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.

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.