Belly Button Ring Infection – Follow The Aftercare Instructions!

Be aware of belly button ring infections – you can get them if you don’t follow the piercing aftercare guidelines.




The following article was submitted by a close friend of mine. I think it’s a great example of a problem experienced by thousands of people all around the world.

By Jim, from Arizona.

My wife got her belly button pierced but she didn’t take care of her new piercing well enough. She was given all the information needed to take a good care of her new belly button piercing. She was told to Belly Button Ring Infectionapply a saline solution twice a day to help the new belly button piercing to heal.

Although in the real life it happens a bit differently… We’re busy at work, have to do our chores at home, spend time with kids, and so on and on. Β In this fast-paced life we often forget many important things. However, if you get a piercing, make sure to make time for it! If you ignore it or forget it, you will regret it!

In the picture above you can see my wife’s infected belly button piercing. You can see a red crusty edge around the belly button ring’s exit in the inner part of the navel. The other hole is also a bit reddish. These are sure signs of a belly button infection.

Initially my wife applied alcohol, although she was told by the piercer not to. Why didn’t she listen to him? We had a notion that alcohol cleans the wound and helps it – like when you have a cut on your finger. There was one thing we missed. Alcohol disinfects – not heals. Alcohol, peroxide and other corrosive agents dry out the wound and slows healing considerably.

Around that time I started to look up info regarding body piercing on the Internet and having read navel piercing aftercare information I realised we’d been wrong. Using sea salt and antibacterial soap is number one things to do to help your body heal the fresh piercing.

Later on a red bump formed inside of my wife’s navel right under the piercing and it burst one day when my wife touched the belly ring. Lots of puss and blood oozed out and a small piece of flesh was sticking out as well!

I know we should have gone to a doctor but we didn’t…

It vanished in a couple of weeks after successfully performing hot soaks in shower and saline solution soaks.

However, I really suggest you do it, because I think it was an abscess – a collection of puss formed due to the belly button ring infection and the growth of bacteria inside. And then only a professional can decide if a course of antibiotics is needed or some other kind of treatment.

Belly button ring infection was gone in about a month’s time and when another month had passed, the belly button piercing was finally healed.

Piercing Aftercare Best Practice.

How to avoid common infections.

In the picture below you can see how the piercing looks after five months – and my wife’s ready to insert new belly rings:-)




 

[wpbigcommerce products=133,128,120,173 fields=name,image,price,retail_price,availability_description,link,description_snippet]

205 comments

  1. I got my belly button pierced on Monday 1st April and it is now got a dark red lump with a bit of green puss coming out of it sometimes when I lift my bar up and its starting to get a red blotch at each side of my belly button. Any ideas on what I can do?

  2. Ive had mine done for about 6 months now. An ill have a good week an then a bad one. The whole underneath just started to hurt an its really uncomfortable to sit down.. ive had no serius issues until today. I use the h2o spray now But when i got it done they told me to use bactine could that be the cause of it acting like this. I have like a whiteish kinda yellow puss an before it had a little blood. I dont wanna take it out but i dont know what to do??????

  3. its been almost a year that i did belly piercing. it healed at the very beginning but after 3-4 months, i realized it never healed. i used salt water and took antibiotics as well but nothing really helped. it goes and after few days comes back! tired of treatments… it might caused for the material i wear but i did try the white gold jewelry as well, it become horrible! i searched for the H2O solution but its unavailable in my country since people rarely get belly piercing here (i belong to a Muslim country and going to dr is also a bad idea, they might have no idea or suggest me to take it off which i don’t want) !! I’ll be very glad if anyone suggest anything

  4. Our daughter had a belly ring installed in January 2003. The body around the ring became infected which resulted in night sweats and extreme tiredness. She was 15 years old at the time. She died from Non Hodgkins Lymphonna on 16th April 2004

  5. I have a belly piercing and it closed up and the hole is now a bump where the hole is what is goin on and what can i do to get the bump to go away

  6. I have a question. My bellybutton was pierced about 8 months ago.. the healing process went fine and i followed all the instructions.. just about a month ago the skin got dark in between my top hole and my bellybutton… but soon after it went away.. now all of a sudden i have a bump next to my top hole and it is beginning to bleed.. not having any luck searching the internet and i was wondering if anyone could help me? it also has something else coming out of it..sort of looks like skin. but no pain at all..

  7. i had my bell button done once before when i was in 8th grade. i took it out cuz it always got hit in all the sports i played through out high school. im a senior now and wanted to know if piercing places will re pierce it???

  8. i got my belly ring pierced in july and it wasnt the normal size and idk what the size is. when can i take out my ring and how do i know the size of my belly ring?

  9. i just got my belly pierced on tuesday and it was scar tissue the on the first whole the doc that done it said to use a spiral for the healing proccess. well i have been using the sea salt and the antibacterial soap and it is really red on the top where its scar tissue i dont know what it is suppose to look like. there is zero puss and stuff snd its leaking the normal milky stuff but that it. my top whole isnt tearing but it like looks wider where the ball sits and idk i want this ring to stay so bad and i was told it will look worse before it get better but i wish it would start to look better idk what else to do withit im going to the guy that done it to see if he could put a less heavy ring in because my swelling went down it just does quite look good to me though.

  10. Alright… I got my belly button pierced the Sunday before my birthday in September, and at first I cleaned it regurlarly… then I just stopped altogether. Of course I’ve touched it and moved the ring around (I got a ring for less risk of infections of course) and it was fine. Lately I’ve been noticing the hole has gotten a black ring around it at the top, the ring gets crusties around the skin on both holes, it leans to the side slightly due to something (sort of) blocking it at the top of the inside of the hole, the skin is sort of swallowing the ring sometimes, and there’s white skin(?) at the top left (my left) of the piercing hole… is there anything wrong with it? It doesnt hurt, and it’s not irritated or anything. I sometimes forget I even have it.

  11. I got my belly button pierced 2 days ago, and it’s still sore. It’s red in the middle of thee 2 holes and swollen too. It didn’t hurt that much yesterday, it’s worse today. I had some crusties around the top & bottom holes, and today throughout the day I noticed it was oozing a whitish liquid. I have been cleaning it twice a day with antibacterial soap and water, and I’m going to start the sea salt solution today. I’m so afraid of it getting infected, I wanted this done so bad! Can anyone help or give advice on what’s wrong with it, is it infected or just irritated? Or is it just my body adjusting to it?
    -Thanks for the help(:

  12. I just got my belly button pierced last tuesday & i thought it was fine i actually didn’t touch it the first day besides when i cleaned it & i didn’t really know how to clean it . So a lot of my friends had theirs pierced they told me to use all sorts of things now i think i have an infection ? its red not hot .. but a litttle red & i have white pus coming out of it . It’s only the top one tho ? idk if i should go to the doctor because when i looked it up everyone contradicts themselves for infections i put peroxide in it .. & then i read you shouldn’t ? I need help on knowing if this is an infection & how should i treat it . Should i just take the ring out ?

  13. Hiya,
    I’ve had the same problem as the lady in the article. I’ve had my belly piercing since July. The top of my piercing was red and it hurt, and around the area was hard and painful. But that went away after a while, but now I have a lump just above my belly button. It’s not majorly painful, but it has burst a few times, and this yellowy liquid and blood came out every time. But it’s not going away. I’ve had it for just over a month now, so how can I make it go away?

  14. hey..

    i got my belly pierced on thursday 9/22/11. it just stopped hurting as bad, unless i bump it hard. it got really red around both ends and had a white-ish puss coming out of it.. and it would stick to the ring if i left it alone for about 30 mins… now it dosent really hurt, its still red but more like a light pink now, and its kinda flakey?? like dried skin in rings around it…? i havent seen any puss in a couple of days… is it infected? i try not to mess with it and i know its bad but i do anyways… i use bactine spray alot… and dial soap when i shower every morning. ive washed it with (table) salt water once.. if you have any tips… feel free to post them please! (:

  15. I got my belly button pierced for like 2 months. i think it rejected. little bit of skin the top ball sticking out. is it normal? Should i take it out? i been using sea salt soaks once a day every day.

  16. Hey everyone,

    I think my navel piercing is rejecting like the top ball is popped out from the skin (little bit). is it normal or should I take it out? I have my belly pierced for like 2 months. i have been cleaning once a day with sea salt.

  17. hi , i have my belly ring for about 3 to 4 months now and im 11 and it was fine for a while but my friend came home from spain and bought me a belly ring so i put it in and fter a couple of days it got red it bled and i told my mum and she told me to take it out so i put in my belly ring i bought from a piercing parlour shop and its seems to have calm down its stiill red though , its hurts 2 or 3 out of 10 xx alanna x

  18. i got my belly ring for my birthday. its now day three its not too swollen but red around both the top and bottom hole. but the skin all around my belly button is yellow kind of like a bruise what is this? i clean it everyday and use saline solution or h2ocean and shower with antibacterial soap. help?

  19. Anna, the best advice i can give you is to just use salt water to soak it twice a day, after each soak put a bit of tea tree oil on each of the holes and wash it off after about 5 minutes with salt water. make sure you boil the water first and then leave it to cool so to get rid of any bacteria in the water. This has worked for me and i have had mine done for 8 weeks and i havent had one sign of infection yet. πŸ™‚
    Hope this information is helpful.

