Belly Button Rings Can Create a Painful Infection

If you are not careful, it's easy for a painful infection to develop in your belly piercing. You will want to do what you can to take care of the area and keep it clean.

Belly button rings can be a cute way to express yourself and show off your body. If you are thinking about taking the plunge or perhaps just had the procedure done, you should understand how to take care of your new piercing. The more vigilant you are in the beginning, the less chance you have to develop a painful infection. Because movement is common in the area and clothing brushes up against it, belly piercings can often take longer to heal. If you are involved in sports, you have to be especially careful. Tight sports uniforms and sweat can spell disaster for a healing piercing.

If you find that the piercing area is swollen, red, especially hot, or giving off a discharge, chances are it is infected. Try to keep the area as clean as possible and apply ice. If this persists for 72 hours, you should go to your doctor to have it checked out. Most of the time infections are completely preventable, but they can still occur even if you think you have done the right thing. Removing belly button rings from the infection area might make it improve. Sometimes your body could have a bad reaction to the jewelry itself, so it's never a bad idea to remove it. You should purchase a hypo-allergic metal before you try again.

If everything seems to be going fine, be careful with it. Try not to touch or play with your belly button rings when they are in. Clean out the wound with rubbing alcohol, which acts as a disinfectant and should help prevent an infection. You should notice things healing up within a month. If you are still feeling any pain or discomfort after that, consult your doctor or piercing professional. They should be able to take a look at you and tell you if it looks normal.

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