Infected navel piercing usually occurs when someone gets a new belly piercing. Since belly button piercing is one of the most popular bodies piercing art, many people go to have one.
But once you have your belly button pierced, you may start to worry that there is something wrong with your navel because redness, irritation, swelling, and pain start to appear around the pierced area.
Those signs are common for new belly button piercing and even some mistaken those sign as an infection, while in fact, they are common symptoms of belly piercing healing. Below, we will talk about some symptoms of belly button piercing infection and how to properly treat them.
Symptoms of Belly Button Piercing Infection
Infection and irritation around your navel, after getting new piercing, is hard to tell. Those two are very different, an irritation can be healed in a short time whereas infection can get worse and give you more complicated problem if you do not properly take care of it.
Here are some signs that show your belly button gets an infection after piercing;
Pain
Pain for new piercing is to be expected. But when you feel constant pain you have to be on the lookout for any infection.
Discharge
If the discharge that oozes from the pierced area has green-yellowish color (sometimes brown or gray) and smells bad, it is a sign of infected navel piercing. Immediately go to the hospital to get your navel piercing check or call your doctor to know how to treat it properly.
Red line and burning sensation
When there is a red line following your piercing and the skin feels hot to the touch, this means that you have infection.
Swelling
If there is a persistent swelling that won’t go away after sometimes, you should go to the doctor and consult about the condition of your newly pierced belly button, since this is also a sign that shows you have infction.
Fever
This sign is the worst among the other. If you have already had the others symptoms above and then you also get a fever, this means that the infection has spread out beyond the pierced area. Treat your infected belly button immediately by going to the hospital as soon as possible.
Causes of Infected Belly Button Piercing
Before getting your belly button pierced, you should check if you have any allergy to any metal or not. Consult to the professional first before getting one. One of the causes of infection is allergic reaction to any type of metal that is being used as jewelry. If your body has allergy, you should not get a piercing since it can lead to a more complicated problem.
The other cause for belly button infection is caused by bacteria. Bacterial infection happens if the pierced area comes in contact with dirt or foreign object that makes the bacteria entering the open wound.
Infection can heal in a few weeks or months. During the healing time, you should follow your doctor’s instruction and sanitation to prevent more complicated infected belly button piercing.