  20. I’ve had my bellybutton pierced twice now.. both times its gotten infected!! the first time i put neosporion on it DO NOT USE!! it eats YOUR skin AWAY!! This time i have been using the sea salt and warm water with alil bit of perioxide.. and then to keep it moisturized i put tea tree oil. i thought it was really workin but it did with the pus and redness but now my piercing is so dang dry.. its not sore but i’m worried its about to fall out again.. i love my piercing and i dont feel right without it!! so im going bck to the tattoo shop today.. do ya’ll have any advice for me? Ohh yea im allergic to gold. i’ve been using plastic but it ain’t workin i think i’m bout to go bck to titanium!! Can anyone JUST HELP ME!!

  21. i qott mine done in like june, was ok for a while nd then i started seeing pus come out of it then it stopped now i have like this red circle type thing on the top of ma belly button nd wen it qets dried it hurts when i sit down , so what can i do to make it better nd wat is the best type of piecinq to put in ?
    Monica Carrillo

  22. So I got my navel pierced 2 days ago. Ive been cleaning it in the shower day & nite and wen I do it , it stings ior burns.. Is tht normal? And also, as soon as im done cleaning it the white stuff appears around the piercing.. Is tht normal too? Please get back to me. Thanks:)

  23. My daughter’s belly button piercing is infected. The tatooist recommended going to the dr and getting antibiotics. I bought the H20 cleaner from the tatoo place. She also told her to soak it with cotton balls overnight with a big bandage. The ball at the top is sinking into her stomach. Is this normal? Earlier today the tatooist said not to take it out even if the dr says to. (didn’t see the dr, he just called in a prescription for the antibiotics). I’m going to call the tatooist in the morning. Any comments or advise? Thanks.

  24. i got my belly button peirced about 5 weeks ago, and i think its infected! milky coulored pus oozes out of it, and it always gets crusty green stuff built up around the ring all the time! it doesnt hurt or anything! i have been using hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol to clean all my peircings with and none of them have gotten infected, but with my belly button it has a different affect! can you please tell me if it is infected or not? please and thank you
    -Brianne

  25. I got my navel pierced 6 months ago, and about 2 months ago, it started looking like the picture above! The skin around the top hole is dark and dry, and the bottom hole has a bump around it. The bump has a sore on top of it or something – it bleeds from time to time. I think I’ve been overcleaning it, which has made it worse. I don’t want to have to take it out and get it re-pierced; would antibiotics prescribed by a doctor help this infection??

  26. Heey!
    I’ve wanted a bellybutton piiercing for A LONG TIME, but my mom doesn’t want me to! Any tips on how to prove to her it’s not all about infections and diseases?
    Thanks,
    Tiff <3

  27. hey i got my belly pierced like a week ago and ive cleaned it and theres puss and blood still in it and i think i changed the piercing to fast do you know what i can do to make sure it dosent get infected?

  28. I got my belly button pierced on the 24th of January 2011 and I clean it at least 1/2 times a day but at the top where the ball is there is a small but visible crusty bump ? it diidnt hurt until a few days ago I went on holidays and forgot to clean it and then it was a ball full liquid which ii somehow burst and now I have been cleaning it properly and it have gotten smaller than ever . is this normal ? its taking such a long time to heal . will the crispy layer go away ? and what should I do please help . thanks in advance .

  29. I have a black ring around the top hole of the piercing and I only got the piercing a week ago. Could this be a cause of infection?? I really want this belly ring cuz its so cute and my boyfriend loves it but its so much work to keep it clean. I have gotten BAD advice on how to clean and shouldve listened to my piercer and bought H2Ocean. I used hydrogen peroxide like my friend told me to do BAD IDEA, i used regular salt, BAD IDEA, then i used neosporin, another BAD IDEA. Anywho, I cant afford to go to the doctors at the moment, any solution on how to make this disappear? Thank you very much.

  30. I got mine done on April 18,2011 my skin around the top ring of the piercing is redish and sometimes puss comes out it’s not blood I clean it every night, i’m just wondering is it infected ? I have a past of all my piercings getting infected somehow so i’m just wondering so I can take proper care of it now. Please answer me asap
    – Ashley.

  31. I got mine pierced like a month ago and its oozing blood & puss it has a red outer edge and something that looks like skin in coming out of the bottom hole… is it infected? if it is what should i do?

  32. I got my belly pierced in 1999 now today 2011 its become infected. It has never had any problems before. I am not sure how to treat it but it hurts and I dont want to lose my piercing due to the infection starting. Any clue how to treat it asap. It just started today so its a fresh infection.

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

    LOVE TO HELP!:)

  34. Hey!
    I am 17 and i got my belly pierced in september.. changed it too early and that was a mistake. It gets sore and it hurts to sit down at times.
    Today i was helping my mom mow the yard and i was having to push the mower with my stomach and when i got done my stomach was bleeding. I came inside to check it out and now there is a red like sac hanging out the bottom of it. I put some peroxide on it and got on the computer to look for some advice and i found this site ( also found out that the peroxide appearantly wasnt a great idea), and it has actually helped me out so im going to try some of these remedies for my self and hopefully they will help me. πŸ™‚

  35. So I had my bellybutton pierced when I was like 13 im now 23 I took it out for a year bc I thought I was done with it but I decided I wasnt and it never fully sealed up it allowed me to stick a ring back in it and I clean it twice a day with warm sea salt water but after leaving it in for 2 days its so sore that I end up having to take it back out and Ive tried that a couple of times any suggestions on what I should do to try and help it adjust to being back in I dont think it needs to be pierced again since its still able to go through the hole

  36. 6 days ago I got my belly button pierced. since then I’ve been going off what everyone on google has been saying. First I was using dial soap 3 times a day for the first 2 days. Now I’m doing 2 soap washes and 1 or 2 salt soaks a day. I used bactine for a few days because someone told me to then I heard from others not to! Was it bad to use bactine? I’m worried the top ball of my piercing may be infected but also everyone who looks at it said it was normal? its got a lil bit of a red circle around the puncture hole but it usually isn’t very red unless I have just washed it. It is getting white crusty stuff around both holes but mostly the top. It doesn’t hurt at all really either. Also another question I have is, is it bad to move your ring up to clean the hole to get crusties off or should i not touch it at all and just run the water over the top hole?

    1. Don’t move the ring to clean it-just run water over it-if you clean it after a at the end of a shower,it should come away easily. I don’t think you have an infection – what you are experiencing is pretty normal – keep doing the soaks and cleaning. If you begin to experiencepain or the redness/swelling gets worse, go back to your piercer for advice.

  37. I got my belly button pierced a little over a week ago, at first it was fine. I’ve been following the instructions given to me by my piercer. However, a few days ago it started hurting like crazy and it burns when I touch it. It hurts when I do anything at all…. Is this an infection? and if it is, what can I do to stop the pain?

  38. I got my belly pirecing at sixteen. i had it for two months and no healing signs. but i did starrt getting red crispy dry skin and it hurted to..so i decide d to take it off and puss came out..so i just took off completily and i feel like a hard thiing in where the inside of the piercing went though and i have three months without the piercing and i still feel it..is that a good or bad thing.?

  39. Hi!
    I really need some advice on my piercing..
    I had it done 3months ago and all went okay until a while ago..

    I was cleaning my piercing, and moving it up and down..
    when it looked like the skin from the inside came out it was like skin around the bar.
    I don’t know what to do.. it’s a bit painful when i touch it and red and was bleeding after :/

    please can some one help me ?
    Thanks xxx

  40. hi i got my belly done 10 days ago on the 6th day it was red swolen n pussy i went strait to the doctor who gave me cream to put on it i have to take the ring out put the cream on an let it soke in afer 5 mins i put the ring back in.. now on the 10 day its not sore or red but i have dry skin at the top n bottem im getting worried that it might grow out, im a mum of two and a stemp mum of two so four children all up im always running aroung an bumping it please let me know if you think it is growing out…….

  41. i just got my belly piercing two days ago and now it looks dry around the piercing and puss is coming out of the top hole and it kinda hurts. i been cleaning right but i accidently pulled the piercing lastnight. what should i do?

