Bringing Down The Inflammation
An earliest sign of an infected belly button is usually a swelling area or an inflammation. It is important to bring this inflamed area down, since it will help the entire healing process. This will also reduce the pain and dirt accumulation. To bring an inflammation down, apply a warm compress on the affected area and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. This will promote sufficient blood circulation to the area, which fasten the healing process.
Is My Belly Button Piercing Infected What Caused It
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The most common causes of pierced navel infections include bacteria and allergic reactions. Fungi, yeast, and another pathogenic microorganism can also cause infections. These pathogens will tend to thrive if you create a favorable environment such as not clean your piercing regularly, touching it with dirty hands, poor personal hygiene, injuries, unsterilized piercing equipment, wrong piercing jewelry , among other things.
On average, a pierced belly button will take between 9 months to a year or even up to two years to heal completely. During this healing time, especially during the first few weeks, due diligence needs to be taken to avoid getting an infection. Follow the provided aftercare routine religiously and you will not have any of the problems, risks and dangers associated with this piercing type.
Care Tips For An Infected Navel Or Belly Piercing
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We have looked at symptoms, treatments, and how to clean an infected nave piercing. It is time look at some of the good care tips that can ensure you heal quickly.
- Ensure you loosely bandage your piercing site and wear loose clothing to avoid injuring your already infected belly piercing ring. This will minimize chances of injuries that can cause bleeding.
- Your cleanser choice is important if you do now want to irritate the piercing site. For instance, red bumps on the piercing site, you should switch to milder cleansers as it could be causing the irritation.
- Always use gold and titanium jewelry and avoid nickel since it often causes allergic reactions.
- Do not use a towel in cleaning to avoid the ring getting stuck in the towel.
- Avoid using rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide since it can cause crusting and skin dryness.
- Always sleep with your back to avoid your clothing from sticking to or touching your infected piercing.
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What Does It Mean When Your Belly Button Smells
Dead skin cells, sweat and the action of bacteria and yeast which break this material down will cause a putrid, bad smell. There can even be pus and moist discharge. This is why it is important to clean your belly button well during your shower. The smelly moist discharge may indicate an infection, or it may indicate that you need better hygiene practices for your navel.
Ways To Treat Belly Button Infections
Here are some effective ways to treat your belly button infections.
Caution: It is important to note that a leaky discharge that characterizes a belly button infection can be a sign of other disorders of the umbilicus, such as umbilical hernia, umbilical endometriosis, umbilical pilonidal sinus, mature cystic teratomas , urachal cysts , and lint ball omphalitis.
You need to understand the root cause of the discharge before addressing it because each condition requires a specific treatment. Thus, you must go for a proper medical checkup to get a conclusive diagnosis and then pursue the appropriate treatment as recommended by the doctor. You may discuss with your doctor some natural treatments, such as essential oils, that can be taken along with the prescription drugs to speed up recovery.
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Who Is Prone To Navel Fungus
Navels come in many shapes and sizes, some navels are outer bumps and easy to keep clean, while others lay flat or go deep internally. You can get a navel infection no matter what shape your navel is. This applies to children, adolescents, adults and the elderly: everyone can get a fungal navel infection.
However, there are some groups of people who have increased chances of developing a fungal infection. Athletes who sweat excessively over a long period of time are one such group. The navel is a skin fold that can hold onto the sweat to create a moist and fungal-friendly environment.
Overweight people are another group that have increased chances, even if they are not physically active in the same way athletes are. If you are overweight, you have a greater tendency to sweat even in your navel.
Furthermore, the flesh on the stomach forms rolls of fat deposits that can cover the navel and make it a moist bacterial heaven hidden away in the skin folds.
The third group are people on antibiotic treatments, as these encourage fungal infections to thrive. The purpose of taking antibiotics is to kill harmful bacteria.
The problem is, however, that the antibiotics cannot distinguish between good and bad bacteria, and will therefore kill both. Once the good bacteria on your skin are gone, fungi have the chance to grow and infect.
How To Clean Your Belly Button And Prevent Infection
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Your belly button is pretty easy to forget. This abdominal scar marks the spot where your umbilical cord was once attached. Post-birth, it doesnt offer any real function.
But the navel can be a breeding ground for dirt, sweat, bacteria, and a variety of unpleasant substances, particularly if youve had this spot pierced. In fact, the average belly button harbors more than 67 kinds of bacteria.
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Why Does My Belly Button Smell
Discharge and smells can be a result of several different factors, though slight navel odors are typically normal. If you have a combination of foul smell and discharge, it could be a sign of:
- A fungal infection or yeast infection of the belly button.
- A bacterial infection of the belly button.
- A wound or bruise around or within the belly button.
- A simple build-up of sweat and belly button dirt.
Do Not Remove Infected Belly Ring
To reduce the chances of getting an infected belly button piercing abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body due to the piercing closing, do not remove your infected belly ring piercing. You can only remove it upon recommendation by professional health care or piercer especially when they notice that the belly button piercing infection is spreading or severe.
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Are There Other Causes Of Yeast Infections
Your vagina naturally contains a mix of yeast and bacteria. The yeast will remain in check as long as the balance between the two isnt disrupted.
A number of things can interfere with this balance and cause your body to produce an excessive amount of yeast. This includes:
- taking certain antibiotics
- having an impaired immune system
- engaging in sexual activity
- becoming pregnant
Anyone can develop a yeast infection, regardless of whether theyre sexually active. Yeast infections arent considered to be sexually transmitted infections .
Why Might Someone Develop An Infected Sebaceous Cyst In Their Navel And What Are The Symptoms
Any part of skin with pores can develop a sebaceous cyst, including the belly button. A sebaceous cyst is actually a hair follicle that becomes blocked or closed, and then the lining cells proliferate into a cyst. We call sebaceous cysts epidermal inclusion cysts or follicular inclusion cysts. Sebaceous cysts in the navel can become rubbed or squished by waistbands of clothing. This can lead to inflammation and subsequent infection. Infected sebaceous cysts may rupture and drain. If infected, a sebaceous cyst may require treatment with antibiotics to heal the infection. These cysts can be surgically removed once the infection is healed.
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On Belly Buttons And Infection Prevention
Monday, November 04, 2013
Some of us ACHDers have to take prophylactic or preventive antibiotics before routine procedures like teeth cleaning. I am one of those people whose cardiologist suggests that I take antibiotics before teeth cleaning and getting piercings. My doctor recommends taking antibiotics preventively to protect against a serious heart infection called bacterial endocarditis.
The long and short of bacterial endocarditis is that getting an infection at the site of the procedure that travels to your already-compromised heartlike one with congenital heart defectcan have serious consequences.
When I wanted to get my belly button pierced as a teen, my mom said I could only if my cardiologist said it was OK and was safe. So I asked and he said as long as I took antibiotics before and daily for one week, then I could. Well, I couldn’t leave well enough and had to ask why. My cardiologist explained it to me and still I asked why. What is one dose of antibiotics going to do if you get an infection? I was finally told that that’s the way it’s been done. So I listened and took my antibiotics and got my belly button pierced and didn’t get any infection.
Flash forward 10 yearswow, I have really had my belly button pierced that long!
Some people are at a higher risk of bacterial endocarditis. If you wonder if you really need those antibiotics, ask your cardiologist. Remember, if they say you do need them, keep on taking them! Professionals know best!
How To Treat An Infected Belly Button Piercing Or Navel Piercing Cure Heal
In this part, we are going to discuss the various ways to treat an infected belly piercing. They will include treatments, home remedies as well as medications to heal an infected belly button piercing. Ignoring an infected piercing can cause sepsis where the infection spreads to your blood. So what to do you do or how do you get rid of belly button piercing infections?
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How Is A Yeast Infection Diagnosed
See your doctor if youre experiencing symptoms of a yeast infection. They can help you treat it and also rule out other causes for your symptoms.
Vaginal yeast infections have many of the same symptoms as STIs, so its important that youre sure of your diagnosis. If left untreated, STIs can have more serious and long-term consequences.
During your appointment, your doctor will ask you to describe your symptoms. They will also ask about any medications you may be taking or other conditions that you may have.
After assessing your medical profile, your doctor will perform a pelvic exam. They first examine your external genital area for any signs of infection. Then they insert a speculum into your vagina. This holds your vaginal walls open, allowing your doctor to look at the inside of your vagina and cervix.
Your doctor may also take a sample of your vaginal fluid to determine the type of fungus thats causing the infection. Knowing the type of fungus behind the infection can help your doctor prescribe the most effective treatment option for you.
