Anyone know much about piercings?

cnbeyerfink
cnbeyerfink Posts: 35
edited November 9 in Chit-Chat
I recently got my belly button pierced. It got infected so I got antibiotics for it. But where the barbell goes through my skin it is still very red. I believe that either it is a cheap metal, which always causes me problems, or my body is rejecting the piercing. How do I know which it is? And what can I do to prevent it?
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Replies

  • lisaelainee
    lisaelainee Posts: 248 Member
    The easiest thing to do is to get a piercing place to check it out. I know when I had problems with my ear my piercing place checked it out.
    I recently got my belly button pierced. It got infected so I got antibiotics for it. But where the barbell goes through my skin it is still very red. I believe that either it is a cheap metal, which always causes me problems, or my body is rejecting the piercing. How do I know which it is? And what can I do to prevent it?
  • Angelangi
    Angelangi Posts: 35
    to be honest, the best person to go to is the person who pierced it. that is assuming you had it done in a shop.. Hope it clears up tho :)
  • ugw125
    ugw125 Posts: 28
    Where did you get it done? Mine did the same thing until i used "band-aid brand hurt-free antiseptic' in a blue bottle, it works wonders and doesn't sting. Good luck♥
  • kwaddell1987
    kwaddell1987 Posts: 70 Member
    have you tried changing the barbell?? My industrial did that, i changed the bar n it get a lot better, plus i bought this spray you can use from walmart, white bottle green writing, it helped it too
  • cnbeyerfink
    cnbeyerfink Posts: 35
    Im scared to try just yet. Its only been about 2 or 3 weeks.
  • cnbeyerfink
    cnbeyerfink Posts: 35
    Where did you get it done? Mine did the same thing until i used "band-aid brand hurt-free antiseptic' in a blue bottle, it works wonders and doesn't sting. Good luck♥

    I got it done at a cheap tattoo place. Big mistake. It doesn't hurt at all. It just red and the skin around it was peeling a bit.
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
    Tried to post, but it wouldn't take.

    If you got it done in a professional place, go back and ask them to change the ring for you. If it was not at a professional place, take it out. You've probably got an infection.
  • ugw125
    ugw125 Posts: 28
    It takes about six months to heal completely, So I would just give it some more time, don't wear tight pants if they rub it when you sit, and try to avoid getting shampoos and such in it, you should heal fine c:
  • lisaelainee
    lisaelainee Posts: 248 Member
    Do NOT remove it unless the piercer tells you in person. You haven;t had it in log enough for it to heal It takes a few months to heal.
  • angevee
    angevee Posts: 55 Member
    the navel is a natural lip, so the chances of rejection are less than say an eyebrow or a labrette. If you had it done by a licensed piercer then they would have used surgical grade steel for your banana bar this is less likely to cause any problems than gold.

    The redness should go in time. Keep it clean and where possible aired. I had an infection in my first nose piercing mainly due to my ignorance (done in a market, with a gun using a gold stud - big mistake) I kept it clean using a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water (3 parts water 1 peroxide) and the infection went quickly. However I am not advocating the use of and acid on your skin. This worked for me.

    My opinion is that, however much you enjoy the process, a piercing is a commitment. Cleanliness is the key.
  • WandaVonDunajew
    WandaVonDunajew Posts: 183 Member
    You can apply a topical ointment with antibiotics after you clean it out with saline (I use eye ointment with kanamicin bc it is easy to apply on piercings due to the shape of the container). It takes a while to heal. would have been better not to have gotten it at a cheap parlor, but hey, I'm not the one to talk, mine was applied by myself so...:ohwell:
  • nomes45
    nomes45 Posts: 3
    Mine was very red around it for the first few months and I got a little lump on the side, but it eventually went. Think of the red bit as a scar, it will eventually just fade to your skin colour. There's a bar in you belly that isn't meant to be there and so it's just adapting! Mine took about 6 months to heal but it can take over a year so don't worry :)
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
    Oh yeah, Bactine is a piercer's best friend.
  • kwaddell1987
    kwaddell1987 Posts: 70 Member
    Oh yeah, Bactine is a piercer's best friend.



    thats what i was trying to think of, yea that stuff worked wonders on my piercings!!!
  • angeldelight13
    angeldelight13 Posts: 177 Member
    Mine does that from time to time when its been rubbed, iv had mine in for 12 years. Make sure you salt bath it twice a day untill healed. I also used hydrogen peroxide on my belly button, and it did work wonders. I know where i get my piercings they dont reconmend that at all anymore. So the same as what angevee said, although it worked for me im not telling you to use bleach.
    Good luck

    p.s without patronising if you get any more piercings, go to the best studio you can.... think of them as a investment!
  • angevee
    angevee Posts: 55 Member


    p.s without patronising if you get any more piercings, go to the best studio you can.... think of them as a investment!

