Belly Button Piercing Bleeding
Getting your belly button pierced is going to fill you with various emotions. Happiness, excitement and nervousness can all come into play when you’re making your way to the shop.
However, these emotions don’t end once the piercing procedure is complete. Worry can creep in throughout the healing process as your wound goes through varying stages of recovery. Sometimes, the piercing can begin to bleed and you have no idea why.
Don’t be alarmed – bleeding from a belly button piercing is relatively common and in most cases is absolutely nothing to worry about. Read on to find out more.
Is Bleeding Normal During the Procedure?
The belly piercing process involves inserting a needle directly through the skin. With this in mind, it’s completely normal for the area to bleed during and immediately after the procedure.
Many people will experience bleeding, bruising and some discomfort following the procedure, as is the case with most piercings. This can last for a few days as the area heals depending on how well the aftercare process is being followed.
Belly Button Piercing Bleeding During Healing
As with all piercings, aftercare is paramount and your cleaning regime should be followed until the area has completely healed.
There will be some bleeding after the procedure and this may continue for up to a few weeks in some cases. It’s nothing to worry about as it can take a while for the area to heal. However, if you notice excessive bleeding, you should contact your piercer or a doctor for further advice.
Why Is It Bleeding?
The area bleeds following the procedure as your skin has been pierced by a needle. This is not a reason to worry and is completely normal. The piercing process is over within a couple of minutes but the healing process takes a lot longer.
You should only start to worry if the wound starts bleeding excessively or if you find a lot of dried blood around the area weeks after the procedure had been completed. Bleeding that begins days or weeks after the piercing was performed usually indicates that an infection is present.
An infection can usually be treated relatively hassle-free with antibiotics. However, if it’s a more serious infection and your body is rejecting the piercing, it could mean that you need to remove the piercing and let it heal over.
Another important factor with infections is speed. You must seek medical intervention as soon as possible if you suspect an infected piercing. Leaving an infection to linger and move deeper into the wound can cause lasting damage and scarring. In very rare instances an untreated infection can lead to sepsis and organ failure.
How Long Will It Take To Heal?
The piercing itself is a very quick process, however, the healing process can take between six months to one year.
The piercing will bleed as it’s healing and will usually scab over which is normal. Scabs and be large or small, but if you have scabs that are thick and pussy, or ones that frequently crack open and bleed, this could mean the area is infected.
Keeping your belly piercing as clean as possible will always be the best way to ensure fast healing with minimal risk of infection.
What Can You Do to Help it Heal?
It can take a while for your piercing to heal as the navel area is quite sensitive. However, by looking after it correctly, you can speed up this process a little.
You should clean the area regularly by using a saline solution of water with a little salt, making sure you avoid touching the piercing. You should avoid taking a bath while the piercing is healing, instead opting for short showers. Make sure any water that comes into contact with the wound isn’t too hot as this could irritate the wound and delay healing.
Your clothes should be loose-fitting so as not to touch your piercing as this may pull off a scab or tug at your sensitive piercing. If you’re worried about catching it, you can buy and apply a vented eye patch that can be used to cover it so your clothes don’t rub against the area. You should also make sure that you always wash your hands before touching the piercing and that your bedsheets are kept clean to prevent the spread of bacteria to the wound.
How About Piercing Rejection
You may have heard that belly button piercings can be ‘rejected‘ by the body and pushed out of the area. You may also be worried that any bleeding could be attributed to this uncommon issue. Fortunately, bleeding isn’t usually a symptom of piercing rejection, and instead you should be looking out for issues like flakiness, peeling, redness, irritation and jewelry that looks like it’s migrated from the initial site of the piercing.
Conclusion
Belly button piercings will nearly always bleed for a short while following the procedure but this is normal and nothing to worry about. The initial bleeding should stop within a few days but in some cases can continue for a few weeks. If the piercing begins to bleed excessively or begins to bleed again after a few weeks, you should contact your piercer or a medical professional.
