Can You Reopen a Belly Piercing By Yourself At Home?

There are literally dozens of piercings you can have nowadays. Among some of the most popular piercings you can have is the belly button piercing. Of course, the many new varieties of belly jewelry these days has a part to play in its growing popularity.

Of course, another reason they are getting more popular is also due to the stylish and mesmerizing look they provide. It can improve body confidence and make you feel even more gorgeous.

However, getting a belly button piercing for the first time can be very overwhelming and stressful, especially if you are new to piercings altogether, and this is your first. 

We have to say, it is worth it though, as it can leave you with a great look, and feeling great too.

However, if you already had a belly button piercing, you can face other issues, all thanks to body rejection. 

Sometimes, our bodies just do not agree with piercings, and some people’s bodies may simply not agree with having your belly button pierced.

Of course, one of the best parts about piercings is that you can simply remove them whenever you feel like.

However, you may want to see a professional for help in preventing any further complications you may face. 

If you had a belly button piercing but took it out, you will want to know a few things before you do so.

If you decide you want to try and reopen your belly button piercing at home, then read on, because we have a few things you will need to know first. 

Re-Piercing Your Belly Button At Home- Safe Or Not Safe?

It is possible that your belly button piercing may close, and this can happen for a few reasons. It can happen due to an infection in your body, as a result of poor aftercare, or because your body has rejected the piercing.

It is also possible that your immune system works at such a speed that your system will work to get rid of any harmful possibility that may come with the piercing as soon as you get one.

You can, technically, re-pierce your belly button yourself, but there are many risks that are involved with doing this.

Any professional will not advise that you do this, and if you are dead set on doing so, it is best that you seek out professional guidance and advice before you crack on and do it. 

Let’s say that you were to remove your belly button piercing for personal reasons and are suddenly able to, or in the place where you wish to, re-pierce it.

Of course, you could just head back down to the piercing location and get it done there, but you can do it yourself. 

Just remember that by doing so yourself, you are inviting a lot of risks, so you need to be aware of certain things, and you will need a few other things on hand too. 

You should also be aware of how to properly re-pierce your belly button, so you do not unintentionally do more damage to yourself.

The first and foremost, most important thing that you will need is a needle, with which to complete the piercing process.

Do not use a piercing gun as these are usually not sterile, and they pierce with excessive and unnecessary force.

Using a piercing gun incorrectly, can lead to further complications. Piercing guns are in fact not allowed in a majority of renowned and respected piercing establishments.

Any respectable piercer will always use a needle for any piercing and not a gun, as they are not considered as being safe. FOR ANY PIERCING!

Ensure that you use a sterile needle. You could also use a cannula needle when threatening the piercing jewelry too.

Make sure that you have a skin disinfectant, or rubbing alcohol to ensure the area you are going to pierce is clean, and keep a set of tweezers or clamps on hand to hold the jewelry. 

You should also complete the piercing process while wearing sterilized latex gloves, to further avoid the risk of encountering any infection.

Choose appropriate jewelry too, something you can easily apply yourself. 

When you select your jewelry make sure to choose something easy to put in, something like Bioflex or bioplast jewelry is easy to use as it is easier to bend, and you can easily cut the length that you need. 

Before you start the piercing process, make sure you mark the area in your belly with a marker so that you position the needle correctly.

You should also get in touch with a professional piercer if you can and ask them if it is safe to do this on your own. 

The professional will assess any and all of the issues you have faced in the past with the belly button piercing.

Then, based on this, they can advise whether or not it is safe for you to re-pierce your belly button at home by yourself. 

Is It Possible To Push Your Jewelry Back In Through An Old Hole? 

You might feel tempted to push your belly button jewelry back on your own.

Sometimes the piercings may fall out due to subpar aftercare, or excessive intense physical activity, which means that the piercing was incorrectly set in your belly button.

This may mean that you have to remove the piercing in order to carry out certain physical activities, or exercise. 

You may even find that the piercing falls out on its own, and you may not even notice that it has fallen out. 

Situations like these will force you to push the ring back through your belly button, and doing this is a huge risk.

However, you do not have to worry about facing many complications, yet you should always keep a few things in mind should you find yourself in this situation. 

One of the first things that you need to think about is how long it has been since your piercing fell out.

If you only recently got the belly button piercing, and it suddenly is not there, then there is a chance that you will be unable to push it back through the same hole again.

This is because the piercing is definitely still fresh, and thus it may have closed up. 

However, if you have had the piercing for longer, then there is a slight chance that you can still push it through, as the longer you have a piercing, the longer it takes to heal up.

For example, if you had a belly button piercing for over 6 or 7 years, and then you had to have a surgery on your belly button such as a diagnostic laparoscopy, these scars take 6 weeks to heal, you could easily keep the belly button jewelry out of the hole for this period of time, and you would have no problem putting the jewelry back in after. 

If it has been a while since the original piercing, there will be a slight passage free in your belly button which will allow you to push the piercing back in, but before you do this, ensure that you act safely. And you need to collect a few things before you do this. 

