How to Perform A Belly Button Piercing (2024)

From beach bums to #fitstagrammers, belly button rings are the piercing of the summer. Whether they’re shown off or kept under wraps, belly button piercings are one of the most popular piercing types.

With their high-demand, there are always going to be people looking to make a quick buck or to find shortcuts. The result is DIY belly button piercing kits and online self-piercing tutorials, that put people, and their piercings, at risk.

Because the belly button is one of the least painful piercings people sometimes assume the piercing is easy. Without proper training, this piercing is potentially dangerous.

Importance of Going to a Professional

A professional piercer should always be consulted when piercing the navel. The navel area contains a lot of nerves and blood vessels, so a misplaced piercing can result in a bloody mess and/or lasting nerve damage.

In fact, not every belly button is safe to pierce. While most innies are, outie belly buttons can cause complications and usually aren’t. Sometimes, however, the outie (outward belly button) itself can be pierced, instead of the skin above it. This is known as a true belly button piercing.

A professional piercer will tell you if a navel piercing is right for your body and, if not, can recommend another body piercing type that is.

In addition to making your piercing safe, professional piercers also ensure a higher quality of piercing. The placement is precise and the process is sanitary, ensuring a great looking piercing and proper healing.

Look for a piercing studio that follows strict sanitary precautions and pierces with a needle instead of a gun. A piercing gun is usually a sign of an untrained piercer, and it is a blunt, imprecise piece of equipment.

How the Belly Button is Pierced

Piercing the belly button is a 6 step process:

1. Sanitize Environment/Equipment
2. Clean Surface
3. Mark the Target
4. Pierce & Insert Jewellery
5. Clean
6. Aftercare

Sanitize the Environment & Equipment

Before the client comes in, the artist focuses on sanitization. Equipment is sealed in bags and sanitized in the autoclave to be opened in front of the client. The area is cleaned and any surface that will touch bare skin is wrapped.

Cleaning the Surface

When the client comes in they have a seat in the prepped area. The artist puts on new gloves and cleans the navel with an antiseptic wipe. This is an added precaution to prevent infection.

Mark the Target

The artist then uses a surgical marker to mark where they will pierce. This is a good chance for the client to make sure the piercing location is where they want it to be. As well, it makes accuracy easier for the artist, so they can focus on careful, proper piercing.

Pierce & Insert Jewellery

The moment of truth. The artist now pierces the belly button, inserting the jewellery. This jewellery will stay in until the piercing heals. Once fully healed you can replace with new jewellery. Jewellery for a new piercing differs from a healed piercing. It usually focuses on being hypoallergenic, minimal movement, irritation, and the chance of catching.

Clean (Again)

Make no mistake about it, a piercing is a wound. So it doesn’t hurt to be careful. The artist follows up by cleaning the navel one last time with an antiseptic wipe.

Aftercare

The final role of the piercer is to advise you on piercing aftercare. They will usually supply a printed sheet of instructions, as well as go over the process verbally. Following aftercare instructions is important for ensuring your belly button piercing heals safely and properly.

A navel piercing can take as much as 3-6 months to completely heal, and aftercare continues throughout this whole time. If you have any questions or concerns during or about aftercare, call or visit your artist.

Types of Navel Piercings

There are a number of different ways to pierce the navel:

• Traditional
• Inverse
• Horizontal
• Double/Multi
• True Belly Button Piercing

Traditional Navel Piercing

This is the most common type of navel piercing. The piercing goes through the skin above the belly button and into the inside of the belly button hole. It usually features a ring, curved barbell shield or dangler as jewellery.

Some people will opt for a deep navel. It’s similar to the traditional piercing, except that it goes through a larger area, with the top extruding higher above the navel.

Inverse Navel Piercing

Similar to the traditional piercing, the inverse navel instead pierces through the bottom of the belly button. Sometimes called a lower navel piercing, it usually features a curved barbell or dangler.

Horizontal

The horizontal piercing goes above the navel and usually features a curved barbell placed horizontally. To actually go through the belly button piercers will perform a double horizontal navel piercing. This is two piercings, one on each side of the navel and connected by a single piece of jewellery. The double usually uses a barbell.

Double or Multi-Navel Piercing

Double piercings aren’t always connected by a single piece of jewellery. For example, a common double piercing is one traditional navel and one inverse navel. This leaves room for lots of cool piercing jewellery combinations. Multi-piercings are any combination of more than two navel piercings.

True Belly Button Piercing

The only piercing that pierces your actual belly button, the true navel goes right through an extruding, outie, belly button. The jewellery is usually either a ring or a curved barbell.

Get A Belly Button Piercing in Newmarket

No matter what type of navel piercing you choose, you want to make sure it comes out looking just right. With experienced artists and a safety-first mindset, the Pierced studio is the best place to get a belly button piercing in Newmarket. Contact us for an appointment, or visit us in the Upper Canada Mall.