belly button peircing???

Question

I got my peircing last thursday I was told by the guy who did it to wash my hands before touching it and not ot play with it to much both of which I have been good on. But he also said to use triple anti- ointment and I was told by a friend of mine to use bactine because the ointment just seals the infection. well I have been using the bactine and its going red what else should I do? I don't want it to get badly infected.
Also I know your not supposed to take it out but I would like to for a minute so I can clean the whole thing, but when the guy put it on he tightend it really hard not hurting me just twisting hard on the ring But now the the top wont come off. am I not trying hard enough or is this a problem.


Which way are you supposed to turn it and it is supposed to come off easy. I don't want to hurt myself or the peircing?

Please give you opinion on both if you can

It is starting to get infected

I am getting this burning feeling and starting to get worried.
Is this normal?

I don't think this guy was 100% pro But it was cheap so thats where I went


All of the things he used he got out of sterile bags but I think he just wanted the quick buck

Answer 1

Alright, for starters, your friend is wrong. Bactine states on its site that its product is not intended for puncture wounds or piercings.

Cleaners you should avoid are: antibacterial creams and ointments, Bactine, rubbing alcohol, Neosporin, peroxide. While these products work for some people, more often than not, they dry out piercings, kill both good and bad bacteria and can slow healing. Do not use soaps heavy in scent, aloe or moisturizers, they can irritate the area as well.

If the area is red, the poor aftercare could be causing it or it could just be general redness of having a new piercing. Also, I'm sure trying to get the jewelry out is irritating the area. Stop trying to get the jewelry out, stop using the ointment and Bactine!

What you should do is clean the area twice daily with warm water and Dial (or Satin) soap, being sure to rinse the area well. And use a q-tip to remove any build up or crust. Also, you should be doing sea salt soaks every other day for about 10-15 minutes.
http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Salt_soaks
After 3-4 months, cut cleaning down to once daily. If you notice the area getting dry or irritated before then, do not apply moisturizer or lotion, rather cut down cleaning to daily or just switch to using only the salt soaks.

DO NOT TAKE OUT THE JEWELRY. There is no need to take it out. Using a sea salt soak will help flush the whole area and clean the piercing inside and out. Removing the jewelry can cause numerous problems. Its important that you do not take it out or change the jewelry for at least 6 months. The piercing heals from the inside out and the inside will be forming a healed tube of skin called a fistula. Its important to allow plenty of time for the fistula to form so you don't get infections or cause rejection with your piercing.

No offense, but your piercer should have done a better job explaining aftercare and what you are supposed to do. I strongly suggest you find a better piercer for your next mods. Good luck.

Answer 2

It sounds like you are messing with it too much. Stop trying to twist the top off. It is perfectly normal for it to be tight initially. You wouldn't want the top to come off accidentally, and then you'll lose the piercing, which happened to several people I know. Once it has healed completely it won't be a big deal to exert the force necessary to take the top off. Use the ointment. What the hell do you mean by seals the infection? It is an antibacterial ointment that kills bacteria. I had a problem with mine for a year because I kept trying to mess with the infected area. I stopped touching it for one week except to wash it and then it cleared right up. I haven't had a problem with it since then.

Answer 3

Symptoms of an infected belly button ring:

An infected belly button ring is difficult to ignore or miss. If your belly button ring is infected, you will feel pain, have redness and swelling, and the area around the navel may feel hot to the touch. There may even be a certain amount of bleeding. A yellowish or greenish discharge of pus may also be present.

Treatment for an infected belly button ring:

Even if after all your care, your belly button ring still gets infected then you should treat it immediately and very seriously.

- The first thing you might think of doing is removing the belly ring. But if the navel is discharging pus, DO NOT remove the belly button ring. If the ring is removed, the hole of the piercing will shut and the pus will not be able to drain out properly. This can result in a very painful abscess.

An abscess is a type of infection caught under the skin. Symptoms of an abscess include pain, swelling, and darkening and hardening of the tissue surrounding the piercing. An abscess can generally be treated by oral antibiotics, but in some cases it may need surgical removal.

Sometimes an abscess may form even if the infected belly button ring is not taken out, mainly if the piercing is very swollen or the belly ring is very tight around the piercing. In such a case it may be advisable to change your belly ring and use one with a thinner gauge.

- To increase blood circulation to the pierced navel and allow the infection to drain, a hot compress should be used. Soaking the piercing in hot salt water is also very beneficial. Use � teaspoon table salt in 8 ounces of water. (Epsom salts cannot be used as they are not the same as sea or table salts). The container used for the soaking should be thoroughly disinfected. Hot compresses should be disposable and preferably made from clean disposable materials such as cotton balls and gauge bandages.

- Over-the-counter antiseptic creams can be used in treating mild infection. But these should not be used for an extensive period of time or for any puncture wound.

- Hydrogen peroxide can be used for draining pus and clearing the infection around the belly button ring. Not to be used for aftercare though.

