This article originated as a blog post. I thought it was pertinent enough to move it into the piercing section.

The body does not like anything foreign in it. It will do whatever it can to get rid of it. How a piercing is retained with minimal trouble is due in large to the experience of he piercer and the willingness of the piercee to follow and care for the piercing properly.

A good piercer will not only explain how to care for the piercing following the procedure, but also long term requirements and what to expect during healing. Unfortunately there are more unscrupulous, half-assed piercers out there that are only interested in a quick buck. They pierce in a questionable environment, offer to do procedures on underage clients and offer little to no post-piercing support. And that's not even the worst of it. But then, I am on my soap box again. Irregardless of how good or bad your piercer is I have found that unless the piercing was done under really nasty and dirty environment the primary cause of infection is due to the client's aftercare (of lack of it).

So, you have just gotten your new navel piercing and the piercer left you hanging. Now it's been a while and you are questioning if your piercing is infected or not. Navel piercings go through several stages of healing. Stage one is the initial piercing stage, stage two is the nesting stage, stage three is the final healing stage and stage four is completely healed. Let's analyze the problem;

1. Is the piercing less than two weeks old?

   YES:

   If your piercing was done recently you are most likely still in the initial piercing stage. The area often becomes slightly red and tender and may be slightly swollen. Spot bleeding usually lasts up to two days and crusting forms around the outer parts of the piercing. Follow aftercare instructions and make sure you keep the area clean. Don't touch the piercing with dirty hands and avoid coming into contact with hard surfaces or other external irritants such as tight clothing, small children and pets.

   NO:

   Go to #2

   end faq

2. Is the piercing less than a month old?

   YES:

   This is the nesting stage, the time in which the body tries to force body jewelry out. Within two to three weeks some people may experience varying degrees of symptoms which include severely red and tender skin around the piercing location, wet, oozy or weepy opening, swelling, depression under the top ball of the jewelry (jewelry looks like it's sinking into the skin), white-ish or cream colored puss-like secretion from the piercing (not yellow or green). Any combination of these are normal during the nesting stage of a piercing. These symptoms often diminish or disappear within a few days. If the symptoms seem to persists for longer than a week or seem to get worse, contact your piercer or personal doctor. DO NO REMOVE THE PIERCING. This is a good time to use sea salt as a cleanser for your piercing. It both cleans and soothes the piercing area.

   NO:

   Go to #3

   end faq

3. Is the piercing less than four months old?

   YES:

   Most piercings at this point have gone through some form of a nesting stage and is beginning the final heal. Secretion of a puss-like substance is normal so long as it looks white-ish or cream colored. An indicator that the piercing has completely healed is when this secretion stops. If the color starts changing to a bright yellow or green then there is bacterial growth. Caught early enough, a persistent regiment of sea salt cleaning usually clears this up. If symptoms persist or seem to get worse you may need to visit your doctor for an oral antibiotic. DO NOT REMOVE THE PIERCING. Another aggravating symptom of healing is the annoying itching from the piercing. While it can drive you crazy, it is part of the healing process. Avoid scratching it, specially with dirty hands.

   NO:

   Go to #4

   end faq

4. Is the piercing older or been healed for a while?

   YES:

   While problems with a fully healed piercing is minimal, they can appear. Often these problems are cause by some form of external influence on the piercing such as trauma from catching or rubbing against hard surfaces, accidental pulling by clothing, children or pets, pregnancy, illness or irritation form chemicals such as laundry detergents, body creams, tanning lotions, etc. A word of warning I always give my clients is to never wear dangle jewelry in the piercing during sleep. This is a guaranteed way of getting it ripped out. Often sudden irritation flareups can be alleviated by following the aftercare for a fresh piercing. Using sea salt can help sooth an irritated piercing. Persistent tugging or pushing on the jewelry can facilitate migration through the skin (the jewelry is being pushed out of the body) where the jewelry is being held by a short or small flap of skin. When the piercing gets to this stage the biggest concern is accidental tearing of the skin as the jewelry tends to catch on everything because it sticks out more. Tearing will lead to a nasty scar. Consider taking the jewelry out and talking to your piercer about re-piercing the navel.

   NO:

   Go to #5

   end faq

5. Did one of the above answer your question?

   YES:

   Thank you for reading my blog. If you feel the information is helpful, please spread the gospel by telling all your friends about me. Send me a note if you want me to answer anything specific about either tattooing, permanent cosmetics or body piercing.

   NO:

   While I try to explain the most common symptoms of a fresh piercing, every situation is unique. If your question was not answered I suggest talking with your local qualified piercer for more personal service. Thank you.

   end faq