Going to get my belly ring and I'm scared

[Tinie]

Has anyone had theirs pierced?

 

I'm planning on doing it in 2 months. I've wanted one for 6 years but my parents weren't on board before, however I live alone now and have my own income and I still want one. I've never actually actively considered getting it until now which is why I'm giving myself 2 months to research everything and really think about it.

 

I'm so scared its going to be painful though. What were your experiences like?

 

I'm also a bit worried because I had my ears pierced twice but I have a very severe allergy to a metal (nickel I think but I'm not sure), where my ear holes leaked pus, were really swollen and red, and I had to take the earrings out both times. I was thinking to go see my doctor to confirm the allergy is nickel before I get pierced (maybe he can refer me to a dermatologist as well). The studio I'm looking at uses implant grade titanium which I read is nickel free. Is this enough?

[JewelD]

Surgical steel or titanium should be fine. Just don't buy any rings with sterling silver or nickel.

 

I think the pain depends on how thick your skin is. It hurts when you first get it done, but it's not unbearable. What really hurts is the healing process. It takes months to fully heal and you shouldn't change your jewelry during this time. You have to clean it everyday as there may be puss or blood.

 

I've had mine for around 5 years and it's fully healed with no issues.

[Tinie]

Surgical steel or titanium should be fine. Just don't buy any rings with sterling silver or nickel.

 

I think the pain depends on how thick your skin is. It hurts when you first get it done, but it's not unbearable. What really hurts is the healing process. It takes months to fully heal and you shouldn't change your jewelry during this time. You have to clean it everyday as there may be puss or blood.

 

I've had mine for around 5 years and it's fully healed with no issues.

 

Hi Jewel!

 

Sorry for the late reply I really appreciate your response. I ended up getting pierced a week and a half ago.

 

I went to a professional piercing studio so the procedure was a bit costly. However I had only bad experiences with piercings before (besides my belly ring I don't have anything else pierced currently for that reason) so I figured the price was worth it. Mine's an inverted belly ring because I had enough skin on the bottom of my belly button and very little on the top (my belly button's a bit weird- its an in-betweeny so its got a knot of skin right underneath the top of it).

 

I found that its actually not painful at all! Apparently my kind of piercing is very rare according to the woman who pierced me so that was unusual. She also freestyled it (without clamping the skin first) and its absolutely perfect, I love it!

 

I also haven't had any complications- no pus, no bleeding, very minimal swelling, very minimal redness around the bottom ball, and I only remember its there if I hit it accidentally. I've been doing a saline compress 2x a day.

 

Thanks for your tips, I'm super happy with my piercing and it was so worth it!

[truthtripper]

Has anyone had theirs pierced?

 

I'm planning on doing it in 2 months. I've wanted one for 6 years but my parents weren't on board before, however I live alone now and have my own income and I still want one. I've never actually actively considered getting it until now which is why I'm giving myself 2 months to research everything and really think about it.

 

I'm so scared its going to be painful though. What were your experiences like?

 

I'm also a bit worried because I had my ears pierced twice but I have a very severe allergy to a metal (nickel I think but I'm not sure), where my ear holes leaked pus, were really swollen and red, and I had to take the earrings out both times. I was thinking to go see my doctor to confirm the allergy is nickel before I get pierced (maybe he can refer me to a dermatologist as well). The studio I'm looking at uses implant grade titanium which I read is nickel free. Is this enough?

A friend of mine got a belly ring, but had to remove it soon after because it was making her nauseous. I'm guessing it was pressing on a nerve?? So if it causes you ongoing illness or irritation, just take it out.

[GemmaUK]

Keep up with the saline compresses until it's fully healed.

I have a nickel allergy also but have no issues at all with titanium nor surgical steel.

 

I had salt baths and that helped mine heal.

One tip is if you do catch it or it gets sore most chemists sell numbing antiseptic spray for sore throats. I used this all the while mine was healing and it was really handy to carry around in my bag. I really would recommend getting some.

 

Mine was also done freestyle by a professional and she didn't freeze it. She did catch me mid sentence when she did it and I did call her a name! Lol!

