What To Do If Your Belly Button Piercing Becomes Infected (2024)

Your belly button doesn't serve much purpose after birth, but it's a popular place to accessorize with body jewelry. There are risks to this popular piercing site, though. The belly button is usually turned inward, so cleaning it can be challenging, which puts this piercing at risk for infection.

This article will tell you how to spot an infected belly button piercing and what to do if it happens to you.

What Does an Infected Belly Button Piercing Look Like?

An infected belly button piercing will look much like any other skin or soft tissue infection, with symptoms like:

• Bleeding
• Drainage
• Redness
• Swelling
  
• Tenderness
  

More severe infections could enter the bloodstream from the piercing site and produce a widespread infection. If this happens, additional symptoms can include:

• Confusion
• Fatigue
• Fever
  
• Increased heart rate
• Low blood pressure

You may not know the cause of a systemic, or body-wide, infection immediately, but seek medical care if you develop signs of a severe infection like sepsis. A healthcare team will closely examine any possible causes of infection—including recent piercings.

Causes of Belly Button Piercing Irritation

Infections aren't the only problem you might develop after a belly button piercing. Irritation, injuries and allergic reactions can all contribute to post-piercing problems.

Allergic Reactions

It can be difficult to tell allergic reactions apart from an infection or general irritation. Metal or specific cleansers or ointments could cause an allergic reaction at your belly button piercing site.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction in the skin or tissue include:

• Blistering
• Hives
• Itching
• Rash
  
• Redness
• Swelling
  

In rare cases, you could develop a more severe allergic reaction that causes anaphylaxis. This is a medical emergency and you should call 911.

Injuries

Depending on the style of your belly button piercing, it may easily catch on your clothing or other items. Pulling, twisting, or rubbing against clothing can cause pain, irritation, or a traumatic tear at your piercing site.

Skin Disorders

Skin disorders like sensitivities, allergies, scarring disorders, and eczema can complicate healing with piercings. At the belly button, tight quarters around the piercing could make it difficult to clean the piercing or keep it from moisture and irritation.

If you have a diagnosed skin disorder, ask a healthcare provider about the risks of a body piercing before you have it done, or consult with your provider if you have a piercing and develop healing problems.

How to Tell If You’re Allergic to the Metal

Aside from formal allergy testing, you may be able to guess that you have a metal allergy if you develop irritation at your piercing sites. Metals that contain nickel are a common culprit.

Metal can cause other problems, too, including complications with specific medical procedures, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and surgery. A healthcare provider may recommend removing your piercing if you have certain medical conditions.

Piercing Complications

Any piercing is essentially a puncture wound. A belly button piercing can take between nine months and a year to heal completely, and your risk of infection is high the entire time that healing takes place.

Aside from infection, other complications are also possible with a belly button piercing. This includes traumatic injury from pulling or further irritation, allergic reactions, and more severe but rare problems like damage to your inner organs.

One study from 2018 details a case where a man who had a navel piercing developed what seemed to be an abscess at the site. The abscess turned out to be a more severe issue with abdominal pain and eventually required surgery to correct a torn diverticulum.

There are also cases documented of omphalitis, an inflammation of the navel that usually only occurs in newborns. In rare cases, adults have been known to develop this condition, and navel piercings are a significant risk factor.

What You Can Do for an Infected Belly Button Piercing

The technician who does your piercing should offer you care instructions before you go home. Once you are home, though, you may want to contact your healthcare team for any questions about complications and care.

Below are some common issues with belly button piercings and first aid recommendations.

Keep the Piercing Hole Open

If keeping your piercing is a priority, you may not want to remove your body jewelry if you have problems. Belly button piercings take months to heal completely, and your piercing could close up quickly if you remove the jewelry.

If you are seeking medical care for a piercing complication, you may not be offered a choice, and your healthcare team may require you to remove the piercing for your infection or irritation to heal properly.

Clean the Piercing

Regular cleaning is important for maintaining a healthy body piercing, but you will want to avoid harsh cleasners. Rubbing alcohol and peroxide are not recommended, as these solutions can irritate newly forming skin and slow healing.

Soak the piercing area with a salt solution of warm water and a small amount of salt. Carefully clean around the piercing site with a cotton swab moistened with water. Sometimes, your piercing technician or healthcare team may recommend mild antiseptic cleaners such as diluted antibacterial soap.

Remember not to rub or scrub at your piercing since this can dislodge new skin and slow healing.

Use a Warm Compress

Using a warm compress is one strategy for reducing pain or irritation from an infected or inflamed body piercing. This could be a warm, wet washcloth placed over the piercing site. Just be sure that the cloth and water are clean and that no part of the washcloth gets caught on the piercing.

Apply an Antibacterial Cream

Using creams and ointments on piercings is usually not recommended—even if it's an antibacterial ointment. If you think your piercing site is infected, contact a healthcare provider. You may also receive specific aftercare instructions when you get your piercing done.

When to Contact a Healthcare Provider

Piercing sites can take a long time to heal—especially on the navel. Healing will depend on your skin type, your overall health, and how you care for your piercing.

Most cases of irritation or infection may be superficial, but you should contact or see a healthcare provider if you develop symptoms of a more severe or systemic infection. Symptoms that fall into this category may include:

• Smelly drainage
• Thick, purulent drainage
• Uncontrollable bleeding
• Rash or hives
• Fever
• Chills

Systemic infections often require prescription antibiotic treatment.

Summary

Tenderness, scabbing, and bleeding are expected side effects of a new piercing. Belly button piercings, in particular, are slow to heal and are prone to infection. Be sure to follow the provided care instructions closely after your piercing. See a healthcare provider if you have signs of a severe infection, such as a fever.