Navel piercing: pros and cons

Navel piercing is often done by young girls, a little less often by guys. The older generation is very cool about such decoration. Therefore, the question arises whether it is worth doing a navel piercing, what the consequences can be, what needs to be done after the procedure, how quickly healing occurs.

Types of piercing

To be more precise, it is not the navel that is pierced at all, but the fold of skin near it. Many do not even know that there are several types of piercings:

• Standard. This is the most physiological way, since the skin in this place is thin, so the puncture is neat. The wound heals quickly here, and the earring itself looks beautiful.
• Lower umbilical puncture. This method is not very popular, since the skin here is quite thick. Because of this, many problems arise – itching, pain, irritation, redness, rejection of the earring, its oxidation. In addition, this option does not look too good.
• Double piercing of the navel. This option is not for the faint of heart. You can make several holes – both standard at the top, and at the side or at the bottom. True, more than two punctures are not made in one procedure, so this process drags on for months.

Earrings can be used any. There are options for every taste – rings, rods, circulars, spirals, bananas. The main thing is that the decoration should not be too heavy, as it can lead to tearing or will provoke constant tearing of tissues. It is important and correct to choose the material of the earring so that it does not cause allergies. It is better to be careful with models from third-party materials, otherwise negative manifestations from the skin cannot be avoided.

Pros and cons of a navel piercing

There is only one plus here – the decoration looks really beautiful, raises self-esteem, expresses individuality, gives a share of extravagance. But the earring looks good only on a flat and taut stomach without stretch marks and folds. Another decoration helps to divert attention from the scar on the abdomen after the operation and draw attention to the navel area. 

In the presence of extra pounds, putting an earring in the navel is definitely not worth it. In addition, you can only walk with an open belly on the beach or during a walk. Many girls, due to the official dress code at the place of work, will definitely not be able to demonstrate their new jewelry to others.

There are many more cons:

• high risk of infection and unprofessionalism;
• the likelihood of a rough scar at the site of the proposed piercing;
• the need to abandon habitual activities and activities.

The main disadvantage is that a lot of nerve endings and blood vessels are concentrated in the abdomen. Therefore, after the procedure, you will have to endure discomfort. During the puncture itself, most likely it will not hurt, since local anesthesia is now widely used, although not all patients tolerate it. 

The second significant disadvantage is the long healing period. Piercing the navel is a simple matter, only healing takes a long time. For some, this period lasts up to a year, but for most people, the channel forms after 4-5 months. But the pain should finally disappear after 2-3 weeks. If this did not happen, it means that the navel piercing was done poorly, with violations. Perhaps an infection has occurred. In such cases, you should immediately visit a doctor. Suppuration of the navel piercing can be triggered by non-compliance with the rules that must be followed during the healing period, or by the low professionalism of the specialist.

Features of the procedure

The piercing of the navel is done quickly and easily. Procedure steps:

1. Marking the place (as a rule, this is done with a marker).
2. Skin disinfection.
3. Fixation of the skin fold for a few minutes with a special clamp. This is necessary in order to slow down blood circulation, blood drains and the skin loses its sensitivity.
4. Directly puncture with a sterile needle.
5. Fixing earrings made of gold, medical steel or other alloy.
6. final disinfection.

This takes several minutes. But the healing period is long.

At this time, you should not wear tight clothes, it is better to choose light, loose-fitting items made from natural fabrics. You should not visit the sauna, swimming pool, get involved in mobile and traumatic sports, in which there is a risk of catching the jewelry. While taking a shower, the wound must be sealed with adhesive tape so that water does not get there.

The skin must be treated regularly until complete healing. To do this, use any disinfectant, but it is better to choose chlorhexidine, which is more gentle. 

You need to watch how the skin reacts to the type of material. It is difficult to guess in advance which material will be ideal. If there is a suspicion that healing is delayed due to improperly selected material, then the metal must be urgently changed.

Contraindications

Not everyone is allowed to pierce the navel. There are also contraindications:

• pregnancy;
• the presence of infectious and chronic diseases;
• skin problems;
• tendency to excessive scarring;
• poor blood clotting.

Piercing the skin in the presence of such conditions can provoke an inflammatory process and other unpleasant consequences. 

In essence, there is nothing wrong with the procedure. But there is a risk of complications, and this scares many girls. Therefore, you need to think carefully whether the earring in the navel is worth the worries and excitement. You can also use fake piercings – tricks that are fixed with special glue. They will definitely not harm your health, and if they suddenly fall off, then they can be glued again.