How to Pierce Your Belly Button Without a Needle

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You want to pierce your belly button, and you're wondering how to do it on your own. You can follow these instructions to pierce your own navel or to find a top-notch artist to do the job for you. You'll also find some instructions for taking care of your piercing after you're done.

1. 1

   Buy a belly button piercing kit. Make sure that includes a 14 g piercing needle and a clamp. You'll also need sterile gloves, antiseptic, cotton balls, a body ink marker, a mirror and some jewelry. Your first piece of jewelry should be small and thin.

2. 2

   Pick the location for your piercing. Typically, people pierce an area above their navels. Hold some jewelry against your navel until you find the right angle and location. Mark both the entry point and the exit point of the jewelry on your skin using the body ink marker.

3. 3

   Wash your hands with soap and water. Put on your sterile gloves.

4. 4

   Put antiseptic on cotton balls and rub the antiseptic over the area that you plan to pierce.

5. 5

   Pinch the fold of skin that you want to pierce. Use the clamp in your kit to hold the tissue in place.

6. 6

   Stretch your skin taut and push the needle through in a swift motion. Pull the needle through the hole and thread the jewelry through right after the needle.

7. 7

   Secure the end of your jewelry to make sure that it stays in place.

1. 1

   Assess the cleanliness of the shop. Look for general tidiness and watch the artists to make sure that they wear sterile gloves and use sterile solutions on the skin. Ask them if they own an autoclave. Don't be afraid to walk out of the piercing studio if you don't feel that they are very hygienic with their piercing techniques.^[1]

2. 2

   Be prepared to show identification to prove you're at least 16 years of age. You will likely be asked to sign a paper for legal purposes. If you are younger than 16, you'll probably need a parent to provide consent before the shop will perform the piercing.

3. 3

   Select the jewelry you would like. A knowledgeable piercing artist will help guide you with what type of jewelry is best for healing.^[2]

4. 4

   Relax in the chair or lean-to. ^[3]

   • On request, expose your belly button and the piercing artist will size up your navel with a felt tip marker.
   • A surgical-type clamp will be attached to the upper region of your navel to stabilize the tissue in preparation for the puncture.

5. 5

   Take a deep breath and relax as much as you can during the procedure. ^[4]

   • Out of the autoclave comes a very long, very sharp hollow needle of sorts, which will be used to pierce the skin for your new piercing.
   • Your jewelry is placed on the end of the spear and guided through your new piercing.
   • Remember to breathe throughout the procedure for maximum calm and comfort.

1. 1

   Invert a cup of warm saline solution over your piercing to form a vacuum. If you don't have store-bought solution, then make your own using 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized salt in 8 ounces of warm water.^[5]

2. 2

   Hold the solution in place for 5 to 10 minutes and blot the area with a piece of sterile gauze. Rinse the residue away with a stream of cool water.^[6]

3. 3

   Skip the rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or harsh soaps to avoid damaging your skin cells. ^[7]

4. 4

   Avoid washing your piercing more than 2 times per day. Squeeze a pearl-sized drop of soap onto the piercing and gently rub the piercing and jewelry with your fingers. Rinse the area and dry it with sterile gauze. Make sure the soap is antimicrobial and it has no scent, the fragrance will make the chances of infection higher.^[8]

5. 5

   Keep all bodily fluids and lotions off of your piercing. Steer clear of any oral contact with your navel, and avoid applying lotions, creams or cosmetics to the wound.^[9]

6. 6

   Protect your piercing if you go into a lake, pool or hot tub. Try a waterproof wound-sealant bandage, which you can get at a drugstore.^[10]

7. 7

   Buy a hard, vented eye patch at a drugstore. Put the eye patch over the piercing and secure it by wrapping a cloth bandage around your abdomen. The eye patch will help to protect your piercing if you have to wear tight clothing or engage in contact sports.

8. 8

   Keep the jewelry in until the piercing has completely healed. Don't hang any charms off of the jewelry until the healing process is finished.

Add New Question

• Question

  Can I pierce my belly button with an earring?

  

  No, because the size, or gage, of a belly button hole should be bigger than a hole for an earring.

• Question

  If I have an "outie" belly button, will they have to remove it before the procedure?

  

  No, but you might experience more bleeding.

• Question

  How can I relax when the pain would make me tense up my muscles?

  

  Bring someone with you, as a distraction (or chat with the piercer). The pain's over pretty quickly, and it really just feels like a pinch.

• Question

  Can I use a regular sewing needle?

