posted on Oct, 23 2007 @ 12:36 AM
As a former piercer (and as a result a former piercee, yep, it was required that I be pierced EVERYWHERE that I would pierce someone else, female
parts excluded naturally) I have some advice for you.
Since you do not know what you are doing, go to the tat shop and have them change your jewelry. They will likely charge a small fee, but it's better
than the possible complications for you doing it yourself.
What are the complications you ask?
1. The navel is the single NASTIEST part of your body. Thus, infections are VERY easy to get there.
2. As a result of the infection, keloid scars also develop very large and very quickly there.
3. If you do the plier trick yourself, you can EASILY slip off the ball and rip the jewelry fully or partly out, thus putting yourself at greater risk
for infection.
Do NOT rub alcohol on it to clean the "crusties". Alcohol is an anti-healer. While it does kill the bad (viral) bacteria, it also kills the good
(healing) bacteria. If you want the crusties gone first, soap and water will do just fine.
If you have redness and swelling around each hole, put a DAB of neosporin (or other triple antibiotic cream) on the top and bottom of your banana bell
and pull the bell GENTLY up and down through the hole to help kill the infection.
If you insist on keeping that "bad idea" piercing, I would suggest going with a CBR (Captive Bead Ring........the loop with the ball) as it is less
likely to get snagged on your clothing and rip the hole and also MUCH easier to keep clean as you can run the length of he ring through the
piercing.
Honestly, I would suggest you just rid yourself of it completely before you have the inevitable trouble out of it.
If you want a cleaner and safer, yet still attractive, piercing, go with the labret.
Just don't bite on it. Metal vs Teeth = Metal wins.
Oh yea, ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY buy SURGICAL STEEL jewelry. Do NOT wear gold, stainless steel, silver or any of the other metals in it. They are
harbingers of infection.
Jasn