  42. Can someone tell me if it’s normal to have a bit of pink flesh bloby thing sticking out the exit end of my belly button piercing? I’ve had my piercing for 2-3 months now and I accidentally bumped it with my hand while I was in the shower. I clean it with rock sea salt as the piercer instructed after a shower. The pink flesh dries and sticks on to the bottom ball of the ring and it hurts a little b/c I have to scrape it off every morning. Other than that i don’t think I have an infection, it’s just the bit of flesh hanging out that is bothering me!!!! Arrrrrr……rrrrrrrrr gh!!!! :-z

  43. I got my belly button pierced about two and a half weeks ago and i got very impatient and changed it out for a titanium ring instead. (i know it was stupid for changing it so soon). anyway, now the top and bottom are really red and sometimes some puss comes out of it and the skin gets stuck to the bar sometimes. its also very tender.
    Is it infected because i changed it? if so, should i keep it in and just keep cleaning it three times a day with sea salt, or should i change it back to the one i got it pierced it and continue the healing process?
    is my body just reacting the the change in metals and the fact that i changed it too soon, but it will get better in a couple days once it is used to the metal, or did i mess everything up? :/

  44. I got mine done about 3 to 4 days ago now pus is coming out it’s very red in betweenthe bottom n top balls it also hurts is it infected or just healing if infected I’ve been using some type of cream what else should doo I need help please email me @ cheyennesanders70@yahoo.com Thank you

  45. I got mine done about 3 to 4 days ago now pus is coming out it’s very red in betweenthe bottom n top balls it also hurts is it infected or just healing if infected I’ve been using some type of cream what else should doo I need help please email me @ cheyennesanders70@yahoo.com Thank you

  46. Brittany, I got my nose peirced and it healed just fine, no problems at all my belly button on the other hand took a while theres alot of bacteria down there.. all you need to do is give it some time, and im sure you will be just fine, clean it twice a day, your body NEEDS to heal byitself, all you need to do is keep it clean but not dry it out i washed mine only once a day because of drying it out, and its perfectly fine now, have had it for over 12 yrs now

  47. I got my belly button pierced seven months ago and I don’t think it’s healing right. The top is healing well but the bottom I’m pretty sure isn’t. I clean it twice a day with a hot compress to get the crusties off the bottom and do a sea salt soak but it turns red afterwards. And sometimes when the crusties soften up it pusses only from the bottom hole and sometimes bleeds. I have even gone to the doctor for it and they told me I just have a strange way of healing. But when I got my nose pierced I had no problems at all. Any suggestions for this bottom hole?

  48. i got my bellybutton pierced almost 3 months ago, it pusses a lot and crusts a lot which i heard its normal because its healing? but there a little red thing that is hanging out of my bottom hole and i dont know what to do or if its infected please help me

  49. I’m 12 and i got mine done when i was 11 and a half..its been five months and on the 2nd month a huge red fleshy lump came up, i was that scared i didnt tell my mum..so i started washing it with warm salt water for 2 times a day for another 2 months then it was fine the lump gone except for the scaring which i thought was another infection soo i called my auntie who has her done for almost 11 years and she said it only the scar tissue and scaring and all that and its going all good πŸ™‚ but it still good if you go and get yours checked out even if it healthy πŸ™‚ in another 1 month im gonna change my navel ring to a dangly ring hopefully πŸ™‚ heheheheheee

  50. I’m 12 and i got mine done when i was 11 and a half..its been five months and on the 2nd month a huge red fleshy lump came up, i was that scared i didnt tell my mum..so i started washing it with warm salt water for 2 times a day for another 2 months then it was fine the lump gone except for the scaring which i thought was another infection soo i called my auntie who has her done for almost 11 years and she said it only the scar tissue and scaring and all that and its going all good πŸ™‚ but it still good if you go and get yours checked out even if it healthy πŸ™‚ in another 1 month im gonna change my navel ring to a dangly ring hopefully πŸ™‚

  51. i got my belly button pierced for the first time in april and it was done crooked but i had it for about 2 months and i saw that it never healed and it became a big red bump on the top hole so i took it out and i let it close up soo i thouqht it was fully closed nd in dhe ending of june i got my belly button repierced but with 2 different holes so that it would be strait and my old piercing became a big red bump so i popped it like 3 times already nd it keeps comming back i have the h2ocean and i try to clean it out but it doesnt work and i dont know what to do about it nemore

  52. I got my belly button pierced on july 1st it i made the mistake of changing it too soon.. i only waited two weeks before i changed the jewlery and ever sence then ive had an infection that is only getting worse im a lifeguard so i could not keep it out of the water or dry so im sure that also is a reason, but i did take care of it by cleaning it three times a day, i looked up on how to treat an infection and continued sprayining the saline salution i got from the piercer and also used rubbing alchole and poroxcide on it because it was pussing everytime i moved it, im guessing that information was not correct to use on it because now it is still pussing, and also has now formed a puss bubble blistering looking bump on the top hole, it hurts to touch but my piercing is not sore anymore its mostly just pussing and has the blister now but its not pretty and i dont know what to do or how to treat it now ive looked all over the internet and cant find the answer i need to get this infection gone or at least in the healing process… PLEASE help…

  53. Amanda, just keep cleaning it as usual, thats your bodies natural way of healing, mines was the exact same, now it’s getting better still gets crusty but thats just scar tissue which is normal. Just keep cleaning it with a saline solution or tcp works wonders :-).

  54. i got my belly button pierced about a month and a week ago. I have red on the top and bottom. sometimes i cant even clean the botttom cause its stuck to my skin. i also have crustys.

    what should i do?

  55. Hi i got mine pierced a couple of months ago and at the bottom a hole a small
    redish coloured bump has a appeared and it keeps bleeding and a little puss keeps coming out, is it infected and how can i treat it if it is?
    Thanks

  56. My mum has this weird thing that gets rid of infections extremely well, it’s called a loaf potious, it’s so simple, but works amazingly, it’s when you wrap a piece of bread or small section of bread into a clear thin cloth, then dipped into boiling water then placed straight onto the infected area, the bread seeps all the puss out of the infected area, and the boiling water cleans it. It’s done me wonders on any piercing. Hope this will help some people to get rid of their infections, also TCP helps, and a saline solution.

  57. Hi, I got my belly pierced 2 months back. It started to heal properly and I was happy with the results. Until Now! Few days back I noticed a little muscle tissue which was red in colur and fleshy stickin out of the the bottom hole. I cleaned it regularly like before thinking it will go away.And took some antibiotics for infection.The flesh is slowly moving back inside, But I can see a bump around the hole now. There was a lil blood before but no pain , tenderness or swelling. I am not sure if its infected. Just wanted to know if its normal and will go away or do I need to see a doctor.

    Thnx

  58. Thank you so much for this! I got the exact same red bump, and it has burst and left a small piece of tender skin, because i neglected it. But thanks for writing this (: Now i know what it could possibly be and what to do. (: and to angelica above, thats just it healing. everyones does that dont worry!xxo

  59. i got my belly button done 2 weesk ago its all red and has dry skin around it. i dont understand why my belly button dosent hurt but it red and has dry skin. can any one help?

  60. I got my belly done for the second time so it’s now done at the top and bottom, it’s only been a week I’ve had it done and it looks great, but lately it’s been really sore. At first it was just slightly red, but it became extremely bruised and this didn’t happen when I got it done a few years ago when I got it done then. But because I a lot of exercise I move a lot knocking it, and I’m not sure if the white stuff coming out of it is just scar tissue or is it infected? I’ve been cleaning it with a saline solution, but it’s still slightly irritated. Infected or not?

  61. I got my bb done july 4th so i know that its still gonna be a little sore. I have a red circle going up on my stomach about the top and then 2 small puss pockets by the bottom. I talked to a piercer here near me and they said it having puss and being a little crusty was normal. Should I still be hurting really bad. Its not just a little sore its really hurting and really red.

  62. i’ve also been cleaing it…..and my anitbacteria soap is finish so i cover it with a badage whitle showering with regular soap bars

  63. ma belly ring is swollen right in the middle but it hurts just a little i got it done around april…..is it a sign of an infection or allergic reaction how can i tell???

  64. Got belly pierced on 21st may and was surprised at how little pain there was (but if you speak to my daughter, it was agony ok!!!) Its been fine, may be a wee bit red but not to bad, my problem is that the ring sits to the right all the time, it nips a bit when i straighten it and clean it but nothing major, do you think a bar will sit straighter once its healed ?

  65. I got mine pierced a week and almost 2 days ago. I clean it 3 times daily with H2Ocean and a Q-tip and i ALWAYS wash my hands before i even think about touching it! But, today i noticed there was a red bump underneath the top ball and theres a little white oozing out..is it infected? If so what do i do!? Help me please :(.

  66. I got mine pierced in march, almost 4 months ago, i cleaned it properly with saline 2 times a day, but from the beginning it was red. its now clearly infected and has a red bump around the top of the piercing that ozzes puss.. its been infected for about 2 months and isnt showing signs of getting better, which doesnt make alot of sense to me, it doesnt hurt it just looks really gross and im too scared to try changing the ring, salt water baths and cleaning haven’t worked so if anyone has any other solutions..?

  67. hey everybody i pierced my belly on december18…it was done by my cousin wich was a mistake because my sister got it first and we used the smae needle…my cousin gave me her piercing but she didn’t clean it right ..i had it until apriland took it off because i knew something was wrong it hurt bad and i thought it was infected..i got iy pierced like more than a month ago professionally and my mom thought it was the 1st time…but now it has a red bump and my mom saw it and poked it with a needle and puss came out with little bit of blood..now the ball is there but kinda small and idk wat to do idk how to clean it…help!!!but its not red at all and it doesnt hurt???cynthia<3please write back!!

  68. Hello,
    im makyla and if u dont trust me then dont listen i got mine pierced a week ago and when i was talking to the guy who pierced it he said not to put any peroxide or alcohol on it because it will clog all the puss and stuff inside ur belly button and about a week later it will be infected so just trust me on this dont use alcohol or peroxide just water and dial or antibacterial soap and clean it 3 times a day.

