how long to wait before swimming after belly button piercing

Never go swimming after a new piercing. How much a piercing costs is entirely dependent on the studio you go to, your geographic location, your piercers experience, and how complicated your piercing is. Anything that is in the water is getting into your piercings, and even in the cleanest of pools chlorine is going to hurt your piercing as well, Brooks says. A piercing on your belly button is more likely to get infected than other body parts because of its shape. I got very little aftercare advice/tips after I got my piercing today. Dont worry if you experience slight bleeding, swelling, or redness immediately after the piercingthats completely normal and should subside quickly. Placement: Pierced through the skin right above the naval, with a true belly button piercing centered directly above the navel, Healing time: 6-8 months, fully healed by 12 months. Doing so increases your risk for bloodborne disease. After the procedure has been carried out, the piercing will take at least six months to heal. Eat healthy and ensure your meals are balanced. Can you use it on infected piercings? First and foremost, hide the navel from the direct hitting sun. Do it in your own, clean bath. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); It's cool, and a lot painful. Plus, try to keep in mind that body fluids shouldn't be shared with others. It should be clean, well-lit, and fully licensed. "This was super helpful as I recently got a piercing and I am so lucky I stumbled upon this website! Belly button piercings are done either with tools or freehand by a professional piercer. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. A belly button piercing will most likely take anywhere from six months to a year to fully heal depending on how you care for it and your day-to-day lifestyle; however, the most common time frame is between six and eight months Regardless, its important to check with your piercer when you believe its healed before stopping aftercareif it's still healing, the site could become infected. You should ideally not have a soaking bath until the piercing is through the initial healing stages, and oozing, bleeding and scabbing have all stopped. Sign up to receive the latest and greatest articles from our site automatically each week (give or take)right to your inbox. Basically theres no winning here. Keep scrolling to find out more, and remember, its your choice whether you hit the gym, but the facts dont lie. Keep reading to find out! How to Shower in the Locker Room without Feeling Nervous. The full breakdown, according to NHS, is that ear piercings take six to eight weeks, belly button piercings take six months to a year, and nose piercings take up to six months. You could soak a cotton ball in the solution and place it over the area for about five minutes two times each day. This is not to be confused with flexible plastic jewelry. The UK's National Health Service (NHS) advises, " After having a piercing, it is important to keep the area clean and dry." In regards to swimming after having a piercing, the NHS states,. When this happens, abscess could get trapped beneath the skin. We've created informative articles that you can come back to again and again when you have questions or want to learn more! We look at various ways on how to take care of abelly button piercingproperly. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 159,697 times. Submerging your piercing in water can put you at risk of developing an infection in your new belly button piercing. We hope you enjoy this website. If you're going to show off your belly button piercing, dangle jewelry is the way to do it. Also ensure that the piercing is done by a professional. When well taken care of, the piercing heals off without issues. Even in case of redness or pus, you must completely avoid swimming. My belly bottom stays with a infection, like it will come and go come and go. If youre experiencing symptoms that are unusual or that occur after the first few days, reach out to your piercer or doctor. Follow as clean a routine as possible like: Cleaning the hands with hot water before touching your belly button piercing. Although some might see the belly button piercing as a simple process, it requires to be carried out by a professional using the right tools. How long will it take to heal? These are: This is the first stage of the healing process. Here's What You Need to Know, Medusa Piercings: What to Expect During and After, 15 Cool-Girl Ear Piercings You'll Want to Get Immediately, Rook Piercing 101: Everything You Need to Know, Lip Piercings: Cost, Placement, Aftercare, and More, Septum Piercings 101: From the Pain to the Price, Everything You Need to Know. How to Swim? Opt for maternity jewelry as oppose to normal jewelry. If you still want to swim before the healing period is over then please at least get a waterproof bandage from any pharmacy to cover your navel piercing. Keeping the area as bacteria-free as possible is essential to healing. (As always, this is only a minimum time, and you should have a piercer take a look to confirm that it has fully healed before stopping aftercare practices.) This will also help to relieve discomfort and pain on the area. In this article, we are going to be answering all of your belly button piercing related questions and queries once and for all. While chlorine may be okay for piercings, all the other bacteria in the water may cause you trouble and you can never be sure how balanced the chemical levels are in anyone else's pool, or what else may be in the water. Very hot water will cause your piercing to swell and hurt. If like us, youre