Migrating/rejecting navel piercing
I’m presuming this is the same as the thing that’s happened to you. Banana bars do come in different sizes so maybe try getting a bigger one that would fit in more comfortably.
Piercing Rejection: What It Is and How To Treat It
Claire Gillespie is an experienced health and wellness writer. Her work appears across several publications including SELF, Women’s Health, Health, Vice, Verywell Mind, Headspace, and The Washington Post.
Updated on September 27, 2024
Medically reviewed by
Susan Bard, MD, is a board-certified general and procedural dermatologist with the American Board of Dermatology and a Fellow of the American College of Mohs Surgery.
In This Article
In This Article
Eugenio Marongiu/Getty Images
It’s popular to get piercings on the nipple, ears, tongue, eyebrows, belly button, and other body parts, but sometimes a complication called piercing rejection can occur.
Nearly 35% of people have some sort of piercing. About 23% of people with piercings on body parts other than their earlobes reported experiencing complications.
In addition to infections, a common complication of piercings is piercing rejection. Here’s what you should know about piercing rejection—including how to identify, treat, and prevent it.
What Is Piercing Rejection?
“Any time a foreign body, such as a piercing, is introduced into the skin, there will be inflammation,” Angelo Landriscina, MD, board-certified dermatologist and site director for dermatology at Mount Sinai Doctors-Brooklyn Heights in New York, told Health. “In the case of piercing rejection, that inflammation actually starts to move the piercing toward the skin surface and can even cause it to perforate out of the skin.”
Generally, piercing rejection happens if the body sees the piercing as a foreign object and, therefore, must get rid of it. This can occur with any type of piercing, including in the belly button, nipple, or nose.
Piercing rejection isn’t well-documented in the published literature. However, according to Dr. Landriscina, the body rejects certain types of piercings more than others.
For example, the body is more likely to reject surface piercings than others. Surface piercings will have a separate entry and exit point, like an eyebrow piercing, in the epidermis. The epidermis is the outer layer of your skin. Surface piercings may also have a base or “anchor” that sits below the skin surface.
Symptoms of Piercing Rejection
With piercing rejections, you may see the piercing migrate toward or above the skin’s surface.
If an infection occurs, you may have symptoms like:
- Feelings of malaise
- Fever
- Rapid heart rate
- Red, swollen, or tender skin
- Skin that is warm to the touch
- White, yellow, or brown fluid draining from the piercing site
Dr. Landriscina advised anyone possibly experiencing a piercing rejection to consult a healthcare provider.
How To Treat Piercing Rejection
“If one of my patients was having a piercing rejected, I’d tell them to remove the piercing as soon as possible rather than letting it fall out on its own,” said Dr. Landriscina. “Allowing the inflammation around the piercing to carry on can result in unsightly scarring.”
Once a rejected piercing is entirely out of the skin, Dr. Landriscina advised keeping the area clean by washing it with regular soap and water once daily. Sometimes, you can insert a loop suture into the piercing to keep the hole from closing while you treat the area.
“Moisture is very important for helping the skin heal efficiently, so applying a thick ointment like petroleum jelly will be helpful,” added Dr. Landriscina. “And covering the area with a plain bandage until the holