Belly button issues ( kinda gross )

jackieg218 · March 2013

Good morning and happy Saturday to you all. Ok, so I have lost nearly 40lb and went from a 22 to a loose 14 and I have this ummmm problem. My belly skin sag has made my belly button more of a sideways slit, I used to have a very deep big one...it's in there somewhere lol. But here is the problem, I find its moist and raw all the time. I shower at night after my exercise and when I wake up its crusty already. Hit the shower again, by the end of the work day, same thing. Ewww. The bigger eww part is that it smells. Is it possible to have yeast growth or some bacteria going on in there since its basically folded skin on top of itself? I have tried cornstarch and baby powder, it helps some.... But I want to end the ick once and for all. Do or have any of you experienced this as well? Suggestions?

TIA,
Jackie

hdlb · March 2013

You can have a yeast infection in your belly button. Just try to keep it dry through the day and it should get better.

LadyPakal · March 2013

Been here - I wash it out when I shower (use hand held shower head to clear the soap etc), then lay back and drop a few drops of tea tree oil in and squooch it about a bit. Repeat daily and it clears up.

finnvalley · March 2013

Firstly, congrats on the weight loss! It's very possible to have a yeast problem there...I've found you can get it anywhere the skin kinda flumps together. I've used cream for athlete's foot and canisten cream to clear that sorta thing up before, although it was my arm pit, not belly button (tmi?). Good luck

bronnyd · March 2013

Is it possible to have yeast growth or some bacteria going on in there since its basically folded skin on top of itself?

Absolutely. Try tea tree oil or maybe a bit of antifungal cream like clotrimazole. Does it itch? If it's itchy I'd say almost certainly it's a fungus thing.

vjrose · March 2013

I used to have this issue, my doctor had me use and antibacterial and it was awesome, cleared it right up. In the summer a bit of foot powder designed to keep feet dry will help with the daytime stickies. I was so glad when I lost that fold of skin, woohoo.

doubleduofa · March 2013

Get the yeast cream in the "feminine products" section and use twice/day on the affected area. Tea tree is good - also coconut oil.

After you shower or work out, pat dry, then air dry for at least 10 minutes -15 is the goal. Then apply the products.

You might want to cut down the sugar and bread in your diet too, as that is what yeast feeds on. Supplements like caprylic acid, coconut oil, oregano oil, and kolorex can help keep internal yeast at bay.

When you get the little cuts in the corners of your mouth, that is yeast too. They can pop up anywhere!!

denezy · March 2013

Yes! This sounds weird, but it works.

Get a capful of hydrogen peroxide (the kind you use to clean wounds, etc) and some q tips.
Lay down on your back with a towel underneath you.
"fill" your belly button with the peroxide and let it sit for 15-20 seconds.
Use the q tips to clean out the gunk in there. (Ew, it's gross)
Do this every few days or once a week and you'll notice a significant improvement soon.
Alternatively, you can also use q tips soaked in peroxide as I found one "soaking" got rid of whatever bacteria was in there. I just am paranoid now and like to keep it clean.

Lol....this is weird that I just confessed my belly button cleaning ritual to strangers on the Internet. I hope it works for you.

deannakittygirl · March 2013

I had a problem several years back, my belly button being the deep abyss that it still is (even after losing weight) got terribly infected. it would ooze pus and blood. I know gross right! the doctor gave me an antibiotic and said to try to make sure it is dry after bathing. she suggested the hair dryer. I don't really have the issue anymore. I can now press on my tummy and my belly botton inverts so I can keep it clean and dry much easier. I never thought about the tea tree oil to keep the yeast away. my doctor said the belly button is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria ( or at least the deep abyss ones).

TeachTheGirl · March 2013

Sadly, I had this a few months ago. The suggestion was to keep it clean (soap and water) and dry and DON'T PICK AT IT. That's the one that was the worst for me because it was so damn itchy.

Velum_cado · March 2013

I used to get yeast infections under my belly. The thing that worked like an absolute charm was using Head and Shoulders shampoo as body wash. The "Itchy Scalp" variety worked best for me. It's anti-fungal, so it takes care of the baddies. Also, keep the area as dry as possible during the day.

tonyamariepierce · March 2013

I went from a size 20 to a size 6 my belly button and skin under tummy was raw and wet all the time. I had the skin removed by tummy tuck and am so glad I did

jackieg218 · March 2013

Thank you all for such good tips! I was embarrassed about even posting this thread but ... Well it needed to be said lol

tanyaslosingit · March 2013

I have no solution to offer but I wanted to thank you for posting about this! I've had this problem for a few weeks and I was too embarrassed and weirded out by it to say anything. I knew it was a yeast infection, but I didn't know how to resolve it! I had thought it was a matter of too much sugar in my diet and even though cutting down on sugar helped, it didn't really resolve it. Off to try tea tree oil :-)

holothuroidea · March 2013

There have already been a lot of suggestions but I would try diaper cream. It's worked for me in the past with similar issues.

And this advice might be against the grain but I would never use soap on an area that was giving me problems like that. Soap destroys the protective layer of your skin that prevents these sort of things. Wash with only water, or maybe some diluted apple cider vinegar. Keep your showers short so the area isn't wet for too long. And, of course, keep it dry. Cornstarch is a great idea.

Belly button issues ( kinda gross )

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