  69. i got my belly button pierced exactly 2 weeks ago. when i first got it done, there was hardly any pain for about the first week. then, i noticed that it increasingly became redder the next week. now its red and constantly crusty around the top, not bottom, and it get more painful each day. DOES THIS MEAN IT IS INFECTED OR IS MY BODY JUST HEALING BECAUSE I RECENTLY GOT IT DONE?

  70. So I just got my navel pierced 3 days ago and right now its a bit red andhurts a little.I’m absolutely TERRIFIED that its going to be or already is infected. Agh. I spra H20cean on it like 3 or 4 times a day. But I sometimes forget to take it with me and so I only spray it like (wice. That’s okay right? I mean, my navel isn’t going to just suddenly explode into an infection will it?

  71. I don’t know if my belly button piercing is infected or not. How can I tell? I got it pierced on May 14 and I have dark skin so around my piercing is darker and today it had like dried yellow crust so I cleaned it and moved the ring up and down and it started oozing something white so I boiled hot water and put salt in it and applied pressure and its ok now but. What I did was it right? Even if it is infected what should I do?…I clean it 6 times a day for the first few weeks but now I only clean it 2-3 times aday

  72. hi,i got my belly button done in april of this year.and it hasen’t bleed,hurt,turned red or any other signs of infection since i had it done,but the other day i looked at it and there was a little blood and it has some oozing yellow pus.but it only bleed for a little while.now it looks ok.but i wanna make sue its now infected.can u tell me if it is or not?

  73. I got mine pierced over 5 years ago. Today I woke up with some irritation and pain around the top hole. Underneath on the right size is a red dot. I had this before but I can’t recall what I did to help. Any ideas?

  74. Heeey…i got mine done march 15th 2010… and now its May 13th.
    mine was all fine and dandy…and than today, i came home from school and i looked at it, and there is a lump on the right side of my peircing. when i touch it, it doesnt really hurt, butit looks weird, i have dangly ring in now. it looks cute but the shape of my belly button has changed shape. What does this mean?

  75. hey guys, i got my belly done back in february, and its been pussing since that time.. i did go on one course of antibiotics but it didnt seem to help… so i went back to the doc ans he said that its my body reacting to the bar..its a process of healing.. but like 5 mins ago i realised when i push the top part down… flesh comes out of the bottom… any suggestions on what to do??? thanks πŸ™‚

  76. I got mine done a long time ago. I’ve been taking care of it really well and i still have a infection. I can not afford going to the docters, can someone tell me good things i can use. I did the saline salt that they give you and i’ve been washing it every day. I’m starting to use alcohal and hoping that will help. It’s pussy and pretty bad, please lend me a hand. thanks

  77. I got my navel pierced 2 months ago, but I don’t like it anymore and I’ve decided to remove it. Although I removed the piercing it seems that the skin around the upper hole is dark and kind of irritated. Do you have any idea how the swelling can go away?

  78. ok its been one month today since i got my belly pierced
    (april 4). my ring is a hoop my piercer choose that for me i wanted a bar but he said ill get it after 6 to 9 months. but all my other friends got the bar when they got theres done rrr. my top hole is red around the hole. the bottom hole is not red at all. about a week ago i noticed that when i turn my ring white stuff came out of it. when i cleaned off i looked at the napkin and it had a very light green color. i squizzed the hole and a lil more came out… just last night i got some coming out of my bottom hole too… my piercing doesnt hurt at all but its color and the stuff coming out of it is scaring me… has it gone wrong? can i get a bar any time sooner without harm? if not im willing to wait =)

  79. I got my belly pierced on december 31st 2009. it doesnt hurt at all anymore and it rarely ever oozes anymore. it has reddish purplish circles right around the holes though. i dont think its infected? but i just really wana know what these reddish circles are and how to get rid of them? thanks!!

  80. Honestly i dont! reccomend to get it done.I mean they look soo cool but all this infection noncense is tooo annoying.You’re better with you’re clean non infectioned normal belly button.I got mine pierced a few months ago (about 4).Its got this red bump at the top honestly I KNOW THEY LOOK COOL BUTTON DONT DO IT IM WORRIED SHITLESS ABOUT THIS REDDISH BUMP! AND IF YOU DO GET YOURS DONE AND IT GETS INFECTED ITS QUITE SCARY!

  81. Hi.

    I got my belly pierced like the last 2weeks of febuary dis yr. it was fine before and then last week (25.04.010) it started gting reaally itchy n i jus fort that it mite be healing. and then yesturdy i noticed that it had little bumps around the top bit n bottom bit of the bar. i ent 2 my gp 2day n she gave me sum cream but i just wanted help from someone and i want sum1 to tell me what dis means or if its normall

  82. i got my belly button pierced 3 months ago and it was doing fine. but now it has a huge blood blister on it and it wont go away :[ i clean it twice a day and idk how to get rid of it. what should i do?

  83. I got my navel pierced a week ago and have been cleaning it twice a day, once with antimicrobial soap in the morning, once with Savlon spray in the afternoon, and then doing a sea salt soak before i go to bed.

    Eachtime I’ve washed my hands with the antimicrobial soap, dried with a paper towel, and then dried the piercing once I’ve cleaned it.

    For the first 5 days I had to sleep on my back, it just red around the entry and exit holes and hurt to touch, and stung a little when I cleaned it, and i didnt have any discharge or dried skin/discharge at all. On the 6th day there was a ting yellowish ring arounf the top ball inside the redness, and when i squeezed it it produce a tiny amount of off white, slightly thick discharge that looked a little yellow on a q-tip. The same thing happened on day 7, and it still hurts to touch/stings to clean, but is not an issue when sleeping. Is this infected and what should I do?

    Thanks xx

  84. got my belly button done like 2 weesk ago its all red and has dry skin around it. i’ve had it done twice before and it didnt do this. i got my nipples pierce 3months ago and they healed anfter the first month. they dont even hurt anymore. i dont understand why my belly button dosent hurt but it red and has dry skin. sooooooo…………….can any one help?

  85. to jordan it means you are having a allergic reaction and you need to go see a pro and have them change it. mine did the same thing two days after i had it done.

  86. Mine got infected from a bad ring the piercer used. the titanuim had a coating on it and came off in my belly button and cause the infection. i was told to by a saline solution to keep it clean but it just made the infection worse. i went back to the store and they put in a different ring. they said with the allergy plus infection i’d need to use some strong stuff to get it clean. they told me to use antibacterial soap and peroxide. though they said the peroxide would slow it down it would take care of it. the sweeling is gone the pain is gone and so is the pus. the reddness is slowly fading away.

  87. i got my bellly pierced 5months ago in colombia , now 5months from later , my bellly piercing is stll kina purple around the piercing , when i take it it kinda hurts .
    i personally think its already to late for it stlll to be infected ^.^ !!!!!!!!!

    1. piercings sometimes dont heal for up to 12 months although 6 months is the norm. Keep cleaning it and taking care of it. If the pain gets worse or the color wont go away, get advice from a pro.

  88. Hey,so i got my belly button pierced like 4 months ago.And it was totally nice and healthy perfectly fine.But then one day i decided to change my piercing! but this wasnt the first time i had changed it anyway then after like 2wks of having the new piercing in my belly button started to get red the bottom bit is totally fine nothing wrong with it but the top got red and then a big red kind of bubble appeared.Its not soore or anything no puss no bleading.But what is this small red bubble PLEASE CAN SOMEONE REPLY OR HELP ME …CAN SALT WATER FIX THIS!!!!!?

  89. Hi
    Got mine done about 3 weeks now and been
    Cleaning it with sea salt and antibacterial soap and for
    The first week I used bacitracin ointment only at night.
    So far it has never pussed or oozed anything; just dark
    Around the holes and oh did I mention that’s my second
    Time and I have scar tissue from the first piercing ( not sure
    If this has anything to do with it not pussing) the ring moves
    Freely now and I want to change it sooo bad but don’t want
    It to get infected. Would it make a difference if I sterilized the
    New ring properly. Please email me

  90. i got my belly button pierced almost a week ago its fine !

    but it has white stuff around the wholes is that normal? whats does it mean?is it infected?

  91. all my girlfriend got theres done and a few of them got theres done today and they told be it didnt hurt a-lot it was just a uncomfortable pinch.. but they all said that they couldnt put much pressure on it at first but this was just for the first few days so its no bad and say i should get one!! which i totally intend to ! and another ear piercing hopefully !!!

  92. well i got my belly button pierced almost a year ago and it still hasnt healed, i think it infected and the top hole is still red and there is a little bump on one side, can anyone tell me what to do?

  93. I got my belly pierced a month ago. I wouldn’t say it hurt it was just more uncomfortable. After i stood up from the table my body went into fight or flight mode and I almost fainted. But the people at the store were very nice and gave me a lollipop to help with sugar levels. If i could tell anyone one thing it would be EAT before you get it done. i think it would have helped the reaction.

    I clean it twice a day(or i try to) and i thought it was a little infected but the people at the place said it was just irritated…but later that night it oozed this milky color( which i was told was normal) but on the Qtip it looked yellowish. It doesn’t do this oozing thing everyday. Also there have been days were it hurt to even walk down the street. Is it infected or just really irritated? What can i do to make it stop?