    I'm with you on that one! I did my first navel one myself, highly unrecommended, and then had the scar tissue pierced through which hurt. And remember that should you remove a piercing, no matter how long you've had it you must keep it clean. It's all too easy of a cyst to form.
  • EmCarroll1990
    EmCarroll1990 Posts: 2,832 Member
    This happened with mine as well, sea salt and warm water are about to become your best friends. Fill a little cup 1/4 sea salt to 3/4 warm water about halfway up the cup. Lean forward press it against your belly then lean back and shake it! Do this a few times a day, it helped mine. Good luck.
  • Mandykinz2008
    Mandykinz2008 Posts: 292 Member
    I have a LOT of piercings. Part of a peircing is it could be red due to your body trying to reject it (which is okay and should subside in time). But if it's got any white or is oozing this is bad. I'd do the seasalt rince 2-3 times a day. I have also used bandaid bactine (blue bottle) which works great. If it doesn't heal I'd find a reputable piercer and make sure the barbell being used is the right material for successful healing. Piercings and tattoos are two things you do NOT try to save money on. Much better to invest and make sure it's done right!
  • lizdavis07
    lizdavis07 Posts: 766 Member
    Oh yeah, Bactine is a piercer's best friend.

    Hmm, my piercer practically preaches never to use bactine. Guess everyone has their own opinions.

    Try using some sea salt and warm water on the infected area...if it's not better soon, i'd definitely go back to the shop before it gets any worse.
  • rammsteinsoldier
    rammsteinsoldier Posts: 1,552 Member
    Rinse it with sea salt dissolved in warm water. It really helps keep things clear. My daughter can only wear the top quality metals because she is allergic to metal. She has lots of piercings so that really helped her.
  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
    You might be allergic to the metal in the barbel. Also there is a sea salt spray that is really good for that stuff. If your body is rejecting it you would be it pushing the barbel out of your skin almost
  • angiemartin78
    angiemartin78 Posts: 475 Member
    I had same problem with my belly button...I had to take out the barbell and put in a hoop for the first several months. I had mine done at the beach while on holiday and when I came home I went to a local tat shop (I've had lots of work done there) and the guy told me that you should never get your belly button pierced with a barbell...He said you should def use the hoop and change it out after it completely heals.

    Hope this helps! :smile:
  • felice03
    felice03 Posts: 2,644 Member
    This happened with mine as well, sea salt and warm water are about to become your best friends. Fill a little cup 1/4 sea salt to 3/4 warm water about halfway up the cup. Lean forward press it against your belly then lean back and shake it! Do this a few times a day, it helped mine. Good luck.

    this is what always helped me.
  • jennifer2977
    jennifer2977 Posts: 156
    My old nose piercing used to get infected alot--I used to use H2Ocean to clean it and it helped ALOT! Most tattoo/piercing shops have it.
  • Pocket_Pixi
    Pocket_Pixi Posts: 1,167 Member
    This happened with mine as well, sea salt and warm water are about to become your best friends. Fill a little cup 1/4 sea salt to 3/4 warm water about halfway up the cup. Lean forward press it against your belly then lean back and shake it! Do this a few times a day, it helped mine. Good luck.


    This is ALWAYS what my shops aftercare instructions are for ANY piercing, the girl that does them has been doing it for over 15 years, I have yet to have any problems with any of mine. The warm sea salt soak should be more than enough to keep it clean, and do not wear clothes that rub on it.

    Give it tome you have only had it for a few weeks, it is a hole through your skin which will be sore for a while. Good luck!
  • paeli
    paeli Posts: 295 Member
    Definitely DO NOT take it out, especially if you are taking antibiotics to heal an infection, letting it heal over may only trap the infection inside which you do not want.

    Do warm sea salt soaks on it, this is generally the #1 way to soothe and clean piercings. Do not use hydrogen peroxide, yes it will kill bacteria, however it is super harsh and can easily cause scarring - nothing against those it has worked for but I would not recommend you use it.

    Your piercing will probably look red and angry for a while, just continue taking care of it and avoid tight clothing that rubs against it. Navel piercings take at least 6 months to heal (even if it feels OK before then, it is not truly healed inside, so remain careful with it).
  • 76tech
    76tech Posts: 1,455 Member
    Is it a straight barbell or a banana (curved bar)

    If it's a straight bar, that's your problem right there, it will be under tension almost constantly.

    Everyone else has good advice too, as far as cleaning.

    DO NOT simply remove the barbell without following the advice of a licensed and experienced piercer, it can cause a nasty abscess.
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
    I don't want to offer this as advice but just my personal experience. After I had mine done it just wouldn't heal up - never got infected just wouldn't heal - turns out my body is a little sensitive to surgical steel/titanium, I swapped the bar for a gold one and it healed up in no time.

    I've heard you shouldn't just take them out if it's infected...the infection could stay through the hole and cause a lot more problems, best thing is to go back to the place you had it done, or somewhere else if it wasn't a great place, and ask their opinion on it.

    Hope it heals soon for you :-))
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    When I had my belly pierced, the piercer told me to use salt water to clean it and that's just as good if not better than all the other expensive stuff.
    I did this religiously every day, and changed it at about 8 weeks - I could at 6 weeks, but was paranoid of it hurting as I didn't have a great experience changing my ear piercings the first time, but it was fine :)

    It never got infected but it was always a little red for a few months, it does takes a while for it to fully heal.

    I was also told to use a titanium bar instead of anything else (at least while it's in the early stages) as it's better and less likely to get infected.
  • seehawkmomma
    seehawkmomma Posts: 815
    I recently got my belly button pierced. It got infected so I got antibiotics for it. But where the barbell goes through my skin it is still very red. I believe that either it is a cheap metal, which always causes me problems, or my body is rejecting the piercing. How do I know which it is? And what can I do to prevent it?

    You could be allergic to the metal.
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