Be certain that any jewelry you put into your belly button is sterilized properly, and that it is of good quality.

Catching an infection from jewelry is a big risk, and it is even more so if you do not sterilize it adequately. 

You should keep a large sum of alcohol wipes nearby, and as soon as you are done push it back in through the clean and sterilized area, wipe it down thoroughly with the alcohol wipes, and some hot water if you can, for safe measure.

This will disinfect the area, thus preventing any infection from taking hold. 

When you push the piercing back through the hole, ensure that you are as gentle as possible and do not be in a rush to do this, although it may seem like a good idea to push it back through quickly, it is now. 

And if you cannot push it back through properly, stop, and leave it, otherwise you could end up causing damage to your belly button.

If this is the case for you, simply reach out to a professional piercer and get them to complete the job for you. 

Always contact your piercer before you do this, ask them for advice and recommendations. In many cases, pushing the ring back through the old hole is possible, and it often goes successfully.

However, life is not always sunshine and rainbows, and things go wrong, so you can never be too sure, especially not until you have spoken with a professional about doing this beforehand. 

How Long Should You Wait Before You Re-Pierce Your Belly Button? 

Wanting to re-pierce your belly button after having it out, for whatever reason, is not an uncommon thing. Sometimes your piercing may not work out the first time you get it, and in this case you can go for another try doing this.

There are many other reasons why someone may want to get their  belly button re-pierced. 

Some of the most common reasons that someone may have a failed first time belly button piercing and seek to re-pierce it include; pregnancy, sudden weight gain or loss, illness, body rejection, piercing migration, and surgical procedures. 

Besides these, you can have personal reasons as well, things such as work, or culture, due to which you cannot showcase the piercing in public.

All of these reasons, whatever they are, are all valid, and you can always get a re-piercing, but to do this, you need to wait a certain amount of time. 

If you only recently got a belly button piercing, you need to wait until the piercing hole fully heals before you can get it re-pierced.

It will take a good three or four months for the piercing to properly settle in any way. 

Yet, as we say this, it really does differ from person to person.

And, re-piercing on a fresh piercing area can cause further complications and issues which can be dangerous to the area, and it could even mean a second failed piercing too. 

In some cases, a piercing may heal in the short space of a few hours, however, it is best to give your piercing a few months to allow the area to fully recover and heal.

Then, once the area is fully healed, you may choose to re-pierce it. 

After you feel like your first belly button piercing has properly gone through the healing process properly, you should not be too eager to opt for re-piercing too quickly.

See a professional first for a proper examination of the area, so that they can assess whether or not your body is suitable and healed enough to be re-pierced. 

The piercer will confirm if the piercing is healed well and enough, and if the tissues in your belly button is strong enough and healthy enough to sustain another piercing there. 

It is possible that there are migration issues and scarred tissues from previous piercings, and if this persists, your piercer may choose to use a slightly different angle for your piercing.

Although this is rare, as the old piercing usually has entry and exit points only after it has healed up properly. These passages will allow you to get a re-piercing easily if this is the case. 

Some people may also find that they get more pain from a re-piercing than the original piercing. This will happen because your belly button has already faced physical trauma from the first piercing, and now the area is sensitive. 

However, this is not always the case, and for some people it can be a painless experience.

But, this does differ for everyone, as no two bodies are the same, and no two bodies have the same pain threshold either.

Nonetheless, you will surely be able to get through the second one if you got through the first one just fine, especially considering the reward at the end. 

Then, you may wonder about the healing process. You should expect a faster healing process from the second, especially if it is on the same spot.

The initial healing takes place during the first piercing, you for the second it is a lot quicker.

This does not mean that you shouldn’t practice proper aftercare, of course, the last thing you want to do is face another issue.

So make sure you still practice proper aftercare to prevent you getting a major skin infection from the re-piercing. 

Although many people will prefer to carry out the re-piercing process on their own, and most can, it is still best to get it done by a professional. It reduces risks, and the professional will be able to properly maintain a clean and sanitized process too. 

Our Final Say

Hopefully, now you know whether or not you should think about re-piercing at home on your own, and whether you can reopen a closed piercing on your own too.

While you can carry it out on your own, always remember that it is best left to professionals. For a smoother and cleaner re-piercing, for a trendy, stylish, and glamorous re-piercing, you should always seek out a professional. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Will My Belly Button Piercing Close Up?

Navel piercings are surface piercings. While a fresh belly button piercing closes quickly, for those with piercings that have been in place for a couple of years, they will find that it can take a couple of weeks.

However, for some they may find that it never actually closes, instead, the hole may just get smaller but will still remain visible. 

Can I Pierce Through Scar Tissue?

As the tissue grows back, even if it is scarred, it can easily be pierced again. Although, it is important that you ensure the area is fully healed before you go in with another needle. If there is a lot of scar tissue present, then your piercer will evaluate how safe it is to re-pierce. 

Why Do Belly Piercings Reject?

This rejection is when your body wants to evict a piece of jewelry and makes that happen. They just eject it, slowly working the jewelry out of the body, and the skin starts to heal behind it.