How to Tell If Your Belly Button Piercing Is Rejecting or Migrating
Belly piercings are trending and look great on the skin. However, sometimes, they don’t turn out flawlessly. The reason could be an infection followed by either belly jewellery migration or rejection. The skin around the navel also gets thin, making a new piercing hard to get.
Do not panic if belly piercing rejection signs are showing earlier than healing. Let’s get to know when something is actually going wrong.
Belly Button Piercing Rejection
Belly button piercing rejection happens when your body does not accept the new hole and starts pushing the jewellery toward the surface of your skin. Basically, your body sees the jewellery as something that is foreign. Slowly, the tissue around it becomes thinner. In some cases, the jewellery can eventually come completely through the skin.
It is not overnight for the body to reject a belly button piercing. You may notice small changes over several days or weeks.
A belly button ring rejecting can happen even when you have been taking care of it. The main causes are
- Poor placement
- Unsuitable jewellery
- Very thin tissue
- Skin irritation
- Repeated pulling and pressure
Sometimes there is no clear reason at all.
Belly Button Piercing Migration?
Belly button piercing migration is a little different. In this the piercing starts moving away from its original position. The jewellery slowly gets closer to the skin’s surface.
Sometimes migration stops, and the piercing settles in a slightly different position. But continued belly piercing migration can eventually turn into rejection.
The Association of Professional Piercers describes migration as the jewellery moving closer to the surface or the amount of tissue between the piercing holes becoming narrower. Rejection happens when it keeps going until the piercing is no longer viable or the jewellery reaches the surface.
The same thing applies to belly ring migration. If the bar seems closer to the surface than before, don’t ignore it.
Belly Button Piercing Rejection Signs
There are some common belly button piercing rejection signs you can watch for.
The skin between the top and bottom holes may become thinner. You might see more of the jewelry than you used to.
The piercing holes may also look like they have moved from their original position.
Other belly piercing rejection signs can include:
- Jewellery getting closer to the skin surface
- Skin between the holes getting thinner
- Piercing holes becoming larger or stretched
- More of the bar becoming visible
- Skin looking shiny, tight, irritated, or discoloured
- The jewellery hanging differently than before
These changes are also useful when looking for belly button ring rejection signs. Take an old photo of your piercing and compare it with how it looks now. Sometimes changes are easier to notice this way.
Belly Button Piercing Migration Signs
As it is with the rejection signs, migration also does not happen overnight. There are signs that you should look for.
- Jewellery shifts position.
- More bar becomes visible.
- Skin starts thinning.
- Holes look stretched.
- Mild redness persists.
- Area feels irritated or itchy.
- Skin looks shiny or transparent.
- Piercing feels looser.
Rejection or Infection?
You need to understand that not every infection leads to rejection. They are not the same but have a close relation.
With rejection, the main problem is usually the jewellery moving and the skin becoming thinner.
An infection is more likely to cause increasing pain, warmth, swelling, strong redness or discolouration, pus, or feeling unwell. Fever or chills can also happen with a more serious infection.
Can You Stop a Rejecting Belly Piercing?
Sometimes irritation can be fixed before things get worse. For example, unsuitable jewellery or poor aftercare may be causing problems. A professional piercer can check whether changing the jewellery size, style, or material could help.
Keep the area clean and avoid playing with the jewellery. Sterile saline wound wash is commonly recommended for cleaning healing body piercings. Harsh products like alcohol and hydrogen peroxide can irritate healing tissue.
Also avoid tight clothes that constantly rub or pull on the piercing.
But if the skin keeps getting thinner and the jewellery keeps moving toward the surface, don’t try to force the piercing to stay. Leaving a badly rejecting piercing in place can cause more tissue damage and a bigger scar.
What About Healing Belly Button Rejection?
People sometimes search for healing belly button rejection, hoping the piercing can simply heal back into its old position.
Unfortunately, true rejection is different from normal healing.
Once the jewellery has moved significantly toward the surface and the tissue is getting progressively thinner, the piercing may need to be abandoned. A professional piercer can help you decide when removal is the safer choice.
Always remember to read the signs of rejection and migration. You can tell the difference sometimes, but most of the time, the signs look similar. In this case, always go to a professional piercer. A little redness or crust does not automatically mean your piercing is rejecting. But don’t wait until the jewelry is almost tearing through the skin. And if you have pus, strong pain, spreading redness, fever, or feel unwell, talk to a healthcare professional. After removal, let the area heal before thinking about getting it pierced again.