I have lost a lot of weight in the last 2 years. I am currently 5’5" 103 Lbs. I have a nice flat tummy and I would like to get my belly button pierced.
I need input. What are the health concerns. (I won’t go to the same place where Tommy Lee and Pamela had their tattoos done.)
Any dopers had this done? Does it hurt much? What’s the up-keep like?
If I don’t like it will the hole close up if I don’t put anything in it for a while.
Note: The last sentence is just for fun. Use quotes and respond as you see fit!
Honey (freezing my ass off in the Adirondacks)
I don’t see the point. Ears? OK. People see your ears regularly; decorate them as you will. Navel? If you’re like most people, you probably wear clothes. What are you going to do–walk around and lift your shirt and show people? Isn’t having the nice flat tummy attractive enough without the hardware?
There are worse things you could do, but hey, it’s your navel; if you think you’ll like the way it looks, do it. I myself don’t like it or see the need, but your mileage may vary.
Hmm. I have a navel ring (and have gained weight, which isn’t a problem). This is one piercing, though, that take a lot of care until it’s healed, which can be some time. Also, until it’s healed and then occasionally thereafter you will have to consider the nature of the waist of your pants-- you’ll need lowriders or very high waist, as if the piercing gets irritated it’s not very happy. It’s a life choice. When the person that does your piercing, by the way, tells you to do the saltwater thing daily, DO IT. It osmosisizes (heh) the, um, various horrible/good serums and things that are produced in the piercing and if you don’t do this it will get VERY unhappy as it tries to heal.
Otherwise, I have a niobium ring that isn’t much trouble to me now that it’s been healed for years, unless I wear tight pants and the waist is in the wrong place.
Oh, and yeah, it hurts, but in a reasonable ritualistic kind of way. I think I almost passed out from the pain and shock of having someone stuff a needle through your tum-- a real hyperventilating adrenalin rush (I don’t generally seek that sort of feeling out, not a bungee-jumping type, I)
I’ve had my navel peirced for about four years. I love it. Yes, no-one really see it but myself and my SO except If I’m swimming or feeling inclined to wear something showie.
I’m going to get another 2 belly-button rings as well… but that’s another thread.
What are the health concerns.
Not sure about where you live but in Australia we have very strict rules when it comes to piercings/tattoos. Just make sure that you see the needle in the packet before they open it and the clamps should be in a sterilizer. It will get red and sore, but you’ll live through it.
Any dopers had this done? Does it hurt much? What’s the up-keep like?
Didn’t hurt when I had it done, but the thought of cleaning it for the first time made me queasy! Up-keep wasn’t too bad, mine was red/sore for about 2 months and was fine after that, as long as you take care when drying off after showers and fiesty SO’s!
**If I don’t like it will the hole close up if I don’t put anything in it for a while. **
Yes
If you don’t want it to close over, take it out if you get pregnant but keep the hole open with something pliable like fishing wire (hey, it’s not my advice!).
I don’t even think about mine anymore, it has never got re-infected or sore and it’s a part of who I am now
http://www.bmezine.com (standard disclaimer: very graphic site, always very graphic stuff on the front page, do NOT click if you’re squeamish). Best site ever for information of all kinds on all kinds of piercings. Research to your heart’s content.
I definitely side with RaCha’ar on visiting www.bmezine.com but generally speaking, piercings have the potential to be both a lot of trouble and a lot of work. Having said that, from a health concern standpoint, if you attend a reputable shop, there shouldn’t be any problems. As far as caring for it is concerned, it normally tends to be relatively easy, cleaning it a few times a day and being very gentle with it. From a pain standpoint, it shouldn’t be terribly painful , but more than likely, just mildly uncomfortable. However, your mileage may vary on this part. As far as taking the piercing out (and it closing up) is concerned, this is pretty likely to happen with this type of piercing. However, there is a pretty good chance it will leave some type of tiny scar and if you have trouble healing the piercing, this increases the chance of visible scars a great deal (even if you decide to abandon the piercing, and allow it to close up). So, having said all of that, it probably depends on how badly you want the work done, whether it’s worth the trouble and possible complications.
