This is a series about the designs of piercings, such as placement, jewellery options available and what you should expect to see and experience when you get a new piercing. Every single piercing is different and complex, and so different from person to person. More experienced piercers might be faster, and it might be easier for them to recognise what your body specifically needs compared to an apprentice for example, however relevant checks will still need to be taken. Let’s kickstart the series by talking about navel piercings!
Checking Your Navel Anatomy
Navel piercings are completely anatomy dependent, for both viability and the type of jewellery they require. There are so many options available. Your piercer should be absolutely checking your anatomy before they pierce you.
To assess your anatomy, your piercer might ask you to stand, bend forwards, lay down and sit to see how your navel moves. They will be watching to see how your navel moves, and wether there will be space to comfortably allow jewellery to sit.
Your piercer may also feel ‘into’ your navel to assess the depth, and definition of the lip of the navel. There are lots of navel piercing options available, so lets have a look at each option!
Anatomy – Traditional and Floating Navel Piercing:
Traditional navel piercings are often the most common piercings you might see. Traditional navel piercings are pierced centrally through the upper ‘lip’ of the navel. Your jewellery will be that classic design with a small gem on the top, and a larger gemstone on the bottom.
These piercings require specific anatomy. First off all you need to have a defined ‘shelf’ or ‘lip’ at the top of the navel that the jewellery can pass through (similiar to a rook or a vertical lip for example). It also depends on where the muscles in your stomach lay. Often as we bend, sit, and lay down in every day life our abdomen moves with us. What we’re looking for in a traditional navel is that the navel stays open and doesn’t collapse (fold flat), during movement. This leaves lots of open space for that larger gem on the bottom to sit comfortably without causing pressure.
If the navel does collapse, it means that the larger gemstone on the bottom is going to cause the jewellery to be pushed up and outwards, which can cause irritation and rejection. This is when we might recommend a floating navel. Floating navels are very similar to traditional, as they are pierced centrally with the body, through that ‘upper’ lip. However, that collapsing of the navel means that the larger gemstone on the bottom is not sustainable, so we change jewellery styles!
The top gemstone is designed to be the centerpiece, and can be super large or decorative. We swap the bottom ball to either a nice flat disk, an ‘M&M’ disk, or a smaller ball. At your downsize appointment, we use a shorter bar that creates a really comfortable, snug fit. Depending on the anatomy we can also create a tucked-away, ‘invisible’ look of the bottom ball/disk. This is why it’s called a floating navel – It looks as though the top gem is simply floating in place.
The third type of anatomy you might see is an ‘outie’. Outie navels are caused by a remnant of umbilical cord or hernia which sticks out of the body. Unfortunately, this type of navel that is unsafe to pierce. A standard navel is pierced through only skin and a little soft tissue, but an outie would be pierced through quite a lot of complex internal tissue. This piercing would be unstable, and any issues such as infection could quickly become quite serious. Because of this, we do not pierce outie navels. However, read on too see some other cool options or get in touch with us to discuss your options!
Lower/Offset Navel Piercing:
Navel piercings can also be fun to move around and pierce in a variety of placements. As long as your anatomy allows for it, we can do all kinds of fun things!
For example, lower navels! These guys are pierced through the bottom ‘ledge’ of the navel rather than the top, and are essentially ‘upside down.’ These are super cute and fun, and can be styled in a variety of ways. However, they are incredbily anatomy dependant and it’s much rarer to have the anatomy for them. In terms of anatomy, we are looking for the same sort of things as a traditional navel. We are looking for that well defined ‘lip’ or ‘shelf’ for that bar to pass through. If we have this, we’re probably good to go! We’re also looking at the movement of the navel and wether or not it collapses. If it does, again your piercer will possibly use either a small ball or a disk for the inside end.
Side-set navels are also super cool. Often these are paired with an already existing navel piercing, but can be pierced without! It’s all about personal choice. These guys are pierced as a pair and ‘off centre’, commonly at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock. We’re still following the same anatomy rules by making sure we have that well defined lip, but we are making sure there is enough space and enough ledge to support the two piercings in opposing placements. Typically because they’re pierced as a pair, the inside jewellery will use either smaller balls or disks, to leave plenty of room for the movement of day-to-day life.
Large Gauge Navels:
Large gauge navels are not the most common, however they do look absolutely amazing when we see them! Large gauge navels can either be pierced initially at a larger gauge, or they can be stretched! There are also so many ways to style them! From glass plugs, to BCRs, to stacked rings! Initially, these guys will be pierced with a curved barbell just like a standard gauge navel piercing. After the first 3-6 months you can change and play around with the different styles, and after around a year is when you can look at stacking! For stacking you want to make sure the piercing channel is very well healed.
If you would like to ask us more questions about the navel piercing, don’t hesitate to contact us!
Rogue has over 30 years of piercing experience, and work at the highest standards of both skill and hygiene. If you would like to book in for a navel piercing with us, just hit this link!
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