naval piercing infection

Former Member

ok, had my naval pierced end of last yr+its been fine, however the other day at work i dropped something heavy+caught it against me+as a result the area around the top+bottom balls is very swollen.
I used to be able to rotate the bar 360degrees, but now it hurts. Ive cleaned it with surgical spirits ever since i had it done+this morning ive cleaned it with salt water.
Anything i can do that will help the healing process+anything i shouldnt do - thank you!
BTW - im looking thru past posts and google as i speak!

Former Member

Mine got infected because i misjudged the space between the door and my belly lol oops! and then it got infected again because i had a scan and the gel irritated it.
Ive found that as long as you keep cleaning it and dont catch it you'l be ok. Ive had a plaster over mine for a week or so to stop it getting caught because even clothes were irritating it and its healed fine now .. or until the next time i forget how big my belly is

Former Member

Use tea-tree oil, either on its own or dilute it by putting a couple of drops in the bath or whatever! Works a treat! Mine got infected when i first had it done, and i was using salt water and all the rest, and it was still crap, then i used tea-tree and it healed up literally straight away!! Hope it works xx

Former Member

Never use surgical spirit i cant believe people use this, its a sterilising solution! It is way too strong to be used on a piercing and will just kill off any healing tissue.

Never use tea tree oil
Some people may argue that tea tree oil has worked for them; fine good for you but if you have not used tea tree oil before on a piercing, then simply never use it to try to clear an infection as you dont know how it may react.

soak in warm saline solution twice a day, gently removing any scabs if needed using a cotton bud

cant go wrong :thumb:

Former Member

ok, thanx for everyones advice. Its abit swollen, but im not touching it. Cant believe surgical spirits is wrong to use, last time it got infect the pharmacist told me to use this!1 GGRRR.
il stick to saline solution - i used 1 teaspoon of salt to a small teacup of cold water, is that ok?

Former Member

sugar_mouse wrote:

ok, thanx for everyones advice. Its abit swollen, but im not touching it. Cant believe surgical spirits is wrong to use, last time it got infect the pharmacist told me to use this!1 GGRRR.

When it comes to piercings pharmacists and doctors dont tend to give good advice. Best person to ask is a good piercer

sugar_mouse wrote:

il stick to saline solution - i used 1 teaspoon of salt to a small teacup of cold water, is that ok?

you might find that this ratio is a little too strong, it might dry out the piercing slightly which can make it more sore, if you boil the water first this will sterilize the water, then add salt and let it cool till its still quite hot but cool enough to be put on the piercing, the heat will help draw out infection and help with swelling. Actually soaking the piercing will do it the world of good, i found an easy way of doing this is to bend over and put your belly onto the egg cup (around the piercing) and then keeping the egg cup held against the skin, lay down and hold it there, this will allow the piercing to soak in the water and the warmth will help it. I used to leave mine on for up to half hour, but can get messy if i forgot i had it there and let go!
about a pinch of salt in an egg-cup is a better ratio for the saline solution
oh and its better to use sea salt

Former Member

well i used ordinary salt, will this still have the same healing effect?? If i do the egg cup thing, how long do u reckon it will take to go down? It is hardly red at all, but swollen around the top ball+im going on holiday in 2 weeks!

Former Member

sorry no idea how long it will take, they naval piercings can be temperamental and its different for everyone

normal salt will be fine, but my piercer reccomended sea salt as the ideal

oh and another piece of advice, dont even consider cleaning it without washing your hands first, and dont touch it only when cleaning. It will get better quicker if you dont wear tight clothing or anything that will make it rub and move too much

Former Member

As some one said above, pure tea tree oil is amazing. Thats also what ive been using rather than salt water because it heals it up so much quicker.

Former Member

The problem with piercings is that people are often too quick to say 'infection'. A piercing that has been knocked, is not likely to turn infected. Yes, it's been irritated, is swolen and red, but I wouldn't treat this as an infection. The typical signs of infection are a green colour liquid/puss being secreted from the piercing.

I wouldn't say it's infected, just irritated. Continue with the salt soaks - 1 teaspoon of sea salt, to one mug of boiled water. Once a day, or twice if it's getting crusty.

If the salt solution doesn't work, go and talk to a decent piercer for their advice.

Never use surgical spirit, alcohol, peroxide or anything of that ilk on a piercing. Salt water (saline) is all a piercing needs.

Ilora x

Former Member

god, im so angry with the pharmacist for telling me to use surgical spirits now!the swelling has gone down abit. It weeped abit of yellow/pale green puss, but not much, so i think it'll be ok!

Former Member

Hi Hi

To be more specific about the saline solution, 1/4 teaspoon in 200mls warm water from the kettle in a sterile glass should work wonders.

Do bend forward and out the glass around your belly piercing and then lay back and watch tv or something.. leave if there for 15- 20mins.

Only clean the piercing twice daily over cleaning can cause infection or allergic reactions.

Also use an antibacterial soap with Triclosan as the active ingredient. 1 or twice a day. Always dry your piercing sufficiently, but use tissues as towels can hold bacteria cotton tips are also good for drying and removing crusties.

lavender oil (BP) medicinal grade is good to heal and not let the piericng dry out. xoxo

and the above posts make sense, it is probably not infected just irritated.

Former Member

TBH a lot of pharmacists dont have that level of specific knowledge. Much better asking a piercer. If you are really concerned its infected go to the docs, if it is they can sort it out..

**helen**

juicyjoanna wrote: »

TBH a lot of pharmacists dont have that level of specific knowledge. Much better asking a piercer. If you are really concerned its infected go to the docs, if it is they can sort it out..

Hey, remember to check the dates of threads - this one's from 2005!
Closing it now.