Later on, you can follow the tips so as prevent an infection and enjoy your splash in the pool. "Piercings heal on the outside first and then on the inside," Koox Diving states. So now that you know that swimming isnt recommended until your piercing is fully healed, you may want to take a deeper dive into why that is. Cartilage piercings heal from the outside in, which means that they may look healed on the outside long before the process is truly done. However, a piercing is created by pulling a needle through the skin, so there is, of course, some pain involved. Copyright Thoughtful Tattoos & Buzzle.com, Inc. After having a piercing, it's important to keep the area clean and dry. The full breakdown, according to NHS, is that ear piercings take six to eight weeks, belly button piercings take six months to a year, and nose piercings take up to six months. Considering laser tattoo removal? While sweat is naturally produced by the body, and is just a sign of your body taking care of itself, make sure to take a shower after exercising as a clean body tends to be a healthier body. Brooks says. Ask your doctor if ther. The typical and most popular jewelry choice for belly button piercings is a curved barbell, which slightly curves outward to pop against your belly button and generally fits better with the natural shape of your body. Keep scrolling to find out more, and remember, its your choice whether you hit the gym, but the facts dont lie. References However, its important to note that not everyone can get a belly button piercing. Infections in the belly button are common. Not quite. (Unless, of course, you plan to go on a winter vacation.) We recommend to avoid swimming for the first two weeks after a piercing. ", "The tip that showering was best, instead of bathing, helped.". If youre still interested in a belly button piercing, the best place to start is to find a licensed, experienced piercer who will work with your anatomy to give you the best piercing. Clean skin piercings. Read More Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone. While many simple piercings, like the ears, take only around 6-8 weeks to heal, the healing period for a navel piercing is much longer a belly button piercing takes 6 months to 1 year to heal completely[ source]. Do not use alcohol and other antiseptic products since they cause obstruction of the skin by blocking pores. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. While chlorine may be okay for piercings, all the other bacteria in the water may cause you trouble and you can never be sure how balanced the chemical levels are in anyone else's pool, or what else may be in the water. Its common practice to ask around for recommendations when looking for a piercer. Association of Professional Piercers. Curved in both directions twisted spiral jewelry is fun to wear and makes a statement. Halloran L. Body Piercing: Avoiding Complications. Do it in your own, clean bath. Bumps are, Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. Very hot water will cause your piercing to swell and hurt. Whether youre getting your belly button (or any other body part) pierced, its important to get quality jewelry. This will ensure that the body has enough to form repair tissue for the area. Only get rid of them when cleaning the area as at this time they will have soaked and softened up to get off the area when wiped off. This involves observing cleanliness with the aim of keeping the piercing clean and avoiding passing microorganisms to the area. Even if you can cover the entire area with a waterproof bandage, swimming at all is not advised by either Brooks or Figueroa unless youve waited at least the minimum healing period. Of course, the best way to avoid these is to not go swimming at all! Well walk you, Tea tree oil has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiseptic properties. While following the instructions discussed above goes a long way to prevent belly button infections, you may follow them to the letter and still end up with an infection. You need to clean the piercing daily using a sterile cotton bud or other disinfected material. When having physical activities or exercises, take care to avoid getting the area hurt. How to Swim? wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Make sure you visit the shop ahead of time so you can get a feel for the place. To emphasize, its important that you shower and clean the piercing well after your workout is complete. Here's a breakdown so you can plan your piercing accordingly. LEARN ABOUT BYRDIE'S EDITORIAL GUIDELINES. "Your ear piercing after swimming needs to be rinsed under running water to rinse off any germs that could cause infection." While it's not doctor-approved, there are precautions and aftercare tips that you can take if you can't avoid submerging your piercing in water. This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. The piercing forms scar tissue. Apart from observing the above general tips, below are specific things you need to have in your aftercare. If You're Getting a Belly Button Piercing, Here's What You Should Know, 15 Cool-Girl Ear Piercings You'll Want to Get Immediately, Dermal Piercings: Everything You Should Know Before You Commit, Considering a Conch Piercing? I pierced my ears a few days ago, and they've started swelling, and they're painful. Jewelry for initial piercings. (Fun To Read!). We use cookies to make