    1. It sounds like you have an infection. An infection should clear up using the cleaning tips your piercer gave you. If you are unsure, read our article on piercing aftercare. Its gives advice and details about how to care for a fresh wound and how you should clean it.

  94. hey i got my belly pierced last summer…after waiting a good 3 months, i thought it was safe to start changing my rings..so i did. pretty much every other day. and im not sure if it was bcuz i did it so often or the rings were 2 big, but my whole became more and more stretched over the next couple months. i soon noticed that my earing was hanging on 2 hardly nothing….and then one day as i was getting ready 2 shower, it jus fell out. thewhole was totally ripped thru leaving nothing for the ring to hang on 2. but the weird thing is that it didint even hurt. the skin around the piercing got really cruty and dry though…does anybody kno why that might of happened…im thinking bout getting it repierced..

  95. HI, i got my belly button pierced 8 months ago. I was very good at first 5 months, but not it’s some pus and crust. I used antibiotic and no pus anymore but the button it’s awry. I don’t know what to do or to take it of. Please can you help me!

  96. Belly button piercings take 6 months to a year to heal. You should never change the piercing in that time. If you do want to change the piercing go back to your piercer and have them do it, with a sterile piercing and gloves. Most people are not patient with their piercings. I have one navel piercing and 2 dermal piercings (the ones that are implanted under your skin) right under it. Clean them every day in the shower with anti-bacterial soap and with Bactine. This should be done twice a day. Do not over do it on cleaning it. A soak of warm water and a table spoon of Epson salt should be down three times a week for 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water and pat dry. Most of the bubble things that you are all talking about are call Keloids. They are a form of scar tissue. You can buy tea tree oil (found in the vitamin section) and put a drop of it on the Keloid twice a day. It will eventually dry it up and make the Keloid fall off. Here is another suggestion. Know your piercer!! Every time you get a piercing done your piercer should use a sterile needle, a new clean pack of instruments and gloves. They should also give you Written instructions on care and cleaning. If you think you have an infection go back to your piercer. All new piercings should be done with surgical grade stainless steal. Again do not over clean a piercing, do not sleep on it, do not touch it, and do not change it for 12 months. That also means no swimming or the beach until it is completely healed. Its a wound. It should be treated as such.

  97. ok i am 16, i got mine done a week ago(ish) & its red & the skin is growing around it (like i have 2 spin the ring but its connected 2 the ring & i have 2 gentlly pull it away 2 clean it)…(o btw.. Is THAT NORMAL?!?!?!) and it looks weird..umm lol idk if its infected i dont think so though…(…?)….

  98. i have my done now for 3 moths i seen a red buuble on it yesterday i took it and kept it out for the full day i woke up this mornin and went put it back in and it didnt go throught the first holeee there is still a hole and all there cud someone please help mee .

    thanks πŸ™‚ xxxxx

  99. My belly button ring has been out for a year and a half. (i was pregnant and had a baby) My boyfriend wanted me to try to see if my blly bttn ring still wen’t through and when it did he wanted me to keep it in. now the question is now that it has been back in for about a week the area around the top hole looks like it has developed scar tissue to the left and right of it. also my bottom hole directly over top of it. I never had this when it healed originally. there were no infections and no problems. now with the swelling/ scar tissue. i’m not sure how to care for it. it’s been pierced for approx. 7 to 8 years and i have never had problems.

  100. heyy,
    so I got my belly pierced like 6months ago; the first 3 months it was fine I even changed the ring the first month but it started bleeding so I took it out and put the first ring back in.. & now I noticed I have a reddish bump on the side of the top hole.. if I move my ring white puss comes out.. & it looks all dry & crusty πŸ™
    idk wat to do to make it better ive tried putting neosporinon on it but it burst the bump, blood & what looked like flesh came out, so I stoped messing with it & now the bump is back & it looks like its getting bigger … ANY ADVICE?? !!!

    1. You really need to have it checked by a professional(medical or piercing).It sounds as though you have an abscess. You may need antibiotics. If an infection is not reacting well to normal treatments, then you need to seek advice.

  101. Hey, I have had my belly piercing almost a month and a week ago and I have noticed that I have a black circle around the top part of the piercing what does that mean? What should u do?

  102. I got my belly button pierced this past dec. for my b-day. and about 3 weeks ago it became really infected there was puss coming out blood was there and no matter what I did if I stood sat moved in any direction it hurt and I went to the hospital one night bc the pain was so horrible and they started messing with it trying to get it out and no sooner than they started touching it, it started bleeding and extremely hurt me so later that same day I went back up to the place that I got pierced at and told them what happened and I wanted the ring out and they told me if I go get some epsom salt (which I got at kroger, there brand for less than $2) and hot water but not hot enough to burn you and dissolve the salt really good and place it on your belly button for 5 to 10 mins once or twice a day within 3 or 4 days you’ll start seeing a huge difference. I did that, once in the morning and once at night, and before I went to sleep I would put neosporin on it and a banaid so my shirt or anything else wouldn’t rub my ring. It’s been about a week and a half and it’s completely healed.

  103. I have had my belly button pierced for some time and now for about two months its been acting up. I am pretty sure I got an infection, I just recently got some pink stuff coming out of it with puss, I didn’t know that cleaning it with house salt was bothering it since i was so use to cleaning it with a piercing fluid my cousin had when i was at the piercer. I can’t really go to a doc for certain circumstances but I’m going to buy the sea salt and the soap and clean it twice a day, do you think I will need more like a type of cream or am I set for just the soap and salt? It does not always have puss coming out and is soar on and off.

  104. okayy i just got my piercing yesterday haha… is it normal for it to bleed a little bit?

    and im in cheerleading.. can i still be active when i have it?

    1. It’s normal in the first couple of days to have tenderness and a little bleeding. It’s nothing to worry about. Your jewelry should move as little as possible when healing to avoid pain, tenderness and infections. Cheerleading is not an ideal way to spend your time with a new piercing!! Minimize the movement of the jewelry as much as possible. If your piercing is slow to heal or shows sign of infection, contact your piercer for further advice.

  105. Hi i got my belly pierced a little over 3 months ago would like some advice on what to do have been told different things. It has a large red area at the top and when i clean it puss comes out and is begining to hurt when i touch it. i am not always able to clean 2 times a day and i hit it and stuff because of my job. Can anyone help me ? Thanks

  106. I had my belly buttonpierced on my 18th bday and after about a mont or two it just seemed like it never healed right. it was infected and it had white stuff that came out when i would change the ring. i could easily change the ring but the hole just seemed to be getting bigger and bigger. I took good care of it and after about 3 months it still wasn’t healed and my skin fell apart and ring fell out. the skin healed back together but i do have a scar. it doesn’t hurt to bad, but now i have alot of scar tissue and if i ever wanna get it done again im sure it will hurt.

  107. I NEED SERIOUS HELP QUICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 I GOT MINE BELLY BUTTTON A COUPLE MONTHS AGO NOW ILL ADMIT I HAVEN’T HAD THE TIME TO TAKE CARE OF IT THE WAY THT I SHOULD HAVE WITH WORKING 3 JOBS AND FULL TIME IN SCHOOL…UGHHHH IS VERY STRESSFUL HOWEVER A COUPLE DAYS AGO I NOTICE THE RING HAD A RED PUS LIKE BALLS ON EACH END OF MY NAVEL I TOOK THE RING OUT BECAUSE I WAS SCARED LEAVING IT IN WAS GOING TO CAUSE MORE HARM I USED WOMB WASH NUT UGHHH NOT WORKING ICAN SOMEONE PLEASE EMAIL ME QUICK AN IN FORM ME ON WHAT TO DO MRSUNDERWOOD20@GMAIL.COM THANK YOU

    1. Hi, sorry to hear u had to take the ring out but you probably did the right thing. The piercing aftercare instructions here will help you to clean the infection left by the piercing. If it gets worse or doesnt clear up , seek medical advice. There are antibiotics available. Bactroban is the one most commonly prescribed for piercing infections.

  108. my daughter just had her belly button pierced on nov 21 2009. so far it is not hurting or itching, but is still a little red around the top ball and has onced oozed white pus ( actually just this morning 12.10.09 ) but other than that it is fine. she cleans it once a day with the anti bacterial soap and twice a day with the sea salt. do you think the white pus is infection or just normal for a 3 week old piercing.

  109. hello im 14 and i got my belly button done about a year ago i dont think my belly button is infected but i forgot about taking it out for a while and when i went to take it out it wouldnt come out i am very worried about this cos i dont no how to get it out. does anyone have any ideas on how i can get it out. x

  110. mine has this bump on the top .. i uess becasuse i did it while i was styll in training and with all d sweat and thing and i forgot to clean it for a while…. i dunno what to do… any ideas?? you think it will go away??

  111. im 13 and i got my belly button done about a month ago, and its become very sore since i knocked it on a table. its been red since i had it done, but it has not been as sore as this. when i touch it its very painful. i dont have much puss coming out of it, but when i clean it with salt & boiled water, i find that there is dried up and crusty puss on the bottom hole.
    do you think that it is infected?
    and i know you can use antibacterial soap to clean your belly button, which i started doing yesterday, but is it okay if you use savlon spray – as it is also antibacterial, and used for cuts ?

    please help me, i’m scared incase it is infected.

