Before you even purchase the rings, check that they are made from a reliable material that won’t irritate your skin. Just because the piercing site appears healed and healthy, doesn’t mean you are immune to germs and infection. The best materials for belly button rings are 316L surgical steel (a form of stainless steel), titanium, Bioplast or Bioflex, 24K plated gold and 14K real gold. Jewelry made from these products are strong and sturdy and won’t break.

Before inserting the belly button ring, sterilize each product with warm soapy water to remove any dirt and oil.  When you prepare to change the belly ring, clean your hands with soap and water as you would any other time you touch the ring.

Twist and remove the top ball from the new belly ring and put it off to the side. Hold the bottom ball of the belly button ring you are wearing between two fingers. Gently twist the top ball of the navel ring you are wearing to remove it from the barbell. Slowly pull the belly button ring down and out of your navel piercing.

Immediate grab the replacement belly ring and position the ball-less part of the barbell near the inside of your belly button (where the piercing hole is). Slowly and gently apply pressure and continue until the barbell pokes through the top hole of your piercing.

Grab the top ball of your new ring and gently screw it on while holding the barbell still with your thumb and forefinger. After that is complete, immediately wash your hands, as well as the old belly button ring

The original group of young women who started this fashion trend are approaching an age where pregnancy is a real possibility. No longer are they in their teens and twenties, but are now adults. One thing they haven’t outgrown, however, is their sexy belly button rings.

Pregnancy belly button rings come in a variety of styles, but are generally made from a plastic-like material, rather than a metallic one. They can either be the traditional length, just plastic, or they can be more flexible and giving. A special sterile wire called PTFE that is nickel free and easily sterilized. A pregnancy belly ring comes with 2″ to 2 1/2″ of wire and two balls, one for each end.

The wire is self threading and will automatically hold the ball in place. Stores and websites offer so many diverse styles of belly button rings that they will surely meet the needs of every expectant mother. These mom belly rings come with all sorts of balls from UV to titanium. Some even feature dangling parts that say things like “It’s a Boy” (or girl) or have baby decorations.

Pregnancy is an exciting time in a mother’s life and it’s the beginning of a new lifestyle. This doesn’t mean that a mom has to give up a piercing she’s had for many years, though. Pregnancy belly button rings aren’t especially expensive and they correspond with the prices of belly button rings of similar style and quality.

However, after you get home from the piercing salon, then what? It looks great, right? But it’s also a little sore. And you bought tons

of cute belly button rings online, but the piercer said you had to wait to change it. So what do you do? You wait.

The single worst thing you can do after piercing your belly button ring is to ruin it forever by improper care or changing the belly button ring too early. It will be especially detrimental because you’ll have to both take away your current belly ring AND run the risk of serious illness due to infection. Not to mention the pain or discomfort you will feel.

Properly licensed piercers will always provide you with detailed directions on how to take care of your new belly button ring.

Generally they suggest you clean your piercing only once a day and use warm water and soap to do so.All piercers will recommend that you clean your piercing only once per day to prevent drying, and they will all tell you to NEVER use Neosporin or rubbing alcohol to clean the piercing.

In addition, you should wait at least six months before even attempting to change your belly button ring. In fact, man

y people wait up to a year before attempting to remove or replace the navel ring. This is vitally important because if you change it too soon, you run the serious risk of causing dangerous infections, as well as ruining the piercing and allowing it to close.

It’s necessary to avoid touching the piercing as much as possible.  Even if you wash your hands, you’ll still have natural oils on your fingers that could transfer gems and cause painful infections. They will also recommend that you avoid wearing tight clothing that will rub against your new belly button ring and that you should avoid activities that will cause excessive sweating, at least for the first few weeks.

Belly button rings are a safe and desirable piercing, and if you care for them properly, they’ll be a great fashion accessory for many years to come.

To wear the fake belly button ring, a user need not have the actual piercing.  This is ideal for people who do not want to go through the piercing process or who are not always allowed to have body jewelry (because of parents, dress codes, work, school, etc.).

Fake belly button rings typically have an arm that is attached to a spring and has a flat surface on the end that will press into the skin.  Wearers will pull the movable arm back and hold the clip open.  Then they will place the bottom or stationary arm inside the navel and press it to the back.  Then they should gently close the clip by moving the movable arm back into position and the belly button ring will be attached.

