clear indication of a healing navel piercing. These are good signs, and if you notice them, you should maintain the status quo or even take more precautions to keep infections at bay.

1. Healing color

A little redness or pinkness around the navel. Depending on the days passed after getting a navel piercing, there might be little redness or pinkness on the navel skin. This is most prominent in the first month after piercing. If the redness continues months after the piercing, then there is a high probability of a bacterial infection inhibiting the healing process.

Or the skin is the same color as the rest of the stomach. This is the clearest sign of healing. If the skin around the navel is the same color as the stomach, this is one of the signs of a healing navel piercing. Don't be tempted to replace or remove the needle at this stage. The wound is not healed but healing in the right direction.

2. Clear discharge

Clear discharge is an indication that the body's immune system is not fighting anything in the wound. If there is an infection, the discharge will be whitish or contain pus, which indicates that the white blood cells are fighting bacteria in the wound. The pus contains both dead body cells and the bacteria.

3. The crust on jewelry

During the normal belly button piercing healing, there is a clear discharge from within the navel pierced area. This liquid dries and forms a crust on the jewelry over time. As such, the presence of crust on the jewelry is a clear sign of a healing navel piercing.

4. Itchiness

In some instances, there might be a thin line differentiating an infection and a proper healing process. As a rule of thumb, an itching associated with an infection intensifies with time, but an itchiness associated with healing soothes with time. It's advisable to clean the navel piercing two times daily with a salt solution to prevent infections from developing and to promote proper healing.

5. Slight swelling

Swelling is normal after a navel piercing. There is increased blood flow to the damaged tissues, which causes fluid to sieve and leak in the area. Slight swelling is essential for a normal belly button piercing healing process.

For more information about signs of a healing belly button piercing, please click here.

How to Identify an Infected Belly Button Piercing?

If there are no signs of a healing navel piercing after a month or two, it's likely that you have an infection. Scholars from Northwestern University note that when it comes to piercing, the prevention of an infection is the key. To know whether your navel piercing is infected, look for the following signs:

• Infected color

An intensifying redness is an indication that excess blood is being directed to the wound and this is a clear indication that there is an infection. The excess blood is directed there to supply more white cells to fight the infection.

If the skin on or around the navel has any other color apart from the one on the other parts of the body, then there is a likely chance of an infection. The color might be whitish, reddish, brownish, blackening, or paler than the other parts. Belly button piercing healing should be uniform and leave no marks on the skin.

• Increasing swelling

It's normal for a navel piercing to swell but if the swelling is not subsidizing, there is a high probability of the presence of infection. An increasing swelling might be caused by fungal or bacterial infection. It's advisable to visit your doctor or piercer for advice in such cases.

• Burning sensation with pain

There is a burning sensation as the damaged tissues try to heal. However, if the burning sensation is accompanied by intense pain, then there is a risk of an infection. The formation of pus in the wound is the major cause of the burning sensation.

• Foul odor

An infected navel piercing can have a bad smell. This can result from the combination of sebum, sweat, bacteria, and the dead skin cells. Scientific researches indicate that there are many bacteria on the surface of the skin, and they are also the cause of smelly sweat. Sweating and dead skin cells are food for the bacteria and hence the need to clean your pierced area regularly with antibacterial compounds.

Tips to Reduce Navel Piercing Infections

Dr. Amash A. Adalja, who is a senior scholar at the John Hopkins University, warns that unprofessional piercing can result in an infection depending on many factors. To prevent navel piercing infections, read the following methods.

• Get professional piercing

You should not take chances with your health and as such get all piercings from professional piercers who are certified by the medical board. A dermatologist can also give you a good service.

• Clean piercing daily

The human body is exposed to bacteria and disease-causing germs. Regular cleaning of the wound with sea salt solution and an antibacterial soap is important to clear and kill the germs that can cause infection in the navel piercing. Don't use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.

• Wear loose clothing

Until you start seeing signs of a healing belly button piercing, you should always wear loose clothing because tight ones will press the jewelry on the wound and give an uncomfortable feeling. An unhealed wound is also painful if pressure is applied on the surface.

• Insert jewelry after piercing healed completely

Changing jewelry in an unhealed navel piercing will tear the healing tissues that are in contact with the jewelry. Change the jewelry when the wounds are completely healed or at the advice of the piercer.

• Keep off water

Plain water causes moistening of the wounds, and this creates a conducive environment for the growth of bacteria and other disease-causing germs like staphylococcus and Pseudomonas. These will infect the wound.

Wrap up on Navel Piercing

Looking for signs of a healing belly piercing or an infected piercing is important to know the next course of actions to take. However, most of the time, infections do not occur especially if you get the piercing from a professional and also maintain a high level of cleanliness.