Navel or belly button piercing may be a popular and fashionable type of body piercing, but it is prone to such harmful side-effects as bleeding, scarring and infection. It is important to know the proper care and cleaning of the piercing wound to allow it to heal quickly and lessen the likelihood of such hazards.
Cleaning a belly button piercing would be a rather difficult undertaking, since dirt and lint easily collect in that area, as well as the fact that blood and pus accumulate in the region after piercing is made and form a crust in one’s navel. A thorough cleaning would then be necessary in order to provide the wound with sufficient oxygen to help up its healing process.
A belly button piercing should not be cleaned on the same day that one gets it. Preferably, one should wait at least a couple of days before doing so. One should make sure that their hands are washed before cleaning. The first step in cleaning the piercing is to soak a Q-tip in warm water and use it to remove the crust in the belly button. Next, use an anti-bacterial soap on the spot, then rinse it with water afterwards. This routine must be done twice a day. If one should happen to be sweaty at the time of cleaning, apply soapy lukewarm water for washing.
Another way of cleaning belly button piercings is by using a salt water soak. As always, one should remember to thoroughly wash their hands first. To make a salt water soak, one needs a dash of sea-salt (take note that only pure sea-salt should be used, not kosher-salt, table-salt, or even iodized sea-salt). It is then sprinkled into a disposable cup, which is next filled with hot water and inverted over the piercing for a period of about 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse it off afterwards and then dry using a clean paper towel.
A simple cotton swab can also be used for cleaning belly button piercings. After the wound is cleaned with water, the cotton swab is used to merely clear the leftover dust and dirt off. Using a swab is preferable to a cloth towel, as the latter might be harboring bacteria and microbes that could cause infection to the navel piercing.
Aside from just cleaning the belly button piercing, one also needs to hasten its healing. One way to do this is by taking lots of Vitamin C, either by drinking plenty of orange juice or through ingesting vitamin supplements. When the piercing feels irritated, oils such as lavender, tea tree and Emu are known to work wonders for healing up wounds.
Apart from learning the proper methods of cleaning belly button piercings, one should also be aware of what shouldn’t be done. For instance, Hydrogen peroxide shouldn’t be used because, although it does kill bacteria, it is also destructive to white blood cells, slowing down the healing process and further agitating the wound. The same goes for anti-bacterial ointments. Rubbing alcohol is also not recommended on fresh piercings, as it dries up the skin and irritates the wound, increasing the risk of infection.
One should not touch their belly button piercings with their hands dirty. In fact, one shouldn’t be playing with their navel rings at all to avoid injuring their piercing. Do not wear tight clothes over the wound so as not to hamper the oxygen and slow down the healing. Steer clear of swimming, but if unavoidable, cover the fresh piercing with a waterproof bandage to prevent infection or immediately wash it afterwards using an anti-bacterial soap.
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