Do you have a new navel piercing? Get insights on navel piercing pain, aftercare instruction and healing. You will also get more enlightened on itchy bellybutton piercing and keloids.
New Navel Piercing
Navel or bellybutton piercing is one of the top rank body piercing done by most people especially women around the globe. New navel piercing are prone to infection, rejection or increased healing duration when performed poorly. You also have to take good care of your new piercing by strictly following the aftercare instructions.
Therefore, you need to find a certified trained piercer who has skills and experience in body piercings. New navel piercing is supposed to be carried out in a piercing clinic using the procedure described below:
- The piercing room and the environment around should be clean. It should have a bed or chair that has clean covering.
- Ensure the piercer washes his or her hands well before putting on the gloves.
- The piercing tools should be assembled and sterilized before starting the session.
- The professional piercer will use a surgical scrub to clean the areas around and inside the navel.
- He or she may apply or not an anesthetic over the area that helps in reducing the navel piercing pain.
- The piercer will grasp a thin layer of your skin and puncture it by using a needle. You may experience mild pain during the piercing that goes away after 2-3 seconds.
- The needle will be replaced by a navel piercing jewelry.
- The areas around the piercing will be cleaned
- You will be given the aftercare instructions that you are supposed to follow strictly.
- You will now be ready to leave the clinic.
Navel Piercing Pain
If you are planning to have your bellybutton pierced, you may be having a number of questions that you don’t have the answers. You may wonder whether it hurts much or not. Am sure after reading this article, you will have found most of the answers to your questions.
Like any other type of body piercing, navel piercing may hurt for a while. When you compare it with other types of body piercing such as ear, nose and septum, bellybutton piercing is lesser painful because the concentration of nerves is lesser on the belly skin than the face surface.
However, the degree of pain varies from one person to the other. Each person will have a different experience after the session. Some people have reported a sharp pain that goes away after a few seconds after the session. The pain may be compared to a small prink that results from the pressure of the needle as it passes through the soft tissues of your bellybutton.
When you are planning to have a double piercing, then you should also expect to go through the pain twice as each piercing is done differently. The navel piercing pain level is not much agonizing to an adult person, therefore the bellybutton piercing is recommended to individuals who are above the age of 18 years.
The pain level is also determined by the size of the piercing needle. Bigger size needle may cause more pain as compared to smaller needle. You will also experience some pain when the jewelry is being inserted in your new piercing.
You are not supposed to conduct the piercing procedure by yourself as it may be much painful. You are supposed to find a professional piercer who has skills and experience in navel piercing. A professional piercer also has the required tools such as the different gauges of navel piercing needle and anesthetic solution that helps in reducing the pain level.
The navel piercing pain after the session may be an indication of an infection. The aftercare instructions must be followed strictly to avoid the chances of an infection. You are supposed to ensure that the affected area is cleaned twice daily using antibacterial soap or salt solution to kill the germs.
Navel Piercing Aftercare – instructions
After bellybutton piercing there is a number of things you are supposed to do to prevent infections, rejection or migration and reduce the healing period. There is also certain things you are supposed to avoid. The navel piercing aftercare instruction may also be applied to other types of body piercings. They involves the following:
- Wash your hands thoroughly using anti-bacterial soap prior to touching the piercing. It helps to kill the bacterial and other types of germs that may cause an infection on the affected area. However, you should only touch the affected area during cleaning only.
- Keep your beddings and clothe clean all the time. You should also avoid tight blouses that may cause irritation, wear breathable clothing especially the first month after the session.
- Clean your piercing twice a day, in the morning and evening before going to bed. Use warm salt water to clean, most of the bacteria does not survive in a salt solution.
- Consider taking shower rather than bath, the bathtub may harbor bacteria that may cause an infection. In case you have to bath, ensure you rinse your piercing with clean water to remove soap and dirty residues that may cause an infection.
- Perform gentle exercise that will enhance the flow of blood and nutrients on the pierced area. Such exercise helps in facilitating the healing process. Avoid rigorous exercises that may trigger navel piercing pain.
- Embrace a healthier lifestyle that will promote faster healing. Take a balanced diet and have enough time of resting or sleeping.
- Avoid public swimming pools and hot tubs during the healing process. They can contain bacteria that may enter your body through the piercing to cause an infection. You may cover the affected area temporarily using a water proof bandage if you have to use such facilities.
- Remove the crusting that may accumulate around the navel piercing jewelry by moving it up and down. Avoid rotating the jewelry as it may delay the healing process.
- Be careful with your sleeping position, sleep on your side rather than on your stomach. You should also avoid rolling as you may damage the affected area.
As you read earlier, there is also a number of things you should avoid during the healing process. Some of the wrong aftercare practices may also cause an infected navel piercing or delay the healing process. They include the following:
- Avoid applying antibacterial ointments on the affected area, it should remain aerated all the time. Such ointments covers the bacteria inside that may delay the healing process.
