When Can You Change Your Belly Piercing?

Getting your belly pierced can be a bit nerve-wracking. But you have made it! Good for you. Now, probably a bunch of your friends are recommending some cool and trendy jewelry for you to put on your pierced belly. I understand the itch to change the jewelry and try out something new. But hold up a second, do you even know when can you change your belly piercing? Changing it too soon may lead to piercing infection and it may even end up closing the pierced hole too.

Imagine changing the belly piercing jewelry to be part of a new trend, but ending up creating complications because of it. That is right, changing the jewelry before the recommended time can cause many issues. Do not sweat it though, as I will be elaborating on when you can safely change your belly piercing and more in this article.

Key Takeaways

• There are 3 phases of healing when it comes to belly piercing. These are the inflammatory phase, proliferative phase, and remodeling phase.
• Factors affecting the healing time of the piercing are the body’s healing speed, lifestyle habits, aftercare routine, jewelry quality, and age.
• The ideal time to change your belly piercing is when it is completely healed, which is generally around 6-12 months after getting the piercing.
• Ways to know your belly piercing is still healing are slight swelling, mild pain, sensitivity to touch, discharge or crust, and shiny new skin.
• Issues you may face if you change the piercing too soon are disrupted healing, infection risk, swelling, irritation, and discomfort.

Belly Piercing: Understanding Healing Stages

Before I explain when you can change your belly piercing, it is very crucial that you understand the healing stages. Because if you change the jewelry before the pierced skin/hole has completed the initial healing then it can lead to complications. Let’s begin, shall we?

In general, it may take around a few months for your belly piercing to heal. To simplify the matter, I have elaborated on the 3 healing phases of your belly piercing below.

1. Inflammatory phase

You can tell by the name, you may feel slight inflammation, pain, or discomfort during this phase. The inflammatory phase is right after getting the belly piercing and this phase can last for about 3 days to 7 days. In some cases, it may last more than a week. In this phase, the immune system of your body works to heal the piercing wound. The damaged tissue of your skin starts to get repaired during this time. A few common signs of an inflammatory phase are:

The pierced skin will be extra delicate during this phase, make sure not to do anything that could increase the discomfort even more.

2. Proliferative phase

In this phase, your body will work to create new tissue to fill up the pierced hole. This is the primary stage of creating new tissue. So you will notice signs such as:

This proliferative phase may start from 4 to 7 days after getting the belly piercing. Your pierced skin or wound would appear to be filling the hole. But this is just the beginning of the filling-the-hole process, it will take a long time to completely heal and mature the pierced hole.

4. Remodeling phase

This is the last stage of your belly piercing healing saga. During this stage, the pierced hole starts to mature. What I mean is, that all the skin tissues your body has created so far, will now start to get mature and strong. Collagen fibers will strengthen the new tissues that have been created around the piercing hole. You won’t notice any swelling, pain, redness, or dry skin around the piercing anymore. The skin color would look normal and there would be no discomfort. The pierced skin will feel like any normal skin.

5 Factors Affecting The Healing Time

Wondering how long you may need to wait before you can change your piercing? You will have to wait till your piercing has fully healed and the healing time may vary. Want to know the factors that can affect the healing time? I have made a list of such factors below:

1. Body’s healing speed

Just like some folks bounce back from a cold within a day but some take like a week to get rid of the cold, likewise your belly piercing may take more or less time to heal compared to others. The strength of your immune system can slow down or fasten the healing process. You could say your body’s healing speed is one of the biggest factors that affect the time length of your belly piercing healing.

2. Lifestyle habit

So, are you a night owl who likes to eat tons of junk food? Or someone who sleeps early at night and sticks to a healthy diet plan? Because it can affect your healing time. Not properly sleeping at night will not give your body enough time to work on the healing of your pierced skin. And eating junk food will not provide enough nutrients to your body to heal the pierced wound effectively. So, make sure to change your lifestyle habits if needed to heal that belly piercing faster.

3. Aftercare routine

Getting a bit lazy after getting the belly pierced is not so good. You should stay vigilant and keep taking proper care of the healing piercing. Not maintaining a proper aftercare routine may delay the healing of your belly piercing.

