Summer is now just around the corner, and that means that people are thinking of ways to jazz themselves up before the season of bathing suits and crop tops! A navel, or bellybutton piercing is a perfect way to do so.
We love navel piercings. Between the three of us (Aiden, Jay and myself), we have 5 navel piercings! They are a brilliant way to add a bit of sparkle to an area that some people are self-conscious of. In my experience, adding a piece of jewellery you love can really help with your confidence.
So, what are navel piercings like? How do you heal one? And finally we will answer the most common query, “But I was told my navel was unpierceable!”
Types of Navel Piercing
There are three main types of navel anatomy, two of which can be pierced. These two types are both equally common, and the only thing that changes is what kind of jewellery you can wear in it!
“Traditional Navel” – This is the standard anatomy that you probably have in mind when you think about navel piercings. It has a good ‘lip’ at the top of the navel, and when you bend over the crease that forms will sit well above the navel. The navel itself holds its’ shape when you squish down. This type of navel can easily hold the traditional navel jewellery that comes to mind when you think of navel piercings! Small, cute gem on the top and a larger gem on the bottom.
“Collapsing Navel” – This is another type of navel, which can also be pierced. This type of navel is also called a ‘floating navel,’ because the jewellery often looks like it is a single gem floating above the navel itself. This is not to be confused with a surface piercing, which is unsuitable for any navel piercing. A collapsing navel, as the name suggests, will squish flat when you bend over. People of all shapes and sizes can have collapsing navels, it is nothing to do with your weight! It is dictated by where your abdomen creases, and in this case the abdomen creases perfectly along the bellybutton. When your navel squishes flat, there is no room for that large gem that traditional navel jewellery has! Wearing traditional navel jewellery in a collapsing navel will cause all kinds of pressure issues and is not conducive to a long-term heal. Collapsing navels are pierced using a strongly curved barbell (Anatometal curves are our favourite for this!), and hold a large gem on the top and a small ball or disc on the bottom. This small ball or disc is much more comfortable, and will not cause issues when you bend over or move!
“Outie Navel” – Outie navels are caused by a remnant of umbilical cord which sticks out of the body. Unfortunately, this is the one type of navel that it is actually 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 could quickly become quite serious. Because of this, we do not pierce outie navels. There are lots of other cool options though, so definitely pop into the studio if you would like to discuss alternative piercings!
Getting a Navel Piercing
The easiest part of the whole process is the piercing itself. The most comparable piercing is actually your earlobes! It is the same type of soft, flexible skin with a thin bit of soft tissue in between.
First, we check your anatomy to see which style of navel is suitable for you! Then, we will clean and mark you while you are standing up. This helps us to see where the jewellery will sit, and make sure it is perfectly straight. We do the actual piercing with the client laying down – This is much more comfortable and makes it less scary!
Often the most intimidating part is actually the clamping of the tissue- Some piercers will use a set of clamps to hold the navel while they pierce. This can be quite uncomfortable! At Rogue we don’t use clamps for navel piercings, everything is totally freehand. This means less discomfort for you, and a much easier piercing. The actual piercing takes only a couple of seconds!
As with all our piercings we use a very sharp single-use tri-bevel needle, and install implant-grade ASTM F-136 Titanium or solid 14k or 18k Gold jewellery. We have something for every budget and style!
Healing Your New Piercing
A navel piercing is quite a simple piercing to heal, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. For our full aftercare advice, click here!
Firstly, you have to avoid putting pressure on this piercing while it heals. Unfortunately this means avoiding tight or high-waisted clothing and tight belts or corsets for the first 8-12 weeks of the healing period. Pressure will irritate your navel piercing, and unfortunately will slightly increase the risk of rejection. So here is your written permission to wear sweatpants for 8 weeks!
The second thing to be mindful of is keeping this piercing dry. This means you must avoid bathing or swimming for a minimum of 4 weeks. Keep this in mind if you are planning to be newly sparkly for a seaside holiday! The most common issue is the collection of moisture underneath the lower part of the piercing. The bellybutton itself is a perfect cup to hold water in, and a wet piercing is easily irritated and can become a breeding ground for bacteria. So after you shower or swim it is really important to dab your piercing dry both top and bottom!
Navel piercings take between 6 and 8 months to fully heal, so in fact the best time to get them is between Autumn and late Spring! This way you can heal them perfectly before they need to be on show.
So there you are, a quick overview of navel piercings! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We are open for bookings, which you can book here! We are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10.30am-5pm. See you soon!