Navel Piercing: Jewelry, Healing & Aftercare
A navel piercing, commonly called a belly button piercing, is a popular body piercing that can be styled from simple and minimal to highly decorative. Anatomy is especially important with navel piercings, so our professional piercers will evaluate the shape and movement of the area to determine whether a traditional navel piercing is appropriate for you and recommend placement and jewelry based on your individual anatomy.
Navel Piercing Placement
Before piercing, your piercer will evaluate your anatomy and mark the placement so you can review it together. The shape of the navel, available tissue, and how the area moves when you sit, bend, and stand can all affect placement and jewelry selection.
Not everyone has anatomy suited for the same type of navel piercing. If a traditional placement isn’t appropriate, your piercer can discuss whether another placement or jewelry option may work better for your body.
Jewelry for a Navel Piercing
At Red Baron Ink, we use high-quality implant-grade titanium and solid 14k or 18k gold jewelry. Initial jewelry is selected based on your anatomy, placement, and the room needed to accommodate normal swelling during healing.
Once your navel piercing is fully healed, you can explore additional jewelry options, from simple curved designs to decorative gold and gemstone pieces. Heavier or dangling jewelry should generally be reserved for a fully healed piercing.
Navel Piercing Healing
Navel piercings require patience and can take an extended period of time to fully heal. Some initial tenderness, swelling, discoloration, or light crusting can be normal. Even when the piercing looks healed on the outside, the tissue inside may still be fragile.
Pressure and friction can cause irritation during healing. Be mindful of tight waistbands, high-rise clothing, belts, exercise equipment, sleeping positions, and anything else that may rub against or snag the jewelry.
Navel Piercing Aftercare
Wash your hands before touching your piercing and otherwise leave the jewelry alone as much as possible. Gently rinse the area with sterile saline wound wash containing 0.9% sodium chloride and dry with a clean disposable product.
Do not twist, spin, or rotate the jewelry. Avoid alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, harsh soaps, ointments, lotions, and other personal-care products around the healing piercing.
Avoid submerging a healing navel piercing in pools, hot tubs, lakes, oceans, or other bodies of water. If your jewelry needs to be adjusted or changed during healing, have the change performed by a professional piercer.
Considering a navel piercing? Book an appointment with one of our professional piercers for an anatomy assessment, placement consultation, jewelry selection, and aftercare guidance.