- In case of a systemic infection (when bacteria and toxins spread throughout the body via the bloodstream) treatment should be immediate as this type of infection can be fatal. Standard treatment requires oral and intravenous antibiotics.

Any infection that does not clear within a few days, or an abscess should be shown to a certified medical practitioner. In some cases the infection can be cured and the piercing is just fine. In others, because of the infection the hole may close and you have to get another piercing done. This does not mean you can never have a belly ring. It just means that you need to let your belly button heal and then try again. In the end, it�s going to be worth the trouble! cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

Stuff like neosporin has antibiotic in it which is part of the reason that you were told to use it. Maybe you should try it. The Neosporin will also help to keep the scabbing from sticking to the ring which trying to pull apart (the ring from the scab) can be very painful. I suggest that you switch to a triple antibiotic ointment. I also wouldn't suggest taking it out this soon because trying to put it back in will hurt like h*ll. I know this sounds painful but you may want to clean it once with alcohol a week. When you clean it just put whatever you are using to clean it on it and then rotate the ring back and forth. The redness may not be anything to worry about. When I had got mine done I had stuff like coming out of it when I would twist it to clean it. You could try warm water and Epson salt also which will help it not to hurt and be so red. Hope you get better.

Answer 5

The burning is normal, it can be pretty painful. Just hang in there!

OK! Here is what the grl who pierced mine told me to do, and it worked for me.

DO NOT TAKE IT OUT until it is completely healed. That could be months!!

Wash it 2 times a day with anti-bacterial soap. Make foam in your hands and put it over your belly button. Move the ring/bar up and down to make sure that the soap gets in the hole. Then rinse, moving it up and down again to make sure that you rinse it totally!

You should also soak it is sea salt water solution! (1-2 times per day for about 1 minute a soak). SEA salt, not regular salt. You can find it with the kosher foods in the grocery store. Mix a 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt with 1 cup of warm water. Stir until the salt has dissolved. I put it in a cup and help the cup over my belly button while laying down. Soak for about 1 minute and then rinse it with cool clean water.

After washing it with soap or soaking it, always make sure that you dry it with clean paper towels!

The salt water increases healing and decreases infection. It also promotes circulation to the area. When washing it in the shower, make sure you wash your hair, body, face, whatever first! When you are done, then wash your piercing last! It should not have any lotion or anything on it, ever! Also, bactine says on the bottle not to use it for puncture woumds, which is what your piercing actually is. I never used any ointment/bactine. Just antibacterial soap and sea-salt water soaks!

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

your piercer should be able to tell you what your issues mean. Don't take it out unless you don't plan to put it back in. You should wait 2 weeks before even thinking to change it. My piercer said to use dial to wash it and use H2Ocean aftercare. The H2Ocean was great. To wash it, I'd get in the shower and rub the dial into a lather in my hands then rub around the piercing and on the piercing then pull the jewelry though the hole back and forth so the soap would get in. Then rinse the same way with warm water.

She suggested Dial because it's unscented and antibacterial. Scented soap can irritate the piercing. When you take it off in two weeks it's lefty loosey, righty tighty. :)

Answer 7

don't listen to your friend, listen to the pro! my got a nasty infection last month and i had to take it out! just don't touch it, trust me you'll be sorry! you'll need to put on neosporin on it and that will for sure help, also to prevent infection you must do this: pour some pure natural sea salt water in your belly button and let it soak for awhile, this helped my infection! all you do is go to like a good earth health food store or somewhere and buy all natural sea salt, then buy a gallon of distilled water, then pour some of the water in a container and keep putting the sea salt in there until it can't get any more salty! good luck!

Answer 8

I have mine pierced 4 times. Once on the top, once on the bottom, and one on either side. I've had them all for 3 or 4 years, and I've never had a single problem with any of them. As long as you follow the after-care instructions given to you by your piercer, you should be okay! Mine all took about 8 or 9 months to heal completely. (I changed the jewelry after about 6 months, and everything went fine. It took a few extra months until I could take the jewelry out without the hole growing shut.) If you have any other questions, feel free to email me! :)

Answer 9

right 1st things 1st, stop using everything on it that you are, make up a solution of half a teaspoon of sea salt with half a pint of warm water, bathe with this as often as you can, this will heal any infection better than anything you are using and will soothe it at the same time, as for taking it out to clean, DONT. rotate or move the jewellery for ease of cleaning and to be thorough, its not supposed to come off easy but it shouldnt be too difficult, when your piercing is healed, completely, if you want to change the jewellery, go back to your piercer, they are usually only too happy to do this for you with the 1st change and advise you how to do it yourself next time, bathing in salt water should clear up any infection quickly and safely, i have 13 piercings and worked in a piercing & tattoo studio, good luck

Answer 10

if you take the peircing out it will be a bi*&h to get back in so I don't advise it. you could use the bactine and then put the ointment on it, no the ointment does not seal in the infection who are you going to listen your friend or a trained professional??? duh!! call him and ask if its normal, he probably has had many people call him with questions after. good luck!!