    1. Hi there,
      read our section on Belly Piercing Aftercare.. It’s best to keep using the anti-bacterial soap. It’s recommended by all professional piercers. It is not unusual to have some discharge from the piercing. And the crusting is common. Do not pick at the crust with your fingernails. Clean it off in the shower after you have washed yourself. In the time it takes you to wash yourself, the crust will soften and will be easier to remove. It is possible you have an infection but I cant be sure without seeing it.. But the good news is that it will clear up, if you follow the aftercare instructions and take care not to knock it again. The section on Belly Piercing Aftercare will help.

  112. Hope This Can Help My Belly Button Heal Because I Have The Same Bump Only Mine Is A Little Bigger. So Sea Salt & Anti-Bacteria Soap. Thanks.

    P.S. Do You Think I’ll Have A Scar After.?

  113. Hello so i just read about your wifes belly button infection, mines infected and its getting worse…ive had to take it out for soccer often which has caused it to puss and turn red, i put peroxide on it hoping it will work but i dont know… can you help me? please ??
    -kasey πŸ™‚

  114. Okay mine has been done for like 4 years and I took great care of it when I first got it and now I have a. Bump around the top part and its all red… The bottoms okay but how do I get rid of the red bump?? Any answers?? Please help…

  115. Heyy omg lol mine looks horrible… but im taking as gooda amount of care of it as i can.. lol it looks actually realli red round the edges… but yerh… nyway i did it myself… and i dont REALLI know what to do … but my mates are realli helping me along with it…. ALSO where it said that you shouldnt change the piercing for like a few months or something (mayb it was a different site) im in a kinda bad spot here…. uuhm .. well i kinda didnt have a big enough hole.. so i had to put an eyebrow bar thru … so now i’ve been told to wait only a few weeks.. then try to stretch the hole and get the belly bar thru that way…. any suggestions?…. i REALLI dont know what to do atm…

  116. mine did the same thing.. when i took it out though i noticed it was pussing and bleeding.. and so i cleaned the ring and im leavin it in it hurt so bad.. i just got it done 3 months ago.. should i do the same thing soak it in salt water.. and when im in the shower let hot water run on it?… i don’t wanna take the ring out because it hurt really bad i kno there prob is a cut inside from it being irritated.. my dads a doctor i could ask him for penicillin but idk if its needed since its still a fresh wound inside the hole pericing..help plz

  117. I had my belly button pierced July 4th. The bottom hole looks great and has since I had the piercing done- no pain, no redness. The top hole is sore alot and is usually red. Sometimes I get a clear discharge on the top and sometimes its a little pink. I spray H2Ocean on it in the morning and my husband sprays it on there at night and clean around the top and the bottom hole with Q-Tips. I wiggle it back and forth a few times a day. I have not changed the ring. I LOVE it and don’t want to take it out and give up on it. It sounds like from the posts I’ve read I need sea salt (I thought that was what H2Ocean was?) and Bacirtacin. Please advise… reading all of these posts made me feel better.

  118. I was told to NEVER use neosporin and rubbing alcohol. Only use saline solution (& maybe bacitracin). I’ve have my belly button pierced for 6 years and never had one infection. I use rubbing alcohol now to disinfect the navel rings I purchase but then use a sea salt/water combo and then them soak over night before I put them in. Neosporin has something in them that makes it help HEAL the wound/piercing. This is why you cannot use it on tattoos (it will draw the ink out). A&D isnt too bad of a choice but Bacitracin is what I was using (given to me by piercer). This was like I said 6 years ago but I’ve never had a problem. I waited, I think, 8 months before I first changed my belly button ring. Now I probably change it every few months or sooner if I break the dangly part off if I have that type in.

  119. i had my belly done 5ays ago, and it has a huge red ring round the top bar, and white stuff round the edges of the holes, and very sore, i take it its a infecton, how do i clear i up?

    Can someone give me some truthful advice please?

  120. Hey everyone,

    I got my belly pierced in March. I cleaned it twice a day with saline solution, and I would take out the ring about once a month, disinfect it with rubbing alcohol, and then put it back in. I even used Bactine once in a while on the piercing. I was very, very, very careful about making sure it didn’t get infected.

    However, a couple weeks ago, I started to notice a lot of pus and blood come out of it (through the bottom), and a small piece of flesh formed around the ring (through the bottom as well). I tried putting a new ring in. I put tea tree oil on it. I put rubbing alcohol (which I just learned today is probably one of the worst things to do) over it. I tried extra doses of Bactine with saline solution, and I used Neosporin on the piercing every night. Nothing worked.

    I went to the doctor this morning, and she told me to immediately take it out. I was given oral antibiotics, and she told me to cleanse it with saline and put antibiotic ointment on it daily. She said it should be gone within the next week.

    I wish I had gone earlier, since she told me the little piece of flesh will not go away any time soon, and I might have to do some kind of silver nitrate treatment on it.

    Word of advice: If you think it might be an infection, go to your primary physician asap. πŸ™‚

  121. Ive an innie belly button and i think my piercing is done wrong as it kinda sits inside and when i sit, the ball is all i see. is that normal?

  122. hi i got my belly done about two months ago and its been on and off with pussing and being ok when i got out the shower today a huge piece of red flesh was hanging out looked like a bubble of red paint, since than i have cleaned it with savlon and i have taken my bar out and left it to dry then i have put a huge plaster over it but i dont if this is the right thing to do but i cant get rid of it
    what should i do ???

  123. hey I got mah belly pierced about two weeks ago so far its pretty good just have the redness on da top hole and the crust in the morning I clean it with dial soap when I shower and then 4 to 6x a day I clean it wit H20cean aftercare spray.. you could find it at any piercing shops. =]

  124. i got my belly button pierced about 3 weeks ago
    i clean it with sea salt twice a day along with antibacterial soap

    now around the top piercing its still quite red and alittle swollen…could it be infected?

    also today i got the ring caught on a loose spring on my bed and it ripped the ball off and i couldnt get it to stay on…luckily i had bought a barbell a week ago for when i was able to change the ring…is this going to cause any problems bc after all the hassle i went thru to get this done, i would hate to have to take it out or for it to be infected

  125. heyy. im 13 years old and i have had my belly dun now for six weeks for the first3 weeks i clean it with savolon spry i do recomend that πŸ™‚ buut i most strongly recomend using sea salt and boiling water but let the water cool down coz it will burn when i say boild water its coz it is steroieed nd wont let it get infected mine is red at the moment totally normally smm might get watery stuff coming owt its normall it is cleaning its self πŸ™‚ DO NOT YOUS A QUTITIP it just spreads the germs about and it will infect πŸ˜€ in the uk you have two be 13 or llook 13 and ou hav to have an dult with you πŸ™‚ mine cost £25.00 wich i thought was a good amount you do not want a cheapest place two go because you might find that it is a scruffy place i hope this helpt soo muchh πŸ˜€ love you all xoxoxoxo

  126. I got my belly button pierced a week ago and I changed out the ring two days ago. And it seems to be infected. Any advice??? The skin around it is red. And there was pus and bleeding but its better now that I took it out and cleaned it then re inserted it.

  127. I got a piercing a few months ago and noticed that when I changed the piercing the bottom hole of my naval has something sticking of it like if it were a little muscle hanging out of it….I took my piercing out becuase it didn’t smell good so I kept it out…With my navel get back to normal to put my dumbell piercing back? I don’t want the hole to close and then have to get this done again. HELP!

  128. hi. i got my naval pierced 5 months ago and never had any problems up until now. on the bottom hole of my naval piercing there is a blister type thing that looks pinkish, pus comes out of it sometimes and blood if i apply pressure. should i just leave it alone? PLEASE HELP

  129. ok so me and my friend have wanted to get our belly done for a while and then this girl asked her to go camping wih her and now she is alll ike no we have to wait because i dont want it to get infected and stuff so like for the frst weekk what happpends and are you able to go in water with it

  130. Okay. I got my navel pierced about three weeks ago, and at first it was fine. After about three days it started to get red and really sore. And my advice is: DON’T ONLY USE SEA SALT SOAKS! And clean it often. What I did was (although this is against what most people say) I cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide, and a triple antibiotic ointment. IT HEALED IN A WEEK!! Trust me, it really works!

  131. Ok, so I got my belly button pierced Jun 2007. Yes that long ago. My problem is it still hurts once it rubs on my jeans or shorts. If I squeeze the piercing after removing the piercing, it feels like a ball inside.If I squeeze it, it hurts. What do I need to do to fix this? Do I need to go see a doctor? Did I do something wrong? I followed all the instructions correctly & its been 2 years! WTF?

  132. I got my navel pierced about two weeks ago, and YES it did hurt. Not much though. Well now it’s RED around the holes, top and bottom. Is this normal? I’m using a antibiotic ointment, warm water, and hydrogen peroxide to clean it….and so far, the redness has been receding….SLOWLY! What can I do to make it heal faster?