There are some styles that require a person to glue a gem to the navel to create the look of a belly button ring.  Others have a spring loaded system that attaches the non-piercing belly button ring.  These are reportedly of lesser quality and suffer a lot of user complaints

There is a wide variance in cost on this body jewelry, depending on the style and size.  Typically, the low prices are approximately $75.00 while the higher prices can reach up to $150.00.  Women like to wear gold earrings, gold necklaces and gold rings so why wouldn’t they also want to have 14K real gold belly button rings?

Because of the popularity and cost of real gold body jewelry, some people are skeptic that they will be tricked into purchasing a fake and being over charged.  To avoid this, be certain that you purchase your gold belly button ring and all other body jewelry from a respected Web site or retail store.  Check the store’s return policy and see if they offer any verification that their product is real gold.

Real gold belly button rings make a great gift for a loved one.  Find a 14K real white or yellow gold belly button ring and present it to her to show how much you care.  Everyone likes to feel special and who could turn down something as special as a 14K REAL gold belly button ring?

Traditional Non-Dangling

These belly button rings are the oldest, and probably the most popular.  They’re kind of like an old standard of the body jewelry industry.  They are most commonly made with a curved barbell, sometimes referred to as a banana-bell. Traditional non-dangling belly button rings are usually 14 gauge and the balls are sometimes decorated with gems and jewels.

Dangling

Dangling belly button rings can vary from just a short charm to a long chain that wraps around the wearers waste.  They include anything from flags to jewels and even words or personalized holographic pictures.

Reverse

This kind of belly ring is sometimes difficult to understand, especially when customers only see a picture online.  They’re actually quite simple to explain, however.  They use the same gauge and style as the non-dangling ring and dangling ring, except that the gems or decorations extend from the top ball rather than the bottom.  The belly button ring extends in front of the navel, rather than dangling below it.

Spiral

Spiral navel rings are a fairly new style but have become very popular.  They are non dangling but they are twisted into the piercing rather than being pushed straight through.

By T.C. Kuster

Most importantly, bioplast belly button rings can be cleaned and sterilized very easily. Bioplast can be heated to 121 degrees Celsius, or approximately 250 degrees Fahrenheit.  These scalding temperatures will easily kill any bacteria and ensure that the belly button rings are clean and safe to wear.

In addition to being so sterile, this material is more flexible than titanium and surgical steel navel rings.  This allows for a greater range of movement and will reduce any tearing or stretching in the navel area. Because bioplast is a bio-compatible material, it is less likely than metallic body jewelry to be rejected by the body.  When the body rejects a new piercing, it will become infected and not heal properly.

Belly button ring retailers are also fond of this style of navel ring because it is “self-threading.” When the belly ring reaches the consumer, this is typically not an issue but manufacturers certainly appreciate it.  A self-threading belly button ring is one that can be cut to any size. Bioplast body jewelry are typically no more expensive than the metallic body jewelry of compatible styles.  They are reportedly “the best material for belly button rings” because they offer so many more benefits than metallic rings but do not have a higher price.

Wherever the tradition began, navel rings are very popular today, especially among young women.  The ability to easily hide or conceal the belly button ring, especially during the healing process, has really led to the piercing’s popularity.

The name “navel piercing” is not exactly accurate, however.  Actually, the rim above the navel is where the piercing is located.  Of course, a person can pierce the skin on the bottom and sides of the navel as well.

A belly button or navel is usually pierced with a barbell because they allow for the easiest healing process.  Navel piercings have their own special kind of barbells, though.  Because of their slightly curved design, they are often called “bananabells” or “bananabars.”

Body jewelry is measured by “gauges.” Navel piercings are usually done with a 14 Gauge barbell which is the same as 1/16’.  The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) states that no greater than 14 GA body jewelry may be used in piercings below the neck.  This is to prevent the risk of a negative reaction or skin tearing.

A standard belly button ring is 3/8” long, but people sometimes use a longer barbell at the time of piercing to allow room for the area to swell slightly. The balls on a standard navel ring are usually two different sizes; the top ball is 5 mm in diameter while the bottom ball is 8 mm in diameter.

There are, of course, risks involved in having one’s belly button pierced.  The most common risks include pain at the piercing site, swelling, scarring and infection.  To minimize your risk, make certain that the piercer uses sterilized tools in a sterilized environment.

Healing can take anywhere from four months to one year.  There are many things that affect the healing process of a navel ring:  sweat, shirt fabric, overall health, care and quality of jewelry.  Only 316L and 316LVM surgical steel are approved as “implant grade” materials by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Belly button rings are becoming more and more popular and it’s important to people take great care of these piercings.  They are considered beautiful and a great way to add to one’s personal style. If you’re interested in getting this type of piercing, make sure you know all the risks and benefits before doing so.