Belly button piercing is infected - what to do?
introduction
Because piercing is widespread nowadays and is considered a well-known piece of jewelry, it is often forgotten that it is a foreign body. This is located in an artificially pierced canal in the skin. Until this puncture canal has healed completely, the piercing has direct contact with "open" tissue and the blood. Pathogens of any kind, if not properly cared for, can penetrate and cause inflammation.
The belly button in particular is a part of the body where the risk of inflammation is increased, as it is an area with poor blood circulation and a longer healing tendency.
Read more about the topic here: Navel piercing
Causes of an inflamed navel piercing
In most cases, a navel piercing ignites immediately after the sting - i.e. in the healing phase. This takes a long time with the navel piercing because the navel is not supplied with blood and therefore needs a long time for regeneration and for the prick canal to heal. During this time, pathogens can easily penetrate the tissue and blood and cause an inflammatory reaction.
The most common causes of an infection directly after the lancing can be, on the one hand, improper work during the lancing process itself. On the other hand, however, insufficient cleaning and disinfection of the freshly pierced piercing.
But a lot of movement and too tight clothing can irritate the navel piercing during the sensitive healing time through friction and delay healing. An allergic reaction of the body to the piercing material can also occur and lead to an inflammatory reaction. But the choice of the wrong piercing size or length can also be irritating. If the navel piercing is too short, permanent pressure and friction can irritate the navel tissue so that pathogens can penetrate earlier.
Read more about the topic here: Inflammation of a wound - you have to pay attention to this!
Symptoms
If the navel piercing becomes inflamed, this is usually noticed by the classic symptoms of inflammation:
- the skin around the navel piercing turns red,
- possibly warm, thick, hardened and
- hurts - either only at first when pressure and touch, later possibly even at rest
If the inflammation is mild and still locally limited, it is usually not accompanied by any other symptoms. If it spreads and becomes stronger, pus can also form and emerge from the puncture canal or, in worse cases, form an abscess (accumulation of pus in an encapsulated tissue space). If a fever also occurs, this is a sign that the inflammation has passed into the blood and the immune system is running at full speed to fight it. Extreme caution is required here and a doctor should be consulted urgently at the latest.
Read more about the topic here:
- Inflammation of the belly button
- Blood poisoning
Purulent inflammation
The piercing is a foreign body to which pathogens can attach and cause inflammation. Classically, pus is an indication of bacterial inflammation.
The immune system fights the pathogens and destroys itself in the form of white blood cells and the surrounding tissue.This process then manifests itself in the form of pus.
If you cannot get the inflammation under control with the tips mentioned below, you should consult a doctor or the piercer, as in the worst case the pathogens can be spread and thus blood poisoning can occur.
pain
Pain is one of the five classic signs of inflammation. They are supplemented by reddening, overheating, swelling and a restricted or suspended function.
Responding to injuries with pain is a sensible reaction of the body to protect the affected area from unnecessary contact. For this, more messenger substances are released.
So you should pay attention to the signals of the body and under no circumstances play around or press the piercing. We also recommend wearing baggy clothes or loosely covering the inflamed piercing with a cosmetic tissue so that the clothes do not get caught in this area.
What can I do about the inflammation?
Once the navel piercing is inflamed, action should be taken as quickly as possible to prevent it from spreading. If it is initially a slight inflammation in which the navel area is "only" reddened and a bit painful, you can first try to counteract the inflammation independently:
The navel area can be cooled a little, cleaned and disinfected regularly and carefully. If the skin tissue of the navel swells due to the inflammation, it should be ensured that a longer piercing is possibly used. This will avoid squeezing and tensioning the inflamed skin. In addition, the fingers should be kept away from the inflamed navel piercing. Under no circumstances may the piercing be played around, pushed around or pushed around. The risk that even more pathogens get into the wound as a result is high. In the same way, self-applied creams and ointments that promote healing should be avoided, as these clog the puncture canal and may still provoke the inflammation.
If the inflammation is very strong, pus or even blood is leaking out, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible: an antibiotic ointment or the correct intake of antibiotics may then be inevitable. In the worst case, in some cases removing the piercing and allowing the puncture canal to heal may be unavoidable.
Read more on the topic:
- My belly button is inflamed - what can I do?
- Pain in the navel
Home remedies
Before you buy an ointment in the pharmacy or the piercer, you can try to treat the inflamed piercing with home remedies.
A good and simple treatment option for inflammation is cooling. To do this, it is best to place a towel with ice cubes on the reddened skin. The ice should not touch the skin directly, otherwise burns may occur.
Aloe vera can also help to improve inflammation, as it has an antibacterial and soothing effect. If you have an aloe vera plant, you can extract the gel from a cut leaf and apply it to the inflammation. After an exposure time of 20 minutes, the gel is washed off with cold water. Alternatively, aloe vera gel is also available for purchase.
Another natural remedy for wound healing is tea tree oil. After the area has been cleaned, 6 drops of tea tree oil can be mixed with virgin olive oil and applied to a cotton pad. After 10 minutes of exposure, the whole thing should be rinsed off thoroughly with water.
Salt water for inflammation relief
Another well-tried home remedy is a salt water solution made from 250 ml lukewarm water and 1 teaspoon salt.
You can apply this solution to the inflamed piercing with the help of a cotton pad soaked in it, or you can drip the salt water directly onto the wound. This procedure should be done two to three times a day. Meanwhile, you can gently rotate the piercing so that the solution can reach the puncture canal from the inside.
Which cream can help?
A great way to manage inflammation is with antibiotic ointments. These can be purchased without a prescription in the pharmacy and are particularly suitable for a purulent inflammation. You should apply the ointment several times a day for several days.
If this does not bring any improvement, a doctor should be consulted. He can decide whether a cortisone ointment is necessary or the piercing has to be removed.
How can I avoid inflammation?
The best way to prevent inflammation of the navel piercing, especially in the sensitive healing phase, is to take care of it regularly and correctly. The piercer usually gives specific instructions on how to properly handle the navel wound after the piercing. Regular cleaning of the wound, the careful removal of soiling with lukewarm water and subsequent disinfection is important to enable good healing.
If possible, crusts and scabs should not be peeled off, as this will always cause new small wounds. Don't worry, as part of the healing process, scabs and scabs will come off by themselves. Clothing that is too tight and rubbing should be avoided during the healing period, so that there is no additional irritation. You should also avoid going to the swimming pool for the time being, as there are too many germs in the water. In addition, care should be taken to choose the right material in order to avoid allergic-inflammatory reactions in the body from the outset.
How dangerous is an inflamed piercing during pregnancy?
In principle, inflammation is never good during pregnancy, as increased inflammation levels in the mother's blood can have a negative effect on the child. To what extent this is the case should be discussed with your doctor.
However, it is definitely dangerous for mother and child if the pathogens spread and, for example, blood poisoning occurs. The body and the immune system are already exposed to stress during pregnancy, which makes fighting the pathogens all the more difficult. So see a doctor early if you notice signs of inflammation.
As a prophylactic, it is advisable not to get a piercing during pregnancy. Usually, this should be brought to your attention in a piercing studio. If you already have a piercing, you should replace it with a special pregnancy piercing, which is longer and more elastic, so that it adapts to the increasing skin tension.
