Belly button is a result of leftover of scar tissues that joins a baby to the placenta of the mother. After cutting the umbilical cord, a stump is left behind that falls off leaving behind the belly button. It produces a conducive atmosphere for the growth of fungi and bacteria. When yeast or these bacteria overgrows, they can lead to infections which can cause some symptoms such as swelling, redness, itching as well as pain.
The infection of belly button can affect people of all ages ranging from infants to adults, it can either be yeast or bacterial. Belly button is usually deep, dark and damp and this causes a conducive breeding ground for bacteria or yeast. When substances such as soap, sweat and others get deposited into the navel cavity, they cause the growth of bacteria leading to an infection. Even though the major causes of belly button are fungi and bacteria, there are some factors that encourage the condition. These include:
Most women have in the recent past been using piercing in the belly as a way of expressing themselves. However, what they may not be aware is that these kinds of piercing can increase the infection risks especially if the piercing is done in the wrong way.
Regularly touch your belly button can also increase the risk of infection. This is particularly the case when it is touched with unclean hands as this increase the risk of depositing fungi and bacteria inside the navel.
Belly button infection can also be caused by poor hygiene. If you do not bath on a daily basis, this may lead to the growth of microorganisms in the button. This risk can also be increased if the bath water is unclean. If you do not clean the navel when bathing or leave it wet after bathing, this will leave soap and water deposits inside the navel and this encourages the growth of microorganism.
The symptoms vary and occur in several stages. During the initial stage (abscess), swelling and pain may occur. With the development of the infection, there may be appearance of some serious symptoms particularly in the later stage known as cellulitis. During this stage, there may be puncturing of the infection leading to a discharge. The infection may develop further to cover the whole belly causing it to become warm. The discharge will also have a color change turning from pure liquid to a yellowish, greenish or grayish color. It will also become smelly. At times, there may be occurrence of bleeding and the patient may experience nausea.
Topical applications as well as safe antibiotics can be prescribed at the early stage of infection. When treatment is started during the later stages of the infection, powerful antibiotics should be used. When the condition is extremely serious, surgery may be recommended especially if the infection already covers a big part of the belly and already affected the internal organs. There are also some home remedies that can be used to treat the condition during the initial stages.