- Do not change the jewelry during the healing process. Changing the jewelry before healing may result to migration or cause the piercing to close prematurely that may lead to scarring.
- Avoid cleaning using alcohol and peroxide. Their chemical components may irritate the skin around the piercing to cause navel piercing pain. They may also corrode the jewelry.
- Avoid over-cleaning as it can delay the healing process.
- Avoid applying or spraying beauty care products on the affected area including the lotions, creams and sprays.
- Do not hang other objects on the jewelry such as charms and beads before it heals completely. They may widen your piercing to cause migration.
- Avoid stress and minimize the use of drugs such as alcohol, caffeine and nicotine.
- Avoid trauma on the pierced area that may result from playing with the jewelry or friction from tight clothing.
- Avoid direct contact with fluids from other infected parts of your body or from other people.
Cleaning Navel Piercing
It is important to clean your navel piercing properly twice a day. Keeping it clean helps to prevent infections as well as speeding the healing process. There are various tips you should have in mind when cleaning your piercing. They include the following:
- Wash your hands prior to touching the piercing. Clean the hands thoroughly using antibacterial soap before washing your pierced bellybutton. It helps to prevent transferring of bacteria to the affected area.
- Rinse the piercing twice daily. Wash the affected area twice daily using clean water and antiseptic soap. Remove the soap residues, crusting and other dirty using a cotton swab. Avoid over-cleaning the area as it may cause navel piercing pain.
- Soak the piercing in salt solution. Salt solution helps in killing various germs that may cause an infection. Place some salt solution in a cup and flip it quickly over the piercing. You may lie down on a sofa for 5-10 minutes to allow it soak.
- Remove the crust. Remove the crust that may be accumulating around the jewelry. Turn the jewelry up and down only when it is wet to remove all the dirty and crusting.
- Use a disposable paper towel to dry the piercing properly. After cleaning, dry the piercing using a paper towel instead of a bath towel. The bath towel may contain bacteria that may cause an infection.
- Avoid using alcohol or hydrogen peroxide while cleaning. They contain chemical solutions that may cause irritation or delay the healing process.
- Apply lavender oil on the affected area. This natural oil helps to promote the healing process by reducing swellings and tenderness.
Navel Piercing Healing
The navel piercing healing process varies from one person to the other. Some people may heal after 1 month while others it may take up a year to heal completely. In general, a new navel piercing normally takes 3-9 month to heal completely. Your piercing is likely to heal faster when you adhere to the aftercare tips provided by your professional piercer.
Knowing how to clean your piercing aids in promoting the healing process. Cleaning helps to keep away the bacteria that cause an infection which may delay the healing process. You are supposed to clean your piercing twice daily using antibacterial soap. You may also soak it in a salt solution to kill the germs that increases the healing process.
During the healing process, you are not supposed to change your jewelry. Removing the jewelry may cause navel piercing pain or irritation that may delay the healing process. Your navel piercing jewelry should be long enough to account for any swelling and pressure that may be encountered during the healing process.
Rejections and migration may also delay the healing process. Your body may react with the cheap jewelry that are available in the market. Consult your professional piercer about the best jewelry that does not cause a reaction.
Itchy Navel Piercing
An itchy navel piercing may be quite normal during the healing process. It can be indicating that the healing process is taking place. In some cases, an itchy navel piercing should worry you especially when it is accompanied with other symptoms such as swelling, redness, tenderness, pain and presence of yellow or green discharge.
An itchiness may also result from navel piercing rejection. Rejection occurs when the body reacts to foreign objects. The body reacts by pushing such objects away which will eventually come out. Itchiness may also result from both rejection and infection. You need to be careful in observing the other symptoms that results from an infection.
An infection results from poor aftercare tips. Failure to clean the affected area with antibacterial soap or salt solution may encourage the growth and multiplication of bacteria on the pierced site. Follow the aftercare instructions given by your professional piercer to avoid the chances of an infection.
Navel piercing pain, itchiness, swelling and tenderness is quite normal for 1-2 weeks after the session. However, when they persist they may be early indications of an infection. You may consider using natural remedies that contain antibacterial and antiseptic properties to treat the infection.
Navel Piercing Keloid
Keloids are overgrown scars that may develop on your pierced navel. Different skin injuries may cause keloids on your skin such as burns, piercings, wounds, vaccinations and surgical incisions. They may vary in size depending with the cause. Some people are prone to keloids than others. You are likely to develop them when your other family members have the same problem.
Small keloids formed after navel piercing may disappear on their own without treatment. However, there are various treatments that can be used to get rid of bigger keloids. The various treatments includes: freezing, laser treatment, and surgical removal and injection corticosteroids.
Further References;
http://www.piercingbible.com/piercing-care
http://www.md-health.com/Belly-Button-Piercing.html
http://info.painfulpleasures.com/help-center/piercing-information/belly-button-piercing-healing-process
http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Navel-Piercings