  

  No. It will be hard to get the jewelry through the piercing since its not hollow and will not give a clean, straight hole when you pierce it. It also increases you chance of infection, even if you sterilize it.

• Question

  How long do I have to wait to go swimming after getting my belly button pierced?

  

  You would usually wait 2 to 4 months, but it depends on heal quickly you heal.

• Question

  Sometimes a yellow-ish fluid and sticky blood come out of my navel. Does this mean my piercing is infected?

  

  No, it's normal for the first few months of the healing process. The fluid should be yellow or white. if it's green or any other color, then it's infected.

• Question

  How do I find a place to get my belly button pierced?

  

  Research online and read the reviews. Remember, it is better to pay more for a place with higher ratings than save a few bucks and go to a place with lower ratings. It also helps if you have a recommended piercer from a friend.

• Question

  How do I treat an infected pierced belly button?

  

  You will need some normal saline bought from the drugstore, a syringe, and sterile gauze or cotton ball. Fill the syringe with normal saline and flush your navel, then use the cotton ball or the gauze to clean the area as well. After that, apply an antibiotic over the area twice a day, you will notice a difference in a week. If not, visit the nearest hospital or a primary care unit.

• Question

  What's in a belly button?

  

  A belly button is the leftovers from the umbilical cord that keeps you alive before you are born. Since at the the other of the cord is your mom, they have to cut it off so you won't have to stay in the same room all the time. This leaves a scar, like any other cut would. TL;DR: Your belly button is a scar, inside is scar tissue.

• Question

  Can I get my outtie pierced or is that unsafe?

  

  It's not unsafe, but there will be a lot more bleeding than if you have an innie.

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• Jogging pants and low cut jeans are your new best friends for the next few months as your new piercing will be quite tender. It is important to wear soft, comfortable clothes to avoid irritating the navel.

• Don't use ice to numb the area, it hardens the skin cells and makes it harder to pierce.

• Carry a spare ball with you in case your jewelry breaks or you lose the ball that came with the jewelry. Keep the ball in a sealed plastic bag so that it stays clean.

• Some pain, minor bruising and tenderness are normal after a piercing. You may also see a clear, whitish fluid secrete and form a crust around the piercing.

• If you're having surgery and need to remove your piercing, talk to your doctor and your piercing artist to find out about non-metallic jewelry alternatives.

• Don't take it out when you can move it and if it hurts when you move it then wait a month or two. When you move the piercing around and it doesn't hurt then you can take it out.

• Get to know your piercer by having a conversation before hand. During the appointment, they will probably try to relax you by talking to you. Just make sure that you feel comfortable and calm!

• Don't wear tight shirts until you feel it has healed enough.

• Don't touch the piercing too much as you may irritate it and cause an infection, especially with unwashed hands.

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• Avoid touching your belly button ring if your hands are dirty.

• Don't pierce your own belly button unless you have experience with other types of piercings.

• If your piercing does get infected (continuous redness, extreme pain, pus and maybe fever) do not take out the piercing. Otherwise, it may heal and seal the infection inside you. Instead, see a doctor as soon as possible.^[11]

• If you are or are planning to become pregnant soon, you can buy pregnancy piercings which are a soft tubing that bends. They also come with o rings in case you need a c- section. This way there is no metal in your body and the piercing can be taped over to stop it from getting in the way as you will have to take out the jewelry during your pregnancy if it is standard metal jewelry.^[12]

Things You'll Need

• Belly button piercing kit with 14 g needle and clamp
• Sterile gloves
• Cotton balls
• Antiseptic
• Body ink marker
• Mirror
• Small, thin jewelry
• Identification
• Cup
• Warm saline solution
• Clean gauze or paper towels
• Waterproof wound-sealant bandage
• Vented eye patch
• Cloth bandage

About This Article

Article SummaryX

Although it's best to visit a professional piercer, you can pierce your own belly button if you have the right tools and sterilization supplies. Use a body ink marker to mark where you want the entry and exit points for your jewelry, then wash your hands with soap and water. Put on sterile gloves and sanitize the area you're going to pierce with a cotton ball dipped in antiseptic. Use a piercing clamp to pinch the fold of skin you want to pierce, then carefully and quickly push a 14g piercing needle through your skin. Pull the needle through the hole and thread the jewelry through right after the needle. Keep reading for tips on caring for your piercing, like how often to clean it.

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How to Pierce Your Belly Button Without a Needle

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Pierce-Your-Belly-Button

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