I got my belly button pierced. Help?

Question

I got my belly button pierced 2 weeks ago. It doesn't hurt but the thing I'm worried about is that its really red and the skin around the top is kind of flaky. I'm mostly concerned about the redness though. It's been there for about a week and a half. All my friends who got it done said that theres have never even turned red or it was only red for a couple of days. I clean it with Dial soap when I take a shower and Bactine when I wake up and before I go to bed.

Is it normal for it to be red for so long?

Any help appreciated.

Answer 1

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is the first question i've answered that actually spelled something right...so moving along to the question, i think you should go see a doctor and stop washing it with soap. maybe you shouldn't have gotten it pierced

Answer 2

First, you Seriously need to stop cleaning it with Bactine. It is not for piercings... its for cuts and scraps. The Bactine is drying out the Good and bad oils that keep your piercing hydrated, and making it flake.

Also, instead of cleaning the piercing with Dial you need to get an anti bacterial soap (like a hand soap) and clean it once a day with that.

OR

You can take a sea salt concoction (sea salt & warm water) and use that to clean the piercing. When I got mine done they gave me two bottles  of H2o Ocean to clean the piercing with twice a day.

And remember... There's also such a thing as over cleaning.  You should only be touching your piercing twice a day to clean it. Don't play with it because the bacteria on your handes will get into the piercing and cause a nasty infection.

Answer 3

I would stop cleaning it with the soap and cover it up and only use the the bactine if the redness countinues see your doctor Good luck

Answer 4

try some warm water and sea salt on a bit of cotton wool it will pull out all the bad bacteria and help it heal hop this helps xx

Answer 5

Backwards on the previous answers. Continue with the dial, only in the shower. Or switch to an antimicrobial soap. But really dial is fine as long as you rinse well afterwards. The bactine is not good. I would discontinue use immediately. Bactine is a topical treatment for cut, scrapes, etc. It says on the bottle (or did last time i got any) that it is not for puncture wounds. It is probably what is causing the flakey skin and redness. All you need to do is very gnelty wash it in the shower and be sure to rinse the soap off, and then do sea salt soaks 2-3 times per day for 10-15 min each.  That is normal aftercare and should get your piercing back on track quickly. Just stopping the Bactine should help in a day or two. You can even go to the bactine.com faq section- it says that they don't even recommend their own product for body piercings! Anyway, just mix 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt (you can get it in the grocery store) with 1 cup of water. Distilled water is recommended by some people, but I don't see the difference since you have to heat it up anyway. Heat the mixture in the microwave and allow it to cool until it's hot but not scalding. It's easiest with navel piercings to just dip some of the sea salt mixture out into a shot glass, put it over the piercing so it kind of seals to your skin, and just lay back until it cools off. It will probably take a few shots glasses to get 10 minutes. This will be very soothing feeling. It will also help to promote blood flow in the area. It will draw any impurities out of the piercing. It will dissolve crusties or scabbing without drying the piercing out or letting anything get pulled into it. You don't need to move the jewelry around or pick anything off of it. Just let it heal.