Learning to pierce different parts of the body can be an interesting adventure.
The belly button, especially, requires a bit of concentration and understanding to properly pierce the area.
Learning how to pierce a belly button is a must if you want to make it in the piercing industry. It’s by far one of the most common requests you’ll get, so it’s one you need to master.
Gather the Tools
Before starting any piercing, you need to gather the proper tools to accomplish the goal. Of course, to pierce anything you need a needle, but you also need a few other things to ensure that you do the job correctly.
Having sanitary gloves and rubbing alcohol to sanitize is very important when piercing. These tools help prevent any infection of the piercing from dirty hands or unsanitary skin or needles.
Other tools you need for a professional job is a clamp to ensure proper piercing, the jewelry for after the piercing so it can heal correctly, cotton to cleanse the area, a body ink marker to mark the location for the piercing, and a piercing needle.
For a more common list of tools needed to pierce a belly button, Wikihow has a great chart giving the most common tools.
Sterilize Your Area and Your Tools
It is extremely important to clean everything before starting any piercing, especially belly button piercings. Ensuring that you have antibacterial soap, rubbing alcohol, and petroleum jelly will make the piercing process both sanitary and smooth.
You should begin by sterilizing the counter where you will be placing your tools. Professionals often place their tools on a clean paper towel on top of the clean countertop.
Next, you should ensure the belly ring is new. If it is not new directly out of the package, you should sanitize the bar well before putting the petroleum jelly on the ring for easy piercing. The needle should also be new out of the package for a more sanitary piercing. You can sanitize the needle again if you feel it needs it.
Before doing any piercing work, you should wash your hands thoroughly. This means you should wash your hands with antibacterial soap before setting up your tools and before you begin the piercing process.
Mark the Location
When you get ready to pierce the belly button, you want to ensure you are getting the right spot. You should mark your place by using the body ink marker mentioned in the tools section of the guide. This marker will write smoothly on skin and won’t come off when you go to sanitize the area.
After marking the area, proceed to sanitize the area with rubbing alcohol just like a nurse does before giving a shot. Large swipes around the entire area should be enough to cleanse the skin before piercing.
After the area has been cleaned thoroughly, you can grasp the clamps and hold the area to be pierced still. The clamps should be sterilized as well since they will be touching the area. This point is when you can prepare for the piercing of the skin.
How to Pierce a Belly Button: Start the Piercing
Perhaps the most intense part of the belly button piercing procedure is the actual piercing of the skin with a needle. MD Health gives a good step-by-step guide to a professional piercing process.
Once you have grasped the skin to be pierced, you can take the clean needle and push it up through the navel skin up towards your head. This part of the process should be quick, and mild pain is common and normal for most occasions.
You can then remove the needle and replace it with the jewelry intended for the area. This jewelry, of course, can be as unique as the person getting the piercing. However, the ring should be clean before placed into the piercing.
Belly Button Piercing Aftercare
There are a few things that you should explain to your client after finishing the piercing. These tips could prevent any unnecessary tugging or irritation after the piercing is completed, and ensure that your client’s piercing lasts for a long while.
During the healing process, the client should avoid touching the piercing or changing out rings. This constant movement of the ring can cause the skin to become irritated and inflamed, which can cause unnecessary pain in the area.
The client should also avoid wearing tight clothing or clothing that has loose strings like sweaters. After the piercing has healed, anything can be worn. There are also different cleaning methods to ensure that the piercing stays clean until fully healed. Livestrong has several tips on caring for a new piercing.
Learn and Practice the Right Way to Pierce
Learning to properly pierce a belly button isn’t as difficult as it seems. Belly button piercing can sometimes be a messy job, but the results are beautiful. Though there are many ways to accomplish the task, mimicking the way professionals do the job is a great way to ensure you are doing the job right.
There are also many different tips and tricks you can follow to make the process easier on you and your client. With different health concerns as well, you should remember to keep everything sanitary and clean while performing the piercing. However, the cleanliness shouldn’t stop there.
Remind your client of the ways to care for their piercing even after it is over. The area will need to heal, and often infections or irritations can set in during the healing process because of lack of hygiene. You want to ensure your client knows how to care for their new piercing.
If you have never seen a professional pierce a belly button, you might want to check out a few videos or even watch in person. Not only can you learn a great deal by observation, but you can get insight and advice about the intense job.
Remember that you are creating art through piercing, which means you should take your time with the job and be careful. Learning the ins and outs of belly button piercing can ensure that you are doing the job well.
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