How to Clean Your Navel Piercing

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Content

Steps

Clean the Navel Piercing

Things to avoid

Dealing with Infections

Advice

Warning

You need to clean your navel piercing carefully to help the hole heal quickly and prevent infection. Cleaning your piercing only takes a few minutes each day and will ensure it looks good in the future. Keep reading to discover what you should and shouldn't do when cleaning your piercing, as well as how to handle infections if they occur.

Steps

Clean the Navel Piercing

Wash the piercing hole with antibacterial soap once or twice a day.

The easiest way to clean a newly pierced navel is to rinse it under a shower. Cup your hands under the piercing and let warm, clean water run over it for one to two minutes. Make sure not to let soap or any other cleaning solutions touch the area around the piercing to avoid infection and prevent the surrounding skin from drying out.

To create a saltwater solution for soaking, dissolve one teaspoon of sea salt in half a cup of boiled water. Let the solution cool down slightly before pouring it into a clean glass or measuring cup.

Avoid using iodine, kosher salt, or Epsom salt as they may irritate the piercing. However, you can use a pre-made saline solution from the pharmacy instead of sea salt.

Place the rim of the cup under the piercing hole, then quickly invert the cup and press it firmly to prevent the water from spilling out.

Lie on a chair or bed to soak the piercing in the saltwater solution for about 10 to 15 minutes. You can lay a towel underneath to avoid spilling the water.

Rinse the piercing hole with cold water and then dry it thoroughly with a paper towel. Avoid using fabric towels as they may harbor bacteria.

Clean any hardened crusts with a cotton swab. During the healing process, a white or whitish discharge may be secreted from the piercing site. This is completely normal and nothing to worry about. However, this discharge can accumulate and form hard crusts around the piercing hole. If you notice crusts around the navel piercing, don't panic, as this is also normal.

To remove these crusts, dip a cotton swab in warm water and gently clean around the piercing hole. Never try to scrape off the crusts with your fingers to avoid infection.
If you leave the crusts to build up, they will harden around the piercing and rub against the unhealed wound when the jewelry moves, causing pain and delaying the healing process.

Apply lavender oil. Lavender oil is a wonderful natural product that helps support the healing process, reducing swelling and tension around the piercing site.

First, wash your hands with antibacterial soap, then place a few drops of lavender oil onto a clean cotton swab and gently apply it around the piercing hole.
Gently twist the jewelry or move it up and down to allow the lavender oil to penetrate the piercing. Then use a paper towel to wipe away any excess oil from the skin.
You can buy lavender oil at supermarkets or pharmacies. Be sure to choose one labeled 'medicinal grade' to ensure purity and reduce the risk of irritation.

Things to avoid

Avoid overcleaning the piercing hole. While cleaning the piercing more than twice a day may seem beneficial, excessive cleaning can strip away the skin's natural oils, leading to dryness and irritation of the piercing site.

However, you should always clean the piercing after exercise or when you sweat heavily, even if you've already cleaned it that day, as sweat can irritate the piercing.

Avoid using rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. You should refrain from using these solutions to clean the piercing as they will dry out the skin and cause irritation.

Additionally, these solutions can hinder the regeneration of cells in the piercing and delay the healing process.

Do not use bacitracin ointment or other antibiotic creams. These products should not be used on puncture wounds (such as piercings) as they can make the wound too moist, depriving the tissues of oxygen and slowing down the healing process.

Avoid twisting the jewelry around the piercing. You should not twist, turn, or rotate the navel ring during the first 3 to 4 weeks, as this can worsen the wound and slow down healing.

Twisting the jewelry also means you're touching the piercing more than necessary, increasing the risk of transferring bacteria from your hands to the navel, leading to an infection.

Avoid wearing tight clothing. In the first few weeks after getting a navel piercing, you should avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes such as skinny jeans, high-waisted skirts, or tights. The jewelry may catch on the fabric, pulling on the piercing and causing pain, which can hinder the healing process.

You should also protect the piercing with a bandage when playing sports or sleeping to prevent any tugging or pulling on the wound.

Do not remove the jewelry until the piercing has fully healed. You must not take the jewelry out while the piercing is still healing. Navel piercings heal quite quickly, but removing the jewelry (even for a short period) may make it difficult to put it back in.

Dealing with Infections

Identify the signs of infection. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the piercing may still get infected. When infection symptoms begin to show, it’s important to act quickly to prevent it from worsening. Signs of an infected piercing include:

Redness and swelling around the piercing.
Pain or tightness when touching the piercing area or when the jewelry moves.
Greenish pus or blood oozing from the piercing hole.

Apply a warm compress. A warm compress can help treat an infection in the piercing. Soak a clean towel in warm water, wring out the excess, and place it on the piercing area for about 3 minutes. Repeat 3 to 4 times a day.

Clean with antiseptic solution and apply anti-inflammatory cream. After using the warm compress, clean the piercing with an antiseptic solution, rinsing it under running water. Then, apply a thin layer of anti-inflammatory cream to the affected area.

Do not remove the navel ring. You absolutely must not remove the navel ring under any circumstances. If you take the ring out, the piercing may heal over, trapping the infection inside. This makes treating the infection much more difficult. To be safe, you should leave the jewelry in place until the infection has fully cleared.

See a doctor if symptoms of inflammation persist. If the inflammation does not improve after 24 hours, or if you begin to experience fever or chills, it’s important to visit a doctor. The doctor will prescribe antibiotics to help treat the infection.

Advice

If your piercing becomes infected, check if you might be allergic to the material of the jewelry. By default, piercers SHOULD use surgical stainless steel, but some may not follow this guideline. If you're allergic to the metal, consult a doctor and file a complaint with the piercing studio.
Proper care of a new piercing usually prevents infection.
It is completely normal for a piercing to bleed during the first few days.
You can use a colorless soap (such as Dial bar soap or liquid soap).
When cleaning your piercing, you should rotate the jewelry. It may hurt at first, but this is necessary.
If infected, you can use Bactine cleansing solution.
You may also clean your piercing with Ivory bar soap.
While cleaning, gently rotate the jewelry to prevent the skin from sticking to it as the wound heals.

Warning

Do not clean the piercing with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.

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