Dip your finger or a soft washcloth in a solution of salt water
(about a teaspoon of table salt in a cup of warm water) and gently massage the inside of your navel. This should loosen stubborn germs that can cause odor. Then rinse with plain water and pat it dry.
Keep the skin of your belly button clean and dry. Use
an antifungal powder or cream to clear up a yeast infection
. For a bacterial infection, your doctor might recommend using an antibiotic ointment. Some infections may require oral antibiotic treatment, incision and drainage of the cyst, or both.
If your belly button is “leaking” clear or colored discharge or blood, you may have a bacterial, fungal, or yeast
infection
. Crusty skin, strong odor, itching, and redness are also signs of infection. If discharge and crust stick around after you wash your belly button, you should see your doctor.
Infections are usually minor. Symptoms can include pain, redness, and swelling, and improving hygiene can help. Complete healing can take
9–12 months
.
- redness or skin discoloration in or around the belly button.
- itching or swelling of the affected skin.
- a tender mass that bleeds or releases a foul-smelling discharge.
- fever or chills.
- nausea or vomiting.
Treatment: Use an antifungal cream such as miconazole nitrate (Micatin, Monistat-Derm) or
clotrimazole
(Lotrimin, Mycelex), and keep your navel clean and dry.
Consult a dermatologist before using an
over-the-counter antibacterial cream
, like Neosporin, as there's a risk for allergic irritation of the skin and reduced airflow to the piercing site, which may increase risk for infection.
Depending on the sensitivity of your skin, you can use water, a
saltwater solution, or hydrogen peroxide
to clean your belly button. Dip one side of a cotton swab into a cleansing agent and gently wipe your belly button.
You must wash your piercing twice daily with a salt solution and clean cotton swab to prevent bacterial growth and infection. Many people, however, mistake signs of healing for an infected belly button. You may experience persistent redness around the belly button and soreness that is simply a symptom of healing.
Share on Pinterest Antibiotic and antifungal ointments
or creams
may be used to treat belly button discharge. Bacterial infections are usually treated with antibiotic ointments or creams. Fungal or yeast infections are also typically treated with antifungal powders or creams.
Dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and gently rub the surfaces
inside your bellybutton. If the swab gets dirty, throw it away and start a new one. Once the cotton swab comes out clean, use a fresh one dipped in water to rinse the alcohol out of your bellybutton so it doesn't dry your skin.
Even if you don't develop a yeast infection,
the accumulation of sweat, dirt, dead skin cells, and lint
can cause your bellybutton to smell. Omphaloliths. As dead skin cells and sebum — the oil secreted by your skin — accumulate in your bellybutton, they can form an omphalolith over time.
Areas of the body, including the armpits or feet, are more likely to become moist with sweat and smell. This is because bacteria break down the sweat and create a waste product that has a strong odor. If the belly button has trapped dead skin and sweat, it is
likely to smell sweaty
.
It is possible for feces or menstrual blood to come out of a belly button
. An umbilical fistula, an abnormally developed passageway between the intestines and the umbilicus, can cause fecal matter to leak from the navel.
It's possible to get a bacterial infection
like staph in your belly button because that's just what your body decides to do that day, but getting a navel piercing is a big risk factor, Dr. Lipoff says. “[It's] the most common reason I've seen an infection in a belly button,” he says.
During the healing process,
it's normal to see a little blood near the stump
. Much like a scab, the cord stump might bleed a little when it falls off. However, contact your baby's doctor if the umbilical area oozes pus, the surrounding skin becomes red and swollen, or the area develops a pink moist bump.