I know of two people who had theirs done frozen and both got infected.

My doctor has seen mine and the first time she did she said how nice it looked and how healthy.

 

Like another poster said - don't change the ring for a longer time than you think. I have found that many of the other items of jewellery are too long and end up twisted so catch on things more whereas a ring is perfect.

I had mine done almost 18 years ago!

[Tinie]

Thanks for the responses!

 

A friend of mine got a belly ring, but had to remove it soon after because it was making her nauseous. I'm guessing it was pressing on a nerve?? So if it causes you ongoing illness or irritation, just take it out.

 

Wow that really sucks!! It kind of freaked me out, reading about peoples' bad experiences online with infections but I surprisingly haven't had any issues with mine. Its been a week and a half and there's just mild soreness if I bump it, which goes away momentarily.

 

Keep up with the saline compresses until it's fully healed.

I have a nickel allergy also but have no issues at all with titanium nor surgical steel.

 

I had salt baths and that helped mine heal.

One tip is if you do catch it or it gets sore most chemists sell numbing antiseptic spray for sore throats. I used this all the while mine was healing and it was really handy to carry around in my bag. I really would recommend getting some.

 

Mine was also done freestyle by a professional and she didn't freeze it. She did catch me mid sentence when she did it and I did call her a name! Lol!

I know of two people who had theirs done frozen and both got infected.

My doctor has seen mine and the first time she did she said how nice it looked and how healthy.

 

Like another poster said - don't change the ring for a longer time than you think. I have found that many of the other items of jewellery are too long and end up twisted so catch on things more whereas a ring is perfect.

I had mine done almost 18 years ago!

 

Absolutely! I have found the saline compresses have taken away the small bit of redness around the bottom ball, and my belly ring looks very normal with no signs of problems even though its been such a short while.

 

Haha oh dear! Mine thankfully warned me, and told me to take a deep breath and let it out slowly, as she pierced me. I was waiting for the clamp so I was surprised that it wasn't attached. Good for you! I hope mine ends up the same way, healed and healthy, fingers crossed for no complications.

 

That is a very good point regarding changing out the ring. Right now mine's the plain titanium barbell with a simple ball on either end sans crystals. I love it and I think I'll keep it as is (at the very least for a year but likely longer than that). My best friend had hers pierced 5 or 6 years ago and its starting to reject because she keeps wearing barbells with very heavy dangles. Because mine is an inverse piercing, the bottom ball is a lot closer to the waistband of my jeans so its riskier for me to wear dangly jewelry.

 

I also wear only baggy shirts, sleep on my side/back never on my front, and stay away from any lakes/pools/baths (shower only!). The piercer said that a good diet, plenty of sleep and less stress helps with healing as well. So I've been keeping that up and hopefully everything works out.

 

Thanks for the tips!

[GemmaUK]

Haha oh dear! Mine thankfully warned me, and told me to take a deep breath and let it out slowly, as she pierced me. I was waiting for the clamp so I was surprised that it wasn't attached. Good for you! I hope mine ends up the same way, healed and healthy, fingers crossed for no complications.

 

That is a very good point regarding changing out the ring. Right now mine's the plain titanium barbell with a simple ball on either end sans crystals. I love it and I think I'll keep it as is (at the very least for a year but likely longer than that). My best friend had hers pierced 5 or 6 years ago and its starting to reject because she keeps wearing barbells with very heavy dangles. Because mine is an inverse piercing, the bottom ball is a lot closer to the waistband of my jeans so its riskier for me to wear dangly jewelry.

 

Well she was lovely but a sarcastic mare! lol! Bit like I am! *cough*

I did finish that sentence before I said 'You B****!!' You gave me no bloody warning!!! She laughed her head off!

 

I was going to suggest a year to be honest - a year minimum. You'll be fine!

I did try switching mine out but just had problems with the prettier types so went back and got the ring and ball which I'd had in the beginning - still got it. Glad you like it! I still love mine!

