What I Learned About Belly Button Piercing Might Surprise You

As someone who has been fascinated by all forms of body art my entire life, I've been drawn into the world of body art's history. I'm fascinated by the cultural and spiritual impact body art can have, and I can honestly say that belly button piercing is something that really intrigues me more than most types of body art.

For starters, I think that this type of piercing looks really cool, and in the right context can be very alluring. Moreover, for the truly artistic individuals out there, a belly button piercing can be the crowning piece necessary to take a body art project to new heights. In short, these piercings rock.

Then again, this type of piercing tends to be seen as more of a novelty and a cosmetic decoration. It can often carry less-than-savory connotations for the person donning the piercing, and the belly button piercing tends to be seen as a high-school and college girl crowd type thing that no self-respecting adult would find admirable to have.

It is this wide spectrum of opinion about a belly button piercing that prompted me to learn a little more about the procedure, and for all of the body art fanaticism that I claim, it turns out that I learned a thing or two.

Here are a few things I learned about belly button piercing that might surprise you, too:

Gauge of Jewelry Is Important - A 14g tends to be the standard width of the piercing jewelry, with occasional piercer using thinner jewelry. The standard tends to be seen as the way to go, especially to help keep issues from developing during the healing process.

Healing Can Take A Long Time - You might be surprised to know that healing can take somewhere between four months to one year, depending on your source.

Your Piercer Needs to be Trusted - It can be tempting to just get a belly button piercing from someone who says they've done it, especially if you're a spur-of-the-moment type of person. Resist this urge, and do some research on piercers in your area.

Pain Can Vary Quite A Bit - Will It Hurt? It depends. Not everyone handles pain the same way, so truth be told, there's no way to peg an actual answer down. That said, assume you're going to feel some discernible pain.

Every Belly Button Is Different - Whether you're talking about an innie or outie, or talking about the way the skin above & below your belly button presents itself, not every piercing is the same. This means that your experience won't be the same as your BFF, so think a piercing through.

A belly button piercing is a low-key entry into the world of body art and one that, for all of the back and forth about what message about you it conveys, ultimately says what you want it to say. That said, put in the work in finding the best piercer you can with the right credentials, experience, and satisfied clients. And, of course, don't rush into things.