Navel piercings are a newer form of body piercing that started making the rounds in popularity in the mid to late 1980’s. One of the most famous scenes or navel piercing came from Aerosmith’s Cryin’ video where Alicia Silverstone can be seen in a body piercers chair getting her navel pierced. After the video started getting exposure on MTV and other music video channels around the world the fad blew up into a world wide phenomenon making the navel one of the most popular piercing locations ever.
I have always been a supporter of body piercing and have been involved in several body piercing organizations and a convention here in Florida about 7 years ago. Some people are surprised when they learn that I haven’t gone crazy on the body piercings myself, I try to keep it simple. But if someone wants to cover their body in piercings I’m not one to complain as long as it makes them happy the way my piercings make me happy.
Navel piercing is a modern invention and has never been recorded in primitive cultures; however, the navel has long been recognized as an erogenous zone because of the difference between men and women’s stomachs. Women’s stomachs differ from men’s because they are more rounded in the lower part and are longer than men’s. This hasn’t stopped men from getting their navels pierced though, but I have heard it can be more extreme for a guy getting his pierced because men have thicker skin in that area.
Caring for your new piercing:
The one problem a new navel piercing might have initially is dirt. The navel itself is a depressed scar that tends to collect a lot of dirt, and if it is not dried properly after bathing can become subject to fungal infections, like Thrush, even if it’s not pierced. Once its pierced extra care must be taken with cleaning to prevent infections. I can’t stress enough how this piercing in particular must be looked after carefully! The average navel piercing costs between $60 and $85 dollars and it would be a waste, and a nasty scar, if it need to be removed due to a lack of care.
Navels take a long time to heal because the navel is on your waist, which is like the hinge of your body. It is subject to a lot of movement and your clothes constantly rub and irritate the piercing. This was my major problem after getting mine done, so I was wearing a lot of loose fitting pants for a few months. The average time it takes for the navel piercing to heal is between 3 and 4 months, but it can take up to 12 months for some. It took about 5 months for mine to heal completely, and that was with constant, daily care. In the end though the healing time depends on a variety of factors such as health, weight, diet, clothes, profession, and most importantly how carefully you care for it.
If you’re worried about having difficulty getting the piercing to heal then you should consider asking for a barbell style ring instead of a hoop ring. They get knocked around less than rings and therefore heal a lot easier. They are also curved in the center to make it easier for you to wear pants.
The first 4-5 days your navel will look fine, it may hurt for those few days but the pain goes away pretty quick after day 1. Next you may start to get a very small amount of redness where the ring pierced the body. About a week after you get the piercing you will start to get crusting around the ring. This is very normal and not something to freak out about, these are just dead white blood cells from the healing process. I will tell you this, DO NOT pull the piercing up to look at it or twist and turn the piercing constantly for the first 3 to 4 weeks because this will only irritate it and take longer to heal. What I did with the barbell was move it slowly up and down to remove the crusting.
You may notice the piercing discharging small amounts of milky fluid, this is also normal and NOT a sign of infection. This is just your bodies way of trying to heal a wound with a foreign object in it. Remember that a piercing anywhere on your body will be a shock to your body because it’s not use to foreign objects being part of it. If the discharge becomes thick and yellow, or you develop any pain or excessive redness, then you might want to see the person who pierced you or your doctor right away as this may be a sign of infection.
After 6 to 8 weeks the discharge and crusting should lessen and there should only be a small amount of redness around the piercing. The piercing is not fully healed until all redness disappears. If you stop cleaning it before it is fully healed you may develop an infection. It is always best to air on the side of caution and never assume your piercing is ever fully healed. It is always best to regularly clean your piercing even if you’ve had it in for more then 6 months to a year. I’ve had mine for 9 years now and still regularly clean it as if it was brand new.
Things to remember after your piercing is done:
Never use Mentholated Spirits or alcohol on the piercing as they are very astringent and can damage the wound. Don’t use Hydrogen Peroxide or Beta dine because they destroy the cells that form scar tissue. Don’t use creams or ointments as they keep the wound moist and slow down the healing process .
Try not to wear tight clothes such as pantyhose, tight jeans or skirts during the healing process. Always try to wear loosing firring clothes. Tight clothes can cause the piercing to grow out, which means that the piece of flesh taken by the piercing gradually diminishes until the ring finally comes out. After about 1 to 2 months you can usually go back to wearing what you were before and show that little guy off proudly. Continue to try and avoid synthetic fiber clothes and wear clothes that give the piercing as much air as possible. This is where loose fitting comes in best.
And the one thing I can’t stress enough is to never remove the ring during the healing phase because you will lose the piercing. Don’t change jewelry until you’re completely healed or hang any charms or chains from it. Also, never wear silver body jewelry, always spend the little extra for sterling silver jewelry. The silver covering can break off over time and cause the inside of the piercing to become stained black permanently.
Also, never get a piercing because you think it will make you look cool. Piercings, especially navel piercings, are a long term deal and not something you want to get and take out a short time later. I would look at it like a tattoo, be absolutely sure you want it before you get it. When any piercing comes out it will leave a scar and if down the road you want to get pierced in that area again the scar tissue build up will make it very hard and even more painful.
Your piercer will give you a small supply kit to take home with you which will include a medicated cleanser that will last you for up to 6 months. If you need any more of the cleanser after 6 months you can usually return to the place you had the piercing done and get another bottle for less then $10.