I've had mine 18 years now and it still gets compliments on the beach, in the bedroom and on the odd occasion someone catches sight of it.

Some of that spray though - for if you don't have time or get slack (er - it helped me in my getting slack times!).

 

I still remember my doctor (older than me and very nerdy telling me how wonderful it looked and how well healed. She hadn't ever seen one like it.

 

Enjoy!!

[Gloria25]

Awwww, memories...

 

I had mine done overseas in Europe. Actually, I went in for a belly piercing and a tattoo - a "twofer" if you will

 

I don't recall it hurting and it was quick. Yes, the hardest part was not being able to do sit-ups to allow it to heal.

 

Gosh, that literally was over a decade ago. Now a days I have to be careful when I'm lifting, doing handiwork, etc. so that I don't have an accident and rip out my innards

 

The thing of concern for me is to make sure they do it right, cuz I sometimes hate how some piercings look on it. The curly ones are ok, but the ones that look like a curved bow with a ball on top and bottom sometimes are too long and tend to hang over.

[MidwestUSA]

I had a coworker do mine while we were on a twenty minute break. We went in the call room where the surgeons/on call personnel sleep. He injected me with lidocaine, jabbed it thru, and I went back to work. Bought him a beer later for his time.

 

I put neosporin at each open end, and never had a problem. If I leave it out too long, sometimes I have to force it back thru, and it's sore for a day.

 

As for him, he'd done about sixty of them (he's not licensed to do so), and his only infection was his own daughter, who played mud volleyball shortly after getting hers. Dumb move.

 

That was years ago. Haven't had a problem at all, except for occasionally losing one. I found that if you dab some NuSkin on the threaded end before screwing it together, it won't work its way loose. Super glue might be a bit much.

[Tinie]

Sorry folks I kind of vanished for a while, school got intense. My piercing is healing very well, no complications at all, and it feels only mildly uncomfortable if I bump it accidentally.

 

Now, I was wondering, I do a saline soak twice a day for 10 mins each. The saline is prepared by myself (I don't buy it). How long do I do these saline soaks for? A year? 6 months? I thought it was only until the surface of the skin heals but I'm not sure.

 

Glad you like it! I still love mine!

I've had mine 18 years now and it still gets compliments on the beach, in the bedroom and on the odd occasion someone catches sight of it.

Some of that spray though - for if you don't have time or get slack (er - it helped me in my getting slack times!).

 

Nice! I'm hoping that I'm doing the right stuff so mine ends up like that. Any chance you know what the spray is called? Or where I can buy it?

 

The thing of concern for me is to make sure they do it right, cuz I sometimes hate how some piercings look on it. The curly ones are ok, but the ones that look like a curved bow with a ball on top and bottom sometimes are too long and tend to hang over.

 

Very much agree. I was browsing google images for jewelry ideas and I really don't like the look of barbells that are too long (or rather, the hole isn't made though enough skin). Thankfully mine was done very well. I have a slightly longer barbell to accommodate swelling when I first got pierced but the bar itself doesn't show.

[JewelD]

I remember using saline on my nose but I don't think I used it on my belly button. I was told to wash it in the shower with the jewelry still in and to make sure you work it back and forth so the skin heals normally. I think I just used dove soap to clean it. I may have put Neosporin on it at some point because it was itching but that was just at the entry site.

[GemmaUK]

I did salt baths and used that spray for 6 months - which is what the piercing lady told me.

Long after it healed but while healing if I did knock it the skin was thin for a while so it would get sore then be OK, then I'd knock it...etc.

Stick with your saline much longer than you think.

 

And yes, do make sure you can move the bar about so that it doesn't stick to your skin - be gentle about it though.

[Raena]

I got mine done many moons ago...

 

Let's see... I nearly passed out when they did it.

 

It took 8 months for it to fully heal... couldn't sleep on my stomach at all during that time.

 

Later on in life I had a baby and had to take it out.

 

The scar it left is gross to me, I don't like the way it looks.

 

If I had the chance to go back and decide if I would do it again I'd say no. Only because it looks completely ridiculous now as a much older woman.