Just wondering what's the best treatment after getting your belly button pierced. The girl that did it just told me to clean it with bactine no more than twice a day and, if I want, I can put neosporin on it, which I figured would help fight infection so I've been putting triple antibiotic ointment on it. Is that all I need to do tho?

Here are some sites that can give you good information. This site looks like it has additional good information.

If you went to a reputable place, your best bet is to follow their instructions to the letter. They know what they're talking about.
Just keep it clean and give it air. Try to avoid tight clothes or anything that's going to rub too much and irritate or infect it. Try not to use anything too abrasive or anything too strong. Bactine and Neosporin sounds like a good plan and is probably enough. I would try to keep soap and shampoo out of it, too.

Be sure to clean it 3x a day with antibacterial soap. After you wash it, with clean hands, put Neosporin on it and turn the ring back and forth. Do this everytime you wash it. You don't need much, just enough to make the ring turn. You could even put a gauze bandage over it when you sleep so it won't rub. It will take about a week for you to able to lay on your stomach. Sleep on your side or your back. Wear low rise jeans or keep the top button of your jeans undone. (so it won't rub) No matter how much you want to touch it, don't! Don't play with it and don't let anyone else touch it.

Yeah, I want to sleep on my stomach SOOO bad! That's how I usually sleep ALL night! The lady told me only to clean it twice a day, no more, and just with bactine, she didn't say anything about soaps, I wonder why you're not supposed to clean it more than twice..Irritation? hmm..

The reason not to clean it too often is that it will dry out. The Neosporin will prevent that from happening and it will heal faster. I used Dial when I got mine done. Do not use perfume or scented soap. I got my belly button pierced in 1992. It never got infected. I recently took it out because the two holes got closer and closer together. Pretty soon it won't even be pierced. They call that rejecting. (MrsS explained it to me ) I am going to get it repierced in about a month. I am going to do exactly what I did last time. It healed very quickly and it never got infected. The few people I know that HAVE gotten an infection got it by touching it with dirty hands. ( Trust me on this one. I know what I'm talking about (for once LOL)

*lol* I'm taking your advice, I put neosporin on it prolly once a day, which stays on there until teh next time I clean it, then I let it go w/out neosporin. It's been looking pretty good! *knock on wood* What about swimming?? When can I swim again?

I'm not really sure about that one. There is a lot of bacteria in beach water and you don't want any chemicals from a pool in there either. Basically, the holes are open. You are waiting for the skin around it to close. That is why it is so important to keep it clean. I really don't want to give you the wrong advice. If it was me, I wouldn't go at all. One of the girls I know that did get an infection, went swimming. (I know she touched it too) She had to remove it because it got so badly infected. I wouldn't chance it.

Oh good grief! *LOL* I'll stay away from the pools! haha..I figured it might even help clean it out b/c of the chlorine. I'd only go in my friends private pool, it's not a nasty public one or anything, but I won't chance it. Hopefully i can swim by like Aug. 14 b/c we're going on a trip and going to go tubing down the river and go to a water park.

If you have to go swimming you need to cover it. Go out and by a big waterproof bandage at the store. Try a place that has a pharmacy in it. Ask someone who works there which one is best. You need one that is 100% waterproof and one big enough to cover the whole bellybutton. After you take the bandage off, clean it with the antibacterial soap really well.

P.S. Wear a one piece. LOL

*L* Thanks for the advice! And for responding so quickly! My best friend got her belly button peirced a few months ago and said that her's got all purple around it and it oozed a LOT, and she thinks this was normal! I was like, I thiiink it was infected, but she doesn't seem to believe me *LOL*. But mine's looking really good right now, just a little sore here and there w/certain movements.

when my friends and I would give piercings to people we'd just tell'em to use rubbing alcohol twice a day. nothing really ever got infected.

It sounds like you are doing a good job taking care of it. Keep doing what you are doing. It should take about a month for it to stop being so sore. When did you get it done? If you do end up having problems then just go back to the person who pierced it. I don't know what to do once it IS infected. (like your friend). I just know how to prevent the infection. Sherasi gave put some good websites on here. You should take some time and check them out.

I just got my bellybutton repierced today.
They told me not to use neosporin. They also told me to just clean it 2x a day with dial soap. Last time it didn't get infected. Maybe I should just skip the neosporin. It doesn't really hurt. (little sore) I think the anxiety of doing it again was worse than the piercing.

P.S. I won't touch it! promise!