  133. I got my peircing on 4th of July. I thought they peirced it to high and deep. The belly ring is so tight with no room to move. Yes it felt like fire. I was in pain for about a week and an half. Then it seemed to be fine with alittle discomfort. Now Aug. 7th I can’t tell you how much pain I am in. Just touching it feels like I am on fire with a burning sensation. I can’t even bend over. I feel like I just want it out. I don’t know what to do. I have a family to take care of so I can’t lay on back for comfort all day. What should I do Help!!!!

  134. My belly button ring isn’t infected.. I don’t suppose but it seems like everyday there’s less and less skin covering the bar. This is the second time I’ve had it pierced becasue the first time it pushed it’s way out. Does anyone know how to prevent that?

  135. ohkayy so i already know im alergic to nikel.. because when i got mii ears pierced at piercing padoga (i think) they got infected because the earings were gold plated.. i wear nothing but gold.. all mii rings necklaces braclets and earings are gold and i really want a belly button piercing but im scared it will get infected because the ring.. so should i just use a gold ,silver, or plastic ring.. please help me….

  136. So what exactly did you do to heal it? The same thing happened to me, but it’s taking a long time, and I have been using alcohol too. What should I use to heal it?

  137. HEY… HERE IS MY STORY.. I GOT MY NAVAL PIERCED MAY 26.. AT ELECTRIC IMAGE IN MISSISSIPPI.. THEY DID A WONDERFUL JOB.. NO INFECTIONS.. PUSS.. OR REDNESS.. THANK GOD…! THE FIRST 2 WEEKS I CLEANED IT 3 TIMES A DAY.. AND NOW ITS ONLY ONCE OR TWICE.. I AM STILL VERY GENTLE WIT IT AND I USE THE SPRAY THEY TOLD ME ABOUT THE THE SHOP AND I USE A CREAM ON IT.. ALL I DO IS SPRAY IT ON AND FORGET IT.. FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS I SWEAR I FORGOT IT WAS THERE…

    NEED MORE ADVICE…??? QUESTIONS???
    FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AT
    hottgurl3156@yahoo.com

  138. hey i got my belly button pierced on july 10th, 2009 and its red at the top but not the bottom plus its kinda sore at the bottom it sometimes stick so whats up with that? it leaks like clear liquid is that normal with healing or what???? can someone please let me know

  139. how long does it take for your belly button to heal after getting it pierced??? also if it scabs and i went on holiday would i have to cover it up???

  140. i got my belly button pierced about three weeks ago and i cleam it twice a day but the past week its been red and rough looking at the top. just yesterday it started geting really itchy i keep cleaning it but is there anything i can do to stop the itching? i need suggestions. HELP HELP HELP!!!!

  141. All of you who think using stuff like hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol,neosporen, ect. are damn stupid.
    THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD USE IS STERILE SALINE SOLUTION!
    Even soap isnt a very good idea.
    I know this for a fact so dont push this to the back of your head after you read this.
    My piercer recomends ONLY sterile solution, wound wash saline solution works the best. The reason why I dont doubt my piercer, is because he guarantees all his piercings, and if it get infected, he will take care of it, and if its so bad it needs to be taken out, he will refund your money till you want it redone.
    Anything besides saline solution will irritate the piercing because everything else has something in it that will try to help it heal, your body is the only thing that should be trying to heal your piercing. Remember, you are trying to steralize and clean it, not help it heal!

  142. oh and i think it got infected cos the bar was too tight i think for the bar the piercer took waay too much of my skin or too deep my cusin who got it done years ago says its quite deep not toooooooo deep but….

  143. so i got my belly button done near the end of march 09 and it got infected twice 1st time i got it changed while on holiday in france by a piercer and it started healing nicely but had to change it back to 1st one and it got infected again then i changed it for a longer metal 1 which cleared up the fleshy bit hanging out its a LOT better than it was i have not long changed it again for a bioplast 1 as i thot that would be better frt it and it is its just still light red at the top and seems to be taking ages to go away i knw i still have 2 months left but my friends1 has recently gone n we got it done 2gether also puss still comes out now n then which is good right? anyways is hasnt happened in a few days but it itches which i knw means its healing but at the bottom bellow my belly button is a sort of reli reli teeny very light rash sort of thing around not everywhere around but at the bottom of my belly button and around the sides not bad at all reli its not but wondering if thats cos its itchy?. plz reply as soon as

  144. Hey, i got my belly button pierced about a week ago. It was doing fine, and now its started producing a little bit of clear gooey stuff in the morning and its a little red around the top hole. The weird thing is that i only see they clear gooey stuff when i clean it in the morning, and not when i clean it during the day, or at night. Could it be infected? I’m using anti-bacterial soap and sea salt spray that the piercer gave me. Anything else i should do?

  145. Hey so I got my belly button pierced about 6 weeks ago, or so and its been doing fine but there’s a little bit of scar tissue at the top and yesterday it started oozing a reddish color, almost like it was bleeding on the inside but it doesn’t hurt or anything, so I’m not sure if its infected. I’ve been using the sea salt and also an antibiotic ointment.. Is it okay to use that? and also, could my piercing be infected?

  146. Hey, I just got mine done thursday (june 4 09) I thought it was going to hurt to get it done but it really dont it shocks you when the needle goes through but to me it really dont hurt but omg when cleaning it that crap hurts like crazy i tend to roll over at night and bumping it. I have a hoop so it tends to catch on my shirts alot when pulling up. I am 14 around my birthday I decided I wanted mine done my parents both said I gatta wait to i am 16 but i did not want to wait i talked my dad into it then he talked my mom into it how much i wanted it at imes i regant it. they is a lil bit of red ness around it and mainly in the morning they is a lil bit of crest pus stuff my sister has her done and she says it ok it means its healing. But omg it hurts

  147. hey i got my belly button pierced in april and the bottom is ok but the top bleeds a lil and a lil pus comes out i think its infected and im going to the doctor to check it out but there tends to be ike a red crust around the top.. what am i to do???

  148. I just got mine done like almost a week ago and i now have redness and white discharge,,,it freaks me out! ohh….but i did hear that if it is infected you shoudl not remove the ring and let it heal because the infection will be trapped and can spread through out your body!

  149. Hey-
    I got my belly button pierced on 9/2/08 and not only has it still not healed but recently, as of 5/29/09 it got really infected..the bottom hole started to emit pus and right beneath the hole a bump had popped up and burst leaving a discharge and what appears to be flesh out of it. ive been cleaning it with rubbing alcohol, saline solution, and then applying neosporin..is there anything else i can do?

  150. i had my belly button pieced days ago; but the day after i got it done i got pushed in a swiming pool + forgot my bellybutton was not meanna be in water and today i discovered that i have like a whitie coulor scab around both ends of the piecing i scrubbed it off with the antibactiiral wash but should i be worried???

  151. help me
    i got my belly pierced 2 days ago and now its kinda itchy!!
    is that bad or does it just mean its healing please help i want a good healing process with no infections

  152. you need to use sea salt spray..or get the actual sea salt and dilute it with equal amount of water, for example 1/2 cup sea salt+1/2 cup warm water.WARM water guys..then get a cotton ball soak it witht he solutiona nd put it over your piercing for at least 20 minutes and don’t play with it for at leat a month or two

  153. Hey eVery1.. .I got my belly button peirced almost a month ago May 4th to be exact and for the first week or so I used A&D ointment b/c I didn’t have the spray. And I would clean it daily with anti bacterial soap. Now I use Bactine spray that my piercer recommended n all my friends and after 2 more weeks passed 2 dark circles formed around both holes , it doesn`t hurt but white crust forms around both holes when it it not moistured. It also gets stuck sometimes when it is dry like that but I try not to bother it and white puss comes out sometimes*. I started to think it is infected or maybe I’m doing something wrong; but after reading all of your experiences and responces I’m guessing that its just the normal process for healing .. .I guess i`ll jus wait..stick it out and see what happens.

    P.S . Thnxs to everyone I am no longer worried!

  154. i got my belly button pierced about a week go for the second time, when i got it the first time it got infected and i took it out (i know dumb idea) anyways i was looking at the dial soap bottle the other day and i noticed it has sulfate in it, i am allergic to sulfate (in medicine) so could the dial soap be giving me the infection? is there another soap to use?

  155. Hi everyone,

    I’ve had my piercing for a little over 3 weeks and everything was going fine until just this morning I woke up and my piercing was very sore. I looked at it and it was completely swollen to the point where my barbell has no place to move. The piercing feels very hard and it was pussing a lot. I did a sea salt soak for 15 minutes but most likely I am going to seek a second opinion from my piercer. I was just wondering if this happened to anyone else and if it did what was the outcome?

    Thanks

  156. Hi Karra,

    It’s not infected – it’s a normal body reaction and your body’s just doing the healing job!

    Robby

  157. um i got my belly button pierced exactly a week and 3 days ago and its still a lil red and it still gets kinda crusty around it but it dosent hurt at all anymore so how do i kno if its infected??

  158. Yeah,

    The majority agrees on one thing – sea salt is the best option for taking care of a fresh belly piercing!

