It seems that the most common piercing requested by women is the belly button piercing or navel piercing as having a piece of jewelry dangling from your belly button seems kind of sexy. Belly button rings are common among teenagers as well as middle aged women as body jewelry is for everyone who is attracted to body at. Because belly button rings involve piercing the skin, the question is my belly button piercing infected? is quite common. Infected belly button piercings can be caused by several factors so one must learn the proper care steps when it comes to piercings.
It is actually quite common for a belly button piercing to get infected and this is mostly triggered by improper care. This is one of the main reasons why one should inform themselves about the risks and care steps for belly button piercings from different sources including your body piercer. When turning to get a navel piercing it is important to tun to a professional experienced body piercer as they know exactly where and how deep to place the piercing so there is a minimum risk of infection, excessive bleeding and nerve damage. If this question: Is my belly button piercing infected? runs though your mind you need to look for the following signs: 
Pain which surrounds the piercing area when touched or even when not touching the area. This pain can be sharp or constant, and the area that is painful can become red colored, irritated.
Burning sensation around the belly button ring and a reddish coloration of the skin surrounding the piercing.
Swelling of the pierced area
A viscose discharge colored yellow-white or even greenish. This is a clear sign of infection as the discharge is actually pus which is oozing out.
Development of small pus bags (white colored bags) around the exact point of the piercing entry or exit.
Abscesses can also form and if not treated abscesses can be fatal.
There is no way an infected belly button piercing can go unnoticed as your body will signal you that something is not right and this is when you need to take action. Here are some tips to help you prevent and deal with an infected belly button piercing as this is definitely not something to overlook. An untreated infection can spread and cause an abscess which is definitely a serious problem, so for the next 6 months, which is the healing time of a navel piercing you need to:
Clean the piercing area several times a day using a saline solution to ensure no bacteria comes in contact with the pierced skin. Sweat, dirty water, dirty fingers can all be an infection source for your navel piercing so make sure you clean the area often and well.
Do not touch the pierced area without washing your hands with antibacterial soap as the dirt from your fingers can easily cause the piercing to get infected.
Do not remove the body jewelry. If your body piercing is infected already turn to a physician and let the doctor decide if the piercing is to be taken out as if you take the jewelry out the piercing will close and the pus might cause an even worst infection as it is trapped inside the closed pierced skin.
Apply an antiseptic ointment which will be recommended to you by the professional body piercer. This ointment will block bacteria from coming in contact with the pierced skin. Do not put too much ointment, just as much as the skin can absorb as excess cream can help develop bacteria, which is exactly what you are tying to avoid. You can try to move slowly the piercing up and down so the ointment can enter the pierced skin as well. Wipe the excess ointment with a soft and clean tissue.
If pus has formed turn to your physician as you might need to take antibiotics to help your body fight the bacteria. This is very important if you don’t want any complications.
It is very important to understand that the type of body jewelry chosen can also be the reason of a belly button ring infection so try to turn towards belly button piercings which are made of titanium or surgical steel as they are the most tolerated by the skin. Choose simple and light piercings as if they are too heavy they might irritate the skin and in time cause the skin to reject the piercing. Make sure the piercing is the desired size as well as piercings come in different sizes.
Also getting your belly button pierced with a piercing gun (the one used to pierce the ear lobe) is not a good idea as these guns are designed to use studded earrings which are way too small for your belly button. Your belly button will begin to swell and because there is not enough room it will most likely become infected. Turn to an experienced body piercer instead as they are trained to perform this type of body art.