wikiHow great. The fact that the area is warm and dark ad can easily retain moisture makes it vulnerable to infections as these conditions are favorable for the growth of micro-organisms. That makes the cold-weather months a great time to be spontaneous. Most hot tubbers have a hard time waiting this long to re-enter a hot tub. Some of these include: There are a lot of ways through which a navel piercing can get infected. Belly button piercings have been popular for a long timeand for good reason. Your email address will not be published. Since its recommended to avoid swimming for most of the healing period (at least 6 months), getting your belly button pierced in the winter is a good idea. This means six to eight weeks for a simple ear piercing, and up to 6 months for nipple/navel piercings and at least two weeks for a tattoo. However, unlike ear piercings or face piercings, theres no way to avoid submerging your belly button in a hot tub! A belly button piercing will most likely take anywhere from six months to a year to fully heal depending on how you care for it and your day-to-day lifestyle; however, the most common time frame is between six and eight months Regardless, its important to check with your piercer when you believe its healed before stopping aftercareif it's still healing, the site could become infected. This is because of the constant movement associated with the location. Try to follow all of the aftercare instructions directly from your artist in terms of keeping your new piece of body art clean, using a lotion to moisturize, and protecting it from the sun. Have you recently got a belly button piercing? Wear loose clothes to reduce friction around the area. Always wash your hands with soap before handling the jewelry or piercing. (Fun To Read!). When cleaning it, handle the area gently. To clean the piercing, rinse the area with saline solution. Belly button piercings are done either with tools or freehand by a professional piercer. Avoid swimming whether it is in chlorine treated pools, in the sea, river, ocean or lake. With any fresh piercing we generally recommend you avoid swimming for the first month, though the risk to your piercing depends on where you're swimming. Its a super quick process which makes it very manageable.. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'outdoorfavor_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_1',671,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-outdoorfavor_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0'); Hot tubs have similar water treatments to pools, so its also recommended to avoid these. Next time you get the itch to get a piercing, make sure to remember this advice before planning a trip to the pool. Here's What You Need to Know, The Complete Guide to Industrial Bar Piercings, Rook Piercing 101: Everything You Need to Know, This Is How to Clean a Nose Piercing the Right Way, Tattoo Aftercare Is CrucialHere's How to Do it Right, Why You Should Soak Your New Body Piercing in Sea Salt, Michele Farber, MD, FAAD is a New York-based board-certified dermatologist practicing at. However, this is not always the case. According to our experts, its best to adhere to the recommended healing time for tattoos and piercings before submerging in either chlorine or seawater, with natural bodies of water actually carrying the higher risk of infection. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. After washing your hands with soap and water, rinse the area with warm water. For more advice, like how to shower with a new piercing, read on. We try to partake in some form of exercise on a daily basis (to varying degrees of success, admittedly) but have been cautioned against doing so, as it can impact the healing process of any new body modification. Pain level: 4/5. On average, however, you can expect a belly button piercing to run between $30 and $75. While it may be tempting to relax in the bath for a long time, limit your piercings exposure to soap and chemicals from shampoos or conditioners by only bathing as long as you need to. so ideally, you should not swim for 6 months to let it heal to 60 to 100%. The long healing time is largely due to the fact that the abdomen sees a lot of movement. First, the area will be cleaned, and if you have some hair there, your piercer will most likely shave the area with a disposable razor to allow for a smooth and clean piercing site. For ear and facial piercings, you can exercise immediately, though Brooks advises you to do so with care, and avoid contact sports. Byrdie takes every opportunity to use high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. % of people told us that this article helped them. Healthline Media does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You may be advised to gently clean the area with a sterile saline solution. Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Your choice whether you hit the gym, but the how long to wait before swimming after belly button piercing dont lie time is largely to! To ask around for recommendations when looking for a long timeand for good reason sure visit... In chlorine treated pools, in the sea, river, ocean or lake my ears few! Get infected, to support the facts dont lie copyright Thoughtful Tattoos & Buzzle.com, after. Avoid swimming whether it is in chlorine treated pools, in the sea, river ocean! 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