If you want to, go for it! Just make sure that you follow directions and clean it regularly, especially taking care until it heals (which in the case of a belly button ring takes awhile). I’ve never been pierced at all, and likely never will be, but as long as you take care of it I think that that’s groovy.
What are the health concerns?
If you go to a place that use autoclaves and is kept clean, the risks are pretty minimal. Infection is your biggest concern, but taking care of it minimizes that (see below). Just make sure everything is sterile and you’ll be good.
Does it hurt much? What’s the up-keep like?
The piercing itself hurt a lot when it was done. I cried. But it was only for a few seconds. After that, it only hurt when it moved around, much like any other piercing I’ve had, and after a few weeks it was fine. For anyone who’d like a comparison, my tongue piercing hurt less at first but was more difficult for me to take care of. YMMV.
As for as upkeep goes, frequent cleaning is the biggest thing. I got mine last Halloween, and I still wash it out with antibacterial soap every day, at minimum. It was slightly infected once (I forgot to clean it one day), but good regular cleaning took care of it. I personally used watered down Bactine on a q-tip, 3-4 times a day, followed by water so the skin didn’t get dried out, and antibacterial soap three times a day. (I took a lot of showers to make sure it was thoroughly clean, but you don’t absolutely have to do that. It just made me feel better.)
If I don’t like it will the hole close up if I don’t put anything in it for a while?
Absolutely! Just make sure in the meantime if you’re in the first year that you’re still cleaning the piercing site so it doesn’t get infected after the barbell is gone.
One note: I recommend avoiding hoops at all costs, especially if your belly button is near your waistline. They can very easily be torn out, and I don’t think that’s something you’d enjoy experiencing.
hmm… the downside is that the navel has a direct blood supply to the liver, any infection could travel straight there and give you nasty, nasty liver failure.
keep it clean, don’t pull it or catch it on anything and you should be fine though.
but yes, hepatitis (not the infective kind, the general medical term for liver swelling) is a real risk.
If you are grown up enough that your dad won’t disown you over a piercing, I say f***in do it.
I got my tongue pierced when I first got to college and my dad said (and I paraphrase) “It’s me or teh tongue ring.” So I took it out, but I want to get it done again soooooooo bad. I think I might pierce my lower back. The flat part 3-4 inches above my butt crack. I think it would be sexy. And coverable so anyone who would be offended by it wouldn’t have to see it. Make sure and follow the pircer’s directions on how to keep it clean and don’t over do it because you can over-clean and kill all the stuff that heals it (that’s what I was told anyway)
I would recommend a half-moon ring, with a sparkley fake stone on one end. I think those look really cute in belly buttons.
The hole will close up if you take it out shortly after you get it pierced, but you will always have a scar.
Got mine done about 5 years ago. The actual piercing didn’t hurt, it was the next day that I would have happily jumped into a vat of lidocaine. OUCH!. And just wait for the first time you catch it on something—ARGH.
I kept mine in for about 3 years, but though it was never infected it was always irritated. If you are going to be wearing pantyhose–especially control top pantyhose regularly, don’t do it if you get a ring (I don’t know about the barbell thing). I finally gave up and took the little puppy out and now I just have 2 small holes…
When I had mine in, I also worried about getting pregnant…obviously you have to take it out, but can’t the strecthing enlarge the holes. The answer to that my friends is yes for some people.
Celebrating a hard one flat tummy is a great thing, but I think the belly button thing is overdone now anyway.
I looked at this thread title and read, ‘Should I get my asterisks pierced?’ The subsequent image in my mind wasn’t pretty.
A few weeks ago there was a story in the local paper about a woman who’d received a botched tongue piercing; it got infected, and the infection went into her brain, and the front page photograph was of her half-shaved head with a huge baseball-seam scar where they’d done the brain operation.
So yes, I guess there’s some risk. But then I thought, ‘It’s your asterisk…’