Mild to moderate yeast infections can usually be cleared up with a topical treatment such as a cream, ointment, or suppository. The course of treatment can last up to seven days depending on the medication.
Common options include:
- terconazole
These medications are available over the counter and by prescription.
Your doctor may also instruct you to use a condom during sex to avoid spreading the infection to your partner.
Treating An Infected Belly Button Piercing
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Belly Button Discharge General Information
The belly button can easily become infected by Candida, or other fungi it is just the sort of warm, moist crevice that fungi like. If you have a fungal infection the belly button will look red, and the redness may extend to the surrounding skin for a few millimetres. It may be itchy.Bacteria may also infect the belly button, often taking advantage of the damage already done by the fungi. This leads to scabbing and a yellowish discharge.
Redness may not be an infection at all it may be caused by psoriasis, a skin disorder. On the arms and legs psoriasis causes scaly patches, but in moist areas like the belly button there is no scaliness it just looks red and shiny. Usually, but not always, you will have psoriasis somewhere else on your body.
An American researcher has investigated the tendency of male belly buttons to fill with fluff from clothing. He found that hair on the abdomen tends to collect fibres from clothing . Abdominal hair often seems to grow in concentric circles around the belly button, so the fluff becomes directed into the belly button. To prove this, the researcher shaved his belly and found no more fluff was deposited in his belly button until the hair grew back. He concluded that this belly-button fluff helps to keep the belly button clean and dry 00047-4/abstract” rel=”nofollow”> Medical Hypotheses 2009 72:623625).
Preventing A Smelly Button
- Washing your belly button at least once a day prevents a buildup of the dead skin, sweat, and oils that your body produces naturally. Showering or bathing daily can also help prevent skin problems and unpleasant odors. Especially after sweating a lot, such as in hot weather or after strenuous exercises, make sure to wash your body well.
- Using warm water and soap, gently clean in and around your belly button. Rinse the soap with warm water and dry your belly button with a clean towel.
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Why Might Someone Develop Growths And Swelling Of The Belly Button And What Are Some Of The Symptoms
Keloids can form in the navel. These are excessively large scars from surgery or piercing. They are becoming more common. Skin on the midline portion of the body is prone to keloids. These excessively large scars can be quite tender.
Other benign skin lesions such as moles, seborrheic keratosis, warts, and cutaneous horns can be seen in the navel. These typically have no symptoms.
What To Do About Belly Button Discharge
- Resist the urge to pick or scratch.
- Dont try to turn your belly button inside-out to clean it properly just wash it gently using water to which you have added enough salt to give it a salty taste . If you have a shower, use the shower head to rinse it well. Carefully dab it dry.
- Dont dab on any antiseptics, or add antiseptic to your bath water. This could irritate the skin and make it worse.
- Stop applying any creams from the chemist they could be making it worse.
- If it doesnt start improving within a few days, or there is a yellowish discharge, see your doctor. You may need an antibiotic cream.
- A very rare type of bladder cancer can extend into the belly button. This is called urachal cancer and is extremely unusual. Another rare situation is a lump in the belly button from an internal cancer such as the gut or pancreas. So these are more reasons why you should see your doctor if the problem does not clear up.
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The Most Effective Natural Cures For Infected Belly Button
Belly button infections are very common. According to researchers from the North Carolina State University, the average belly button contains a diverse number of bacterial strains and yeast fungi, all of which can cause infection.1
Here are some of the best ways to treat an infected belly button naturally and help prevent further infections from occurring.
Deterrence And Patient Education
Patients need to be counseled on the risks of associated infection when undergoing body piercings. Importance should be placed on infection prevention and the need for utilization of a trusted and certified piercing parlor as these locations have requirements for proper hygiene and sterilization techniques.
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When To Seek Medical Attention
Parents should immediately reach out to a doctor if they notice their baby’s belly button is bleeding and will not stop after twice applying direct pressure for 10 minutes. If a red streak runs from the navel or red skin spreads out from it, this is also cause for medical attention, especially if the baby is less than 12 weeks old or if they have developed a fever. If, after three days of following care advice, the baby’s belly button is not dry and clean, parents should speak to a doctor. Any sore, blisters, pimples, or drainage around the navel should receive medical care, as should an umbilical cord stump still attached three weeks after birth.
