Before Switching Belly Button Rings, make Sure the Piercing is Healed
When people get their belly buttons pierced, it can often be very hard to wait the recommended 6 to 12 months for proper healing. Belly button rings are some of the most common body jewelry but belly button piercings are some of the slowest to heal.
Some pieces of body jewelry can be changed in as little as four weeks. Belly button piercings are much slower to heal, though. Belly button piercings generally have the lowest age requirement and this is part of the reason that new piercees have such a hard time waiting.
The purpose of this article is to provide tips and tricks to speed healing time, as well as how to tell when the piercing is completely healed and ready for changing.
The first and most important thing to keep in mind is that you should not touch your new piercing unless absolutely necessary (like cleaning). It is recommended that people clean belly button rings once a day with warm water and antibacterial soap and avoid using any creams or alcohols that will irritate or dry the skin.
It is equally important to remember to avoid tight clothing that will touch your new belly ring and cause irritation. The navel ring is the piercing that is most likely to suffer from clothing irritation because of its location. Refraining from sports or activities that will cause excessive sweating is another way to prevent any pain and speed healing time.
Below are the deciding factors that will help determine if you should change belly button rings.
1. No redness at or around the piercing site.
2. No clear, gray or greenish secretion from the piercing.
3. No scabbing or bleeding around the belly button ring.
4. No pain when cleaning the belly button ring
5. The ability to twist the belly button ring one full turn without pain, bleeding or secretion.
If your navel ring passes all of the above tests, you’re probably ready to change belly button rings. Of course, there’s no guarantee that you won’t begin to experience some of these negative symptoms after you change your ring. The only way to be certain that you’re ready to change your belly ring is to revisit your piercing for his or her blessing.
The tips above provide a good gauge for things that SHOULD be gone before you attempt to switch your navel ring, and should you experience any serious pain or infection, visit your doctor right away to prevent further injury.