wondering where the avoid the gym with a new piercing stigma comes from, Janeese Brooks, the head piercer at Stone and Strand clears that up for us. Next, theyll mark the spot on your navel they wish to pierce. But what odds of harm are you prepared to accept? When you get a new piercing, youre welcoming a foreign object into your body. DOI: health.clevelandclinic.org/are-your-earrings-or-body-piercings-causing-a-nickel-allergy, safepiercing.org/docs/APP_Initial_Web.pdf, youngwomenshealth.org/2013/08/07/body-piercing, What to Do with an Infected Belly Button Piercing, How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Piercing Aftercare, Dominique Fontaine, BSN, RN, HNB-BC, HWNC-BC, What's Really in Tattoo Ink? The piercer will disinfect the area around your navel. Its also important to avoid soaking your new belly button piercing in anything but a sterile saline solution until its healed; bodies of water both big and small like baths, the ocean, or a pool may harbor bacteria and cause infection. If you experience any discomfort or tightness, its recommended that you remove the jewelry thats currently in place. A new body piercing may be red and tender for a few weeks. For more advice, like how to shower with a new piercing, read on. That means that summertime and vacation might not be the best time to add another hole to your body. Clean the bath thoroughly first. Also, I learned this was key: Make sure you get the belly ring with a post instead of an actual ring. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Want to Know How to Hide Ear Piercings? An autoclave is typically used to sterilize tools that are reusable, such as opening and closing pliers for body jewelry. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Thank you for this article and your time. We recommend to avoid swimming for the first two weeks after a piercing. Jewelry for initial piercings. While it's still healing, it's important to keep the piercing dry as there's a risk of infection. For first time piercings, choose rings made of gold, stainless steel or titanium. The healing of a belly button piercing can go to beyond six months. They can increase your risk for an allergic reaction. Ask the 1 piercing u: Be sure to go to a licensed and highly qualified expert on piercing, and ask them how long to wait before swimming in the ocean. It's best to avoid hot tubs, baths, and other forms of water immersion for at least two weeks after getting a belly button piercing. By the time this phase comes to an end, the piercing is considered almost healed. It's best to avoid swimming after a piercing or tattoo. The chlorine in a pool reduces the number of bacteria. This is because piercings can be susceptible to infection, and hot tubs and baths can create an ideal environment for bacteria to grow. Now thoroughly rinse the area with plain water so that no residue of soap is left behind. However, a piercing is created by pulling a needle through the skin, so there is, of course, some pain involved. The first thing to note is that you should wash your hands before touching your piercing to ensure youre being as sterile as possible and to avoid passing any bacteria. Its normal for the area to feel sore for a few days after the piercing. Cozmo Faris is a professional piercer with more than 12 years of experience who teaches for the Association of Professional Piercers. This will help to prevent infections as piercings can quickly regress if mistreated or not well taken care of. and gently clean your piercing with sterile saline. Well, we're sure you are loving the hot piercing, but are you curious to know whether or when would you be able to step into the pool for a swim? Try pure aloe gel for new piercings. The Answer May Surprise You. At times, there may be movement from stage three to stage two for a number of times before it heals. That means spending some extra time in the shower letting the water run on the piercing or sticking it under the faucet. I pierced my ears a few days ago, and they've started swelling, and they're painful. After the placement is confirmed, the piercer will use a hollow needle to create a hole in the designated location. During the healing process, Lauren Dozier, MD,a dermatologist and medical director at Brickell Cosmetic Center in Miami, FLsuggests staying away from antibiotic ointment, as this can suffocate the piercing site and cause more problems. Make sure you clean the area very slowly and thoroughly including the piercing jewelry. With time, there could be bleeding. Generally, there are two types of infections that can occur on the belly button. Heres What You Need to Know About Pain and Healing Time, All Your Helix Piercing Questions, Answered, Considering a Conch Piercing? If your dip into the water is a bit more premeditated, you'll want to wear"a wound sealing waterproof bandage over the piercing" (via Koox Diving). In Swimming: Weird Things Asked About Swimming? To avoid this, take good care of the piercing. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'outdoorfavor_com-leader-1','ezslot_0',670,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-outdoorfavor_com-leader-1-0'); Bodies of water, especially stagnant ones like lakes, harbor tons of microorganisms that can cause infection in your new piercing. If the shop uses piercing guns, cancel any appointment you may have made. What Is This Bump on My Cartilage Piercing and What Should I Do? Nipple and navel piercings often require extra care, as even gentle workouts like pilates, yoga, and rock climbing can irritate the new piercings. It can be done safely as long as you make sure to keep the area clean and free of bacteria. When Is The Best Time To Get My Belly Button Pierced? (Fun To Read!). This involves observing cleanliness with the aim of keeping the piercing clean and avoiding passing microorganisms to the area. (2012). Its a super quick process which makes it very manageable.. Heavier design elements will be featured up top, however, the great thing about this style is that you can wear the jewelry however you like, hence the name. This means six to eight weeks for a simple ear piercing, and up to 6 months for nipple/navel piercings and at least two weeks for a tattoo. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. According to Healthline, you should at least cover your piercing with protective bandages when working out and must clean it afterward to avoid infections and irritations. Apply a small amount of soap on the new piercing and the area for about 30 seconds. After having a piercing, it's important to keep the area clean and dry. But the more the aftercare deviates from the recommendations of the artist the lesser the chances of having an easy and successful healing process, she says. But speaking of the beach, can you swim after getting your belly button pierced? When an infection occurs, do not be tempted to remove the jewelry. No one is ever prepared for the nastier side of it. When you are having an infected piercing, it is unlikely for it to go unnoticed. Pricing: $30-$75. Belly Button Piercings. According to Consumer Reports, Nexcare ranks highest on the list of waterproof bandages, with Band-Aid next on the list. In regards to swimming after having a piercing the NHS states You should avoid swimming for at least 24 hours after having a piercing and ideally until it. I have had my belly piercing for about 4-5 months now. No, you shouldnt swim for at least 24 hours after getting your belly button pierced. If the concern with swimming around lakes and rivers is developing an infection, is it okay to swim in a pool? This will ensure that the body has enough to form repair tissue for the area. Karen L. Hudson is a tattoo artist and contributing writer for Byrdie. Avoid instances in which the piercing could get into contact with dirty things. When you make a decision to have your belly button pierced, the thinking is that it will heal soon and you will be in a position to flaunt the new body modification art within no time. For more info, read on for everything you need to know about the popular piercing. Ultimately, it's best to skip the gym for a day or two after getting a new tattoo the most important reason being to avoid bacteria, which can impact the full healing process. The piercing could secrete fluids that crust around the belly button piercing. As for your gym attire, its also best if you try to avoid wearing a sports bra consistently while a nipple piercing is healing, though wearing one for a short time is alright if necessary. You can do this yourself with clean hands, or have it done at the shop where you got pierced. This allows the jewelry to hang slightly over the belly button to essentially highlight itself. Taking aftercare measures and precautions suggested by your piercing professional are the best ways to care for a recently done belly button piercing. On average, however, you can expect a belly button piercing to run between $30 and $75. It can take anywhere from nine months to a year for a belly button piercing to fully heal. This information helped. Because youre ultimately dealing with a raw wound, it needs to be protected at all costs. Real PTFE does not come in colors and is white. These are labelled as solutions to wash and clean wounds. Remember, a new piercing is a deep, open wound, and should be treated with all of the care of a normal deep wound. How Can I Clean My Belly Button Piercing After A Shower? Please wear clean clothing that has a soft-to-skin fabric when you got a belly button piercing. Wash your hands before handling the piercing, Using disposable products to clean the area. The one thing to keep in mind is to always wash your hands before touching the piercing in any way to avoid irritating it or transferring bacteria. In that case, pat your piercing dry to avoid retaining moisture (bacteria love moisture and need it to grow!) Soak the piercing 2-3 times per day in a mixture of warm (not hot) water and non-iodized salt. Following the correct aftercare during the healing process is super important, both because it will help the piercing heal properly and because not doing so could slow down the process. Well Help. Manage Settings Bumps are, Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. According to our experts, its best to adhere to the recommended healing time for tattoos and piercings before submerging in either chlorine or seawater, with natural bodies of water actually carrying the higher risk of infection. You can also leave the piercing empty. Your piercer should also wear disposable gloves at all times. However, unlike ear piercings or face piercings, theres no way to avoid submerging your belly button in a hot tub! An infection can be painful, cause scarring, and increase healing times. A surgical procedure called umbilicoplasty might be able to help. By using our site, you agree to our. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/84\/Take-a-Bath-with-a-New-Piercing-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Take-a-Bath-with-a-New-Piercing-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/84\/Take-a-Bath-with-a-New-Piercing-Step-1.jpg\/aid7373968-v4-728px-Take-a-Bath-with-a-New-Piercing-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

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how long to wait before swimming after belly button piercing