Navel Rings

Navel piercing is a type of body piercing, where the skin surrounding the navel is pierced and jewelry is inserted. more...

Depending on the amount of skin available for piercing, it may heal quickly and with few problems, like an ear piercing, or it may heal more like a surface piercing, with the associated rejection risks and extended healing time. Healing of this piercing can also be complicated by irritation and damage caused by clothing, especially waistlines or tight clothing, or the position of the navel relative to the bend of the waist. The normal healing period considered by most reputable piercers is 4 to 8 months. This is longer than any other kind of piercing. The greatest pitfall is that it may appear and feel healed after only a month. Because of the usually big amount of skin, the piercing heals on the outer sides, leaving the inside unhealed and vulnerable to damage and infection if the aftercare is neglected.

The actual navel is not pierced when a navel piercing is performed. A true navel piercing requires the person being pierced to have an "outie" navel to some degree, and is extremely rare. Although there is an urban myth that an infection in a true navel piercing can travel inward to the liver or peritoneum, there are no known cases of this occurring.

Jewelry

Most kinds of ring or bar jewelry can be worn in a navel piercing, although they are most often pierced with a captive bead ring, which is worn until the piercing has fully healed. A wide variety of decorative jewelry is available for navel piercings, often featuring precious metals or stones.

History and Culture

A contemporary piercing, there is no direct evidence of historical navel piercing, although there is a great deal of historical evidence regarding the decoration of the navel, both for ritual and aesthetic purposes.

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