The number one reason for infection is touching or playing with your piercing! Only touch the piercing when you are cleaning it!

The Healing Process

Navels take a long time to heal because the navel is on your waist. It is subject to a lot or movement and your clothes constantly rubbing can irritate the piercing. Also the warm moist atmosphere of your navel is a virtual breeding ground for bacteria. Healing normally takes up to 6 months but can take up to 12 months for some people. Healing time depends on a variety of factors; health, weight, diet, clothes and your profession. The most important factor is how carefully you care for your piercing.

The navel is a depressed scar which tends to collect dirt and Candida Albicans, Thrush, even if it is not pierced. The first 4 to 5 days your navel will look fine, after that you will start to get a small amount of redness where the ring pierces the body. You will start to get crusting around the ring, this is dead white blood cells and is a part of the healing process. The piercing will discharge small amounts of milky fluid, this is not a sign of infection, it is just your body trying to heal a wound with a foreign object in it. Possible signs of infections are; the discharge becomes thick and yellow, or develop any pain, or an excessive amount of redness. Please return to me if you have concerns or visit a doctor. After 6 to 8 weeks the discharge, resting and crusting should lessen. The piercing is not fully healed until all of the redness disappears. Do not stop cleaning it before it is fully healed to prevent an infection.

Daily Care

Wash your hands with a liquid antibacterial soap, like Dial. Cup your hands under the piercing and soak it for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove any crusting from the jewelry. Soap the whole area of the piercing and surrounding areas, including deep into the navel. Push the barbell up and clean around the top. Then push the barbell down and clean the bottom, making sure to work the soap into the wound. Dissolve 1/2 a teaspoon of sea or table salt with a 1/4 cup of boiling water. Let the solution cool and place in a clean glass or medicine cup. Lie down with the cup upturned over your navel, for 10 to 15 minutes, 1 to 2 times daily. A saline solution maybe used but is inferior to the warm water and salt solution. Make sure to remove all crusting from your piercing, it can concrete around your jewelry and tear when moved. Be sure to wash after exercise and sweating a lot.

Do NOT use peroxide or alcohol on the piercing as they are very astringent and can damage the wound. Do NOT remove the jewel during the healing phase because you may lose the piercing.