    Robby

  159. Got belly button piercing it wasnt what i wanted was to shallow. The guy didnt even show me what it would look like in the mirror befor he done it.
    It got irritated so they changed it to soon and it ended up getting infected went to er monday.
    I still ended up taking it out anyways.
    They wasnt really wanting to give my money back,
    I ate the $40.00
    They dont give you anything to put on your piercing
    wouldnt recommend them to anyone.

    Trust me your better off going somewhere else…

    Do research before getting anything done.

    sincerly,
    A very dissatisified customer

  160. so i got my belly button peirced 2 weeks ago..well on wednesday the 13th, it’ll be 2 weeks, it didn’t hurt, but its been red ever since.. the 3rd day hurt like hell, and then it got better… but now, its starting to hurt,and its super red around the holes.. i am fair skinned, so i think it looks worse than most ppl.
    ive been cleaning it with dial soap, but i think i messed up because i havn’t been drying it properly. can epson salt be used to soak it with? i know sea salt, but i dont have that right this second.

    is it infected? or is just healing?

  161. mine got infected and had an allergic reaction to the metel and i had to go to hospital they removed the ring and gave me antibiotics.
    let you know how it is in 3 days

  162. Hi,
    I’ve had my belly button pierced for 3 months. It seems to get infected once in a while but then goes away. Today I woke up with a piece of bloody flesh hanging out of the hole! It hurts to touch and is oozing clear liguid and blood.
    I took the ring out and soaked it in peroxide. I put the ring back in and it’s sitting on top of the fleshy blob! It’s gross and kind of scary. Should I take it out and leave it out? I really don’t want to, but I also don’t want this flesh exposed. Other infections I read about seem to be redness and swelling. Mine seems really bad.

  163. You guys, if u first get ur belly button pierced, and a few weeks or even earlier than that it looks red and crusty, its NOT infected!! that’s part of the healing process, trust me, I have 17 piercings I should know. I’m not saying all of them are JUST healing, because there is always a chance of it getting infected, but going through everything I’ve been through, its not infected its just your body’s way of dealing with healing around a hunk of metal. Now, If you’ve had it done for a while and you change it and THEN it feels weird you could be getting an infection.

  164. LISTEN HERE:

    all of you are contradictiong eachother, your all saying different things.
    I have a double naval piercing and i know how to PROPERLY care for it okay.

    1) yes it will probably hurt but only for a few seconds
    2) you shouldn’t change the bar for atleast 6 weeks or longer
    3) you must soak it 2-3 times a day in sea salt and warm water, also you can use an antiseptic spray or gel which you should be able to buy at the piercer place or a drug store (chemist)
    4) sleep on your back or side for the first 3 weeks and don’t play with it unless cleaning. don’t bump it on anything!

    BE PATIENT!!!!!!!

  165. I got mine done about a week ago, and it was perfectly fine.. all of a sudden about 2 days ago, my skin started to get red around the top ball of th ring. AND THEN. it started to stretch. so the hole became as big as the ball!!!! the hole became like a cave and the ball would keep moving into it….

    i dont know why its stretched, i accidentally bumped into it a little hard on the second day of getting it against a door, when i looked at it, there was a blob of pus i think right next to the top ball! but i dont know if thats what stretched it!

    now i stuff my belly button with cotton to push the ring up and keep the ball out of the hole which is working i think, because the hole looks like it got smaller (but its still too big!)

    will it stay like that?! its only been a week! the skin couldn’t have healed that quick to let the hole stay that big! RIGHT?! will it get smaller if the ball stays out of the hole?????

    i use betadine solution, as well as neosporin twice a day because it looks infected.

    HELP!!!!!!!!! πŸ™ i always wanted a belly button ring! and its sad to think that it wont turn out right after i finally got it! :'(

  166. I had mine done in Oct..it started to heal nicely then got infected. I followed the care instructions I got but this didnt work and I ended up going to the doctors, so far I have had antibiotic powder and cream..it starts to clear up and I have a completely clear week then it goes all yukky again..at the weekend it got tender then when i touched it went pop and all pus came out..I dont really want to go back to the doctors, What can I do? And how can I tell if im allergic to the gold ring? At the moment Im using salt water to clean it.

  167. Hi ,
    the exact same thing has happend to my belly button, a hard ball has formed underneath it, im pretty sure it popped, but now what do i do ?

  168. i got my belly button pierced on january twenty-first.
    it kinda hurt, not really.
    the pain went away in about two days.
    it rocked my world, biggest adrenaline rush of my life.
    i think mine could be infected but i don’t know for sure,
    nor do i really care because it doesn’t hurt at all.
    any questions just ask.

  169. I don’t know if mine is infected or not. I just got it done 3 days ago and it is red around both holes and is swollen just a llitle bit. It don’t hurt unless I bump it. Please tellme if it infected or not. you

  170. Hi Kat,

    It depends on how long it’s been since you got the piercing…

    If it’s just a few days after – you might have traumatized it or something. If a long time – it can be that infection got trapped inside and now the skin burst and the stuff’s coming out. However, it sounds like it’s oozing constantly, not one big burst of blood, so I’m not sure….

    If it doesn’t stop, go back to the piercer!

  171. My belly button ( the inside of it, not around the belly button piercing) is producing pink-ish blood. Do you know what it can possibly be?

  172. Hi Michelle,

    I don’t think you should force the skin off the jewelry. It won’t grow to it, and when it’s nicely healed – I’ll come off by itself.

    By cleaning it too thoroughly you’re probably actually hampering the healing process. Remember – your body’s doing the healing job and you’re task is to help it heal in the first place instead of cleaning. It’s the same if you have a cut or something – you wouldn’t touch it many times a day cleaning it etc, etc. That way it would heal slower, right?

    So even if it’s hard to imagine, piercing is no different with the only difference there’s jewelry inside. πŸ™‚

    Hope it helps,

    Robby

  173. I got my belly pierced for my birthday earlier this month March 12th, and its been almost 3 weeks now, it doesn’t hurt like the beginning but it does have redness around the holes. I clean it twice a day, but on the top hole it’s a little more red than the bottom. Also when cleaning i notice the bottom gets stuck to the belly ring so i have to kind of push it out so be able to clean it. I was just wondering is there’s any advice about what other care i should be taking.

  174. Hi Kehlee,

    Sea salt is similar to table salt with one exemption – it doesn’t contain iodine which is an irritant for many people.

    You can find sea salt in drugstores and a typical preparation is as follows: mix a one third teaspoon of sea salt in a cup of warm distilled or boiled cooled water.

    You can also buy ready solutions like this one: http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com/online_store/easypiercing_physiological_salt_solution_9280427.cfm or this one: http://www.h2oceanstore.com/h2ocean-piercing-spray-p/h2o-spray%204.htm

    Hope this helps, πŸ˜‰

    Robby

  175. Welllll, because im an idiot, i had my friend pierce my belly button at school without any ice or clamp. It didnt get infected thank god, but i DONT recommend it. It bled like a mo fo, and hurt too!

  176. It depends – for some it’s not painful at all, some feel some pain, but overall the pain subsides in a days time or so.

    Robby πŸ˜‰

  177. i got my belly button peirced about a week and a half ago and i think its really infected, but i have no idea how because i clean it right and everything. i just want it to heal is there anything else i can do to help it heal better?

  178. Hi Sara,

    First of all – gold belly ring is not going to speed up the healing process – surgical steel, titanium or bioplast are the materials you need:

    https://belly-button-rings-guide.com/navel-ring-bioplast.html
    https://belly-button-rings-guide.com/titanium-the-strongest-belly-rings-around.html
    https://belly-button-rings-guide.com/navel-rings-steel.html

    Secondly – you’re cleaning your belly button WAY too often! Six times a day… Well, no wonder the piercing is red and tender! Once or twice a day will definitely suffice, and there are some who don’t touch piercings at all and allow their bodies take care of everything, read more about it here:

    http://body-jewelry-guide.com/leave-it-the-hell-alone.html

    About changing the ring – I’d say wait till it’s absolutely healed, otherwise you can get a nasty infection or something. Read this infection story – Samantha’s piercing was very fine until she changed the belly ring too early:

    https://belly-button-rings-guide.com/samantha-belly-button-infection.html

    So don’t clean it too often, wait till it heals properly, go to another piercing studio which don’t have some weird policies, and ask for a nice belly ring! πŸ™‚

    And yes, you need special pliers for opening the CBR belly ring πŸ™

    All the best,

    Robby

  179. I got mine done January 17…they put a ring in it…I wanted a normal jewel but the guy said he couldn’t cuz of policy reasons. I clean it twice a day and use saline spray at least four to six times thru out the day…the top hole is kinda red on the outer edges and whitesh close to the ring..like dried skin..doesnt leak or nothing..only hurts if its dried out. the bottom hole is fine..just wondering if its normal to look a little rough still..and also wondering if anyone know if I can change the ball ring without the pliers…I was thinking if I put a real gold ring in it might spead the healing process. any info would greatly be appreciated.

  180. i dont think u r suppose to use ointments becuz they tend to block oxygen from circulating in the piercing. So just use Sea salts and warm water and soak it for 15 minutes everyday and wash it with dial hand soap 2x a day. Trust me that will help ur piercing heal if that doesnt work then go to the doctor

Leave a Reply to cait Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *