Belly Button Piercing

 General

A navel piercing (also referred to as a belly button piercing or an umbilical dip piercing) is a type of piercing located in, or around, the navel. It may heal quickly and with no problems, like an ear piercing, or may heal more like a surface piercing with the associated extended healing time. Healing usually takes less than six months, and as long as it is cleaned, it will heal nicely.Unlike most body piercings, this is one of the few that do not normally reject, although the rejection rate is higher than non-surface piercings, such as ear piercings.
The actual navel is not pierced when a navel piercing is performed. The most common form of navel piercing is through the upper rim of the navel.

Jewelry

Navel jewelry has become more extensive in recent years. Many new designs, such as the ancient Bali jewelry designs, have been added to everyday navel cultures. Barbells remain the most common, however. Most kinds of ring or bar jewelry can be worn in a navel piercing. Navels are most often pierced with a curved barbell, which is recommended to be worn until the piercing has fully healed. A wide variety of decorative jewelry is available for navels - simple curved barbells, barbells with dangling pendants, and captive bead rings are common examples.
There has been a special standard established for navel barbells (also called "bananabells" or "bananabars", a reference to their curved shape). The standard barbell is 1.6 mm (1/16") thick and 9.5 mm (3/8") or 11.1 mm (7/16") long and is most commonly referred to as a 14-gauge post. The silver caps on the barbell post usually measure 5mm in diameter for the upper and 8mm in diameter for the lower.
Although navel bananabells are different from full rings, such as captive bead rings (CBRs), which can also be worn in navel piercings, internet body jewelry retailers and wholesalers tend to refer to these barbells as belly button "rings".
A new version of navel jewelry is on the market for those without pierced navels, which is based on the idea of clip-on earrings.

Risks

Although navel piercings are fashion symbols and may make the navel and midriff look more attractive, they carry the many risks of body piercing, notably:

• Infection: A new piercing may take up to 6–9 months before it can be taken out, during which time sweat and bacteria may cause infection. Bacterial infections can result in cysts.
• Scarring: Skin tissue rarely heals to match the surrounding tissue. It heals in varying thickness, in different ways for different types of people, and forms different types of scarring for different kinds of 'damage'. It is likely that any piercing worn for a significant time (months to years) will leave a scar if removed.

 Aftercare Guide

1.When you first get home, do NOT touch or move your piercing at all. It may still be a little sore because your body is getting used to the metal object in your skin. Just leave it under your top. 

2.'Steam clean' your belly button. After a few hours of having it done, you can get some salt (sea salt is best) and boiling water in a small glass. Allow the water to cool slightly and then lean forward and put the glass on your stomach, then lean back. If you do it right, you will get a seal between your skin and the cup so nothing will leak. It can be tricky at first but after a while you will get the hang of it. Now with it on, wait 10 to 15 minutes, and the salt will clean it.

3.After you have cleaned it with the salty water, rinse it off with running water from the tap. afterwards you need to dry it. Don't use a towel or dishcloth because these carry lots of bacteria. Instead use a clean paper towel and gently dry it. You must do this for about 3 - 4 months until it has healed completely.

4.Bathing / showering. It is best if you take a shower, because it's a stream of clean water constantly. However if you must bathe, do not put any bubble-mixture, strong bath oils, or soap in the water because this will irritate it. Instead have the water clean, and bathe as you would usually. Do not wash your hair in the water (because your hair carries a lot of germs too) and do NOT shave any part of your body while in the bath, because the small hairs may get caught in your piercing. Instead, shave and wash your hair after, without getting your piercing wet.

5.Be careful how you sleep. If, like many people, you find yourself sleeping on your stomach (which is a problem) you can try this trick I used. If your bed is a single bed - Grab some spare pillows, and pile them up on one side. You can do this better if you lie on the bed. Put enough space for you to lie on your back, and then put the pillows on the remaining space. Now in your sleep, if you try and roll over you will be stopped by the pillows, or you will stay on your side. You have to try it a few times to get it right for your body shape, but it's a good trick.

6.Clothing - Most clothing will be fine, but stay away from tight, restricting clothes. Big belts are bad, because your body needs to get air, and the belt will not only put pressure on your piercing, it will limit the fresh air getting to it. Try and wear cotton or other soft fabrics, because these will irritate your skin less. If you know you are going to have to wear some kind of itchy clothing (P.E uniforms for school can sometimes be irritating to your skin) you can buy an eye-patch and put it over the piercing and then take it off after you have gotten changed. 

7.With all this said, just use common sense. If the piercing is hurting you badly, or looks infected, then it probably is, and you should go have it checked out before it gets worse. If you feel you might have an infection, go to your piercer and ask for advice. If they cannot help you, go to your doctor. Never take out the piercing yourself if you feel it is badly infected, as this can seal in the infection causing an abscess. you may use some soap on it as this will keep it smooth and soft