Watch as Lexii gets her first piercing. Her belly button was pierced by James at American Skin Art in Buffalo NY. She is a sophomore in High School and was lucky enough to have an awesome mom who took her to get pierced and was actually holding the camera while it happened. Her sister Jennah also got her lip pierced that day; look for the video soon. If a minor wants to get pierced in New York State you must have your parent or legal guardian present with a birth certificate and ID.
Belly button piercings are the number one body piercing (next to the ears). The jewelry options are endless: belly rings can be a curved barbell, spiral barbell, top mount, or BCR. This piercing does however take a very long time to fully heal. The abdomen lacks blood supply which causes slower healing than most other piercing locations. A professional piercer will assess where your anatomy allows for a belly piercing. Placement and jewelry needs to be specific to your body in order to allow for proper comfort and healing. This precaution is also to prevent migration and rejection. A piercer will look at this placement when you are sitting and standing. The most common place for a belly piercing is through the center of the fold on the top of the navel. It is also very popular to get multiple belly piercings.
Most people find their navel piercing to be fairly painless, when done properly by a professional piercer. Initial jewelry is most often a 14g curved barbell but rings are also used. Healing time is approximately 6-9 months with proper care and cleaning.
The piercing may be done standing or lying down; Lexii’s was done lying at a slight incline. After moving her shirt out of the way, the piercer then cleans and marks the site of the piercing. After she approves the placement he lines up the forceps. Then he uses the 14 gauge hollow needle to pierce the belly button skin from the bottom up, corks it, and inserts the new jewelry.
As with any piercing the hype is worse than the actual poke itself. Lexii was naturally a little bit nervous, being her first piercing, but she didn’t even flinch as the needle went through her flesh. (The actual needle insertion is at around 30 seconds in the video). She exclaimed with a huge smile on her face “It didn’t even hurt! I love it!”and after complimenting the piercer on a job well done, immediately took a photo for Facebook.
Aftercare for your new belly piercing includes sea salt soaks and cleansing with antibacterial soap. Avoid exposing the fresh piercing to the sun. It is recommended to avoid sleeping on your stomach during the initial healing as well. Clothing rubbing up against the fresh piercing can also cause irritation, so make sure you dress accordingly. Wearing low rise pants and loose breathable garments will prevent friction. Use caution while working out or playing sports and especially avoid abdominal exercises. You should not change your own jewelry for the first 6 months, and if you are experiencing difficulties, contact your piercer immediately.
A good option for those who are impatient is to make sure your initial belly ring has removable balls, this way you can change the look of your piercing without removing the barbell. Avoid wearing elaborate jewelry until the piercing is completely healed. Adding the additional weight and potential for snagging is a bad idea.
Lexii’s first piercing was a great experience because James was very calming and professional. She did not even realize that the piercing was complete, it was just a little bit of pressure and discomfort from the clamps. The cleaning was a slight tickle and the most “painful” part of the piercing is not being able to change the jewelry for 6 months. She loves her brand new belly button piercing and cannot wait to eventually change to longer, dangly jewelry. The days following: the piercing was not too painful, just a little swelling and redness. Patience is the key to success. Following your piercer’s aftercare guidelines is very important for the health of your piercing.
