A Cure for Infected Belly Button Piercings

Growing up, all I ever wanted to do was get my belly button pierced. As a teen I had gotten my ears pierced several times but due to infection, I was never able to keep earrings in for extended periods of time, so the holes continually closed up. I didn't want to miss out on the piercing craze so figured that a belly button piercing would be another way to accessorize. Throughout high school I was very in to sports. Freshman year I went out for the field hockey team and earned a spot playing defense. By senior year (the time when I could legally get my belly button pierced) I had moved back to the goalie position. With all the diving that field hockey goalies do, I was nervous to get my belly button pierced for fear that it would get ripped out while diving after a ball. So I waited.

After eight years of field hockey, I graduated college in 2004 and my hockey career came to an end. In celebration, I did the one thing I had been waiting a very long time to do...got my belly button pierced! When getting pierced, the employer at the shop warned me that it could take up to a year for my piercing to fully heal and that I should clean it often and take good care of it in order to reduce the chances of getting an infection. Despite all his warnings, a few short months after getting pierced, I found myself with an infected belly button piercing. I had waited so long to get it in the first place. I was very upset and wanted to do everything possible to save it.

I visited the doctor and he gave me a round of antibiotics for my infected belly button piercing as well as a list of strict guidelines to follow in order to clear up the current infection and prevent another one from forming. The doctor also warned me how an infected belly button piercing like this could become very serious if not treated, so I had to keep a very close eye on the healing process; if it seemed like the infection wasn't going away, I was going to have to remove my piercing and undergo more aggressive treatment. Luckily I was able to follow the doctor's instructions and clear up my infection. Now, my piercing is completely healed and I can enjoy my belly button piercing without having to worry about infection.

For those who have just gotten their belly buttons pierced, the piercing shop most likely gave you instruction to follow regarding the piercing, however, if you find that something with your belly button piercing seems off, you just may have an infection. Here are the tell tale signs that will help you to discover whether or not you have an infected belly button piercing.

- redness
- pain
- puss
- foul odor

A belly button piercing is a tricky piercing to take care of. Because your belly continually is irritated by clothing, this area is very prone to infection. If you are experiencing redness or pain in the piercing area, it has most likely become irritated. By using anti-bacterial soap, hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin, you should be able to effectively reduce the irritation so that your piercing can heal normally. If you notice a foul odor or puss emanating from the piercing, that means you have an infection. If this is the case, contact your doctor immediately, for only antibiotics will help to clear up this infection.

If you feel that you have an infected belly button piercing, the most important thing is to get it taken care of as soon as possible. Infections, if not treated can enter your blood stream and eventually become fatal; taking the proper course of action will prevent your infection from reaching this state. More often than not, piercing sites are merely irritated, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

If you have just recently gotten your belly button pierced and don't want to fall into the same infection boat I found myself in, follow these helpful hints in order to prevent infected belly button piercings:

- get a ring, not a post
When I got my belly button pierced I had a post put in straight away. The piercing shop employee warned that a ring might be better, and looking back, I wish I had taken his advice. A ring allows you to move the piercing around more than a post, so it allows for easier cleaning and better removal of anything that may enter the piercing site and cause an infection.

- keep your belly button piercing clean
The best way to prevent an infected belly button piercing is to keep the area as clean as possible. Washing your belly button piercing twice a day with an anti-bacterial soap (I prefer Dial) will help to wash out anything that could cause infection. Also swabbing the area with hydrogen peroxide and dabbing on antibiotic cream (such as Neosporin) will help to kill germs and protect the newly pierced area. Many piercing shops will recommend doing this for the first month, but I suggest doing this until your piercing is completely healed.

- stay out of the water
We've all heard it before, hot tubs and Jacuzzi's are a cesspool for germs. Well...that's a fact! If you've recently gotten your belly button pierced, being emerged in hot tub water for an extended period of time can cause bacteria and germs to get into you're piercing which can lead to infection. Most piercing places will tell you to refrain from hot tubing for at least a month, but I recommend to play it safe and stay out of the hot tub until you are healed.

- keep your belly button piercing in
No matter what anyone says, the worst thing you can do (if your piercing is infected) is to take your belly button ring out. If your piercing is clean and healthy and you merely want to let it close, then it's fine to remove, but infected piercings should always remain in. If puss gets blocked inside a closed piercing, it can become an abscess which can be very painful and may require surgical removal. It's always best to cure the infection before removing the piercing.

Taking care of piercings is no easy task, it's very easy to get caught up in your day and forget to clean your belly button piercing. However, if you want to prevent infection, it is imperative that you follow all care instruction given to you at the time of your piercing, and be sure to follow them for longer than suggested; most should follow instructions until the piercing is fully healed. If you forget to follow your care instructions and find that you have an infected belly button piercing, seeking medical care is very important. The last thing you want is for the infection to linger and get worse. By following all care instructions you will experience a clean and safe healing process and you'll be able to enjoy you're piercing for years!