4. Jewelry quality

The type of jewelry and the material of the jewelry is crucial. Some materials may irritate your skin and in some cases, they can cause mild infection. This will surely delay the healing time of your belly piercing.

5. Age

Old is gold, am I right? But unfortunately in this case being too old can affect how fast your belly piercing heals. Being too old would decrease the ability of your body to heal wounds. Because the immune system would get weakened with age.

When to Change Your Belly Piercing?

Getting a piercing can be easy but taking proper care of it is not that easy. One of the crucial parts of the aftercare routine is not taking off the piercing jewelry on time. So, when can you change your belly piercing?

Simply put, you can change your belly piercing after it completely heals. Changing the belly piercing while it is still healing can create multiple issues such as irritation, swelling, infection, etc. So, make sure you do not take off your piercing jewelry unless your piercer has advised you to do so.

I get the itch of trying new piercing jewelry to see how it looks. You probably got some belly-piercing jewelry gifts from your friends or loved ones after getting pierced. To show your love toward them you probably want to those jewelry. But put a stop to the people-pleaser side of yours along with trying new stuff for the fun aspect of yours as well. Because while your belly piercing is healing, it should not be touched unnecessarily, and changing or taking off the jewelry during this time is a big no.

You have to understand piercing is like a wound on your skin. If your rube, causes friction to a wounded skin, what will happen? The skin will be irked and have a prolonged healing time. The same thing can happen to your belly piercing if you irritate it by changing the piercing jewelry.

Changing piercing jewelry before the skin heals can cause irritation, pain, swelling, infection, and delayed healing. Do you think it is okay to take such a risk just to change the jewelry? I do not think so. So, make sure not to take off or change your piercing unless you get a green signal from your piercer himself.

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Ways to Know Your Belly Piercing Is Still Healing

Want to know if your belly piercing is still healing or not? Just check the signs of a healing piercing that I have provided below:

1. Slight swelling

A healing belly piercing might have a slightly swollen appearance. And if the swelling is extreme then it is a sign of an infection. However, mild swelling is an indication that your belly piercing is still in the early stage of healing.

2. Mild pain

A healing belly piercing will have slight pain. Even after weeks or months, you may feel slight pain when you touch the piercing. This slight pain is a sign it is still healing.

3. Sensitivity to touch

The pierced skin will be sensitive to the touch. If you touch it, it may feel a bit tingling or slight discomfort. A healed belly piercing would not be sensitive to touch.

4. Discharge or crust

If your belly piercing still has some discharge as a white or clear liquid then it is still in the healing phase. Another sign of a healing piercing is crusts. If you have whitish or snowy dry stuff on the pierced area then it is still in the healing phase.

5. Shiny new skin

As your skin heals, it will create new skin tissue which may look shiny and new compared to the skin around it. If you notice shiny new skin on the pierced area then it is still healing. As the piercing heals completely the shininess will go away on its own.

Proper Procedure for Changing Belly Piercing

Now that you know when to change the belly piercing, I will be providing a simple guide on how to properly change belly piercing in this portion.

1. Gather your supplies

First, make sure you have all the necessary supplies, such as:

• Clean and sterilize new jewelry
• Disposable gloves (optional)
• Sterile saline solution or piercing-specific solution for cleaning
• Clean disposable paper towels

2. Wash your hands

Before you get started with the procedure, wash your hands. You do not want dirt and germs from your dirty hand to transfer to your piercing jewelry or pierced skin, right? You can use green soap or any antibacterial soap.

No need to wash your hands if you wear disposable gloves.

3. Clean the pierced skin

Use sterile saline solution or any piercing-specific solution to clean the belly piercing area. Be gentle and do not rub the area vigorously.

4. Soak it dry

Use the clean disposable paper towel to gently dab over the piercing area to soak it dry.

5. Remove the old jewelry

Gently unscrew the old jewelry and take it off. Do not yank it, gently keep pulling until it comes out.

6. Put in the new jewelry

Now gently put in the replacement or new jewelry on the same spot. It may feel a bit tight as this is the first time you are changing the jewelry. Gently keep pushing it till it goes through and then use the round part of the jewelry to screw it properly and secure it.

7. Check the placement

Now check the placement properly. Check if the new jewelry is in the right sport or not. If the placement does not seem right take off the jewelry and put it back on again.

8. Clean and dry

Now clean the area just like you cleaned it a few minutes ago and soak the area dry. That is it! Now enjoy your rad new belly piercing jewelry.

4 Risk of Changing Belly Piercing too Soon

Want to know the risks of changing belly piercing too soon? In this portion, I have listed all the issues you may face for changing your belly piercing too soon.

1. Disrupted healing

We all want our piercings to heal up fast, right? But how would you feel if the healing process of your belly piercing gets disrupted and delayed? Annoyed I assume. If you try to change your piercing too soon or while the pierced area is still healing then there is a high chance you may end up disrupting the healing process. As a result, the healing time be lengthy and of course more annoying.

2. Infection risk

Avoiding infection is the prime rule when it comes to piercing. A wounded or pierced skin is prone to get an infection. The immune system of your body is constantly working to repair the area and fight off any potential infection. If you cause friction on the pierced area by changing the piercing jewelry then it will not only disrupt the healing but also make the wound or pierced hole more prone to infection.

3. Swelling

Slight swelling during the healing is normal. But if you irritate the skin by trying to change the piercing jewelry too soon, then the swelling could get worse. A swollen belly would not look so nice, right?

4. Irritation and discomfort

A mild irritating feeling or a bit of discomfort during the healing phase of a belly piercing is completely natural. But how would you feel if the irritation gets increased and the discomfort gets worse?

6 Ways to Take Care of Belly Piercing After Changing

You can follow the tips below to take care of your belly piercing after changing it.

1. Clean hands

Do not touch the piercing with dirty hands. Getting dirt, debris, and germs over the piercing area could lead to bacterial overgrowth, bad odor, and infection.

2. Gently wash

Just because the piercing area is healed does not mean you do not have to wash it anymore. Make sure to take proper care and gently wash the piercing area with a saline solution of lukewarm soapy water even after changing the piercing jewelry.

3. Avoid over cleaning

Do not get too excited and start over-cleaning the area. This could irritate the skin, cause irritation and it may lead to an infection.

4. No harsh products

Make sure not to use a cleanser that contains harsh chemicals to wash the area or apply any product that may contain harmful ingredients. Steer clear of products that may irritate your pierced area.

5. Clean the jewelry

The new jewelry that you have put on requires cleaning too. Make sure to clean the jewelry and not let it get dirty.

6. Wear the jewelry all the time

Make sure to wear the jewelry all the time. Not wearing it for a few hours could potentially tighten the pierced hole. And not wearing jewelry for a few days or weeks could potentially close the belly piercing.

FAQs

How long does it take to heal a belly piercing?

The healing time of a belly piercing may vary. But in general, it could take from 3-6 months or even up to 12 months for a belly piercing to heal completely. On some rare occasions, it may take up to a year for your belly piercing to heal.

Can I change my belly piercing before it heals?

It is highly recommended not to remove your belly piercing before it completely heals. Changing it before the pierced area heals may lead to issues like:

• Increased irritation and discomfort
• Disrupted healing
• Swelling
• Infection

Why my belly piercing is taking so long to heal?

There are many factors that can affect the healing time of your belly piercing. Such as:

• Your age
• The strength of your immune system
• Aftercare routine
• Lifestyle habit
• Material of the pierced jewelry

Final Thoughts

That’s about it, my friend. Now you know why you should not change the belly piercing jewelry while your pierced skin is healing. The right time to change your belly piercing is after it completely heals. If you change it too soon then you may face increased irritation, discomfort, swelling, delayed healing, and infection.

Make sure to wash the area before and after changing the accessory and be very gentle during the procedure. Take proper care after changing it and make sure you do not leave the belly pierced skin without any jewelry for too long. The pierced skin may get close within a matter of days or weeks.

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