How to Care for a Navel Piercing

After you get a navel piercing, you will be responsible to care for it and make sure that it heals properly. If you do not take good care of your navel piercing during the weeks following the procedure, you will most likely get an infection that may be painful or even lead to more serious complications.

Things You'll Need

• Eye patch
• Bandage

Instructions

1. Use an eye patch to cover your navel piercing while it is healing to protect it from friction against your clothing. These eye patches are sold at most pharmacies and grocery stories and usually contain vents that will allow the wound to breathe. You can secure the eye patch to your piercing by using a bandage.

2. Avoid strenuous physical activity, especially sports that involve physical contact, to best care for your navel piercing. A navel piercing is extremely sensitive and even the smallest amount of abrasion or chafing may cause it to heal incorrectly or could even cause infection. You should sit out any sporting events or regular exercise routines for at least 2 weeks following your navel piercing procedure.

3. Do your best not to sleep in a position that puts pressure on your navel piercing and try to sleep with your head propped up above the level of your heart to promote circulation and prevent swelling of the pierced area. Sleeping on top of the piercing with your stomach to the bed may cause irritation and interrupt the healing process. Be sure to wash and replace any sheets or blankets on your bed as often as possible, especially if you bleed on to them, to prevent infection.

4. Stay away from peroxide or rubbing alcohol when choosing products to clean your navel piercing. Alcohol and peroxide tend to dry out the skin and cause severe irritation that may lead to infection.

5. Try not to take out your navel jewelry for extended periods of time during the healing process. If your jewelry becomes damaged or too dirty to clean, remove it immediately but replace it with new jewelry as soon as possible. Piercings can close up within hours of removing your jewelry, at which the point the money and time you have spent on your navel piercing will have gone to waste.

6. Prevent contact of bodily fluids with your navel piercing while it is healing. This includes saliva, sweat and semen, all of which may irritate the piercing wound. It is best to avoid sexual activity for at least a week after you get your navel piercing.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not wear tight clothing, tights or pantyhose while your navel piercing is healing, as that may irritate your wound. Try to wear soft fabrics and avoid wearing jeans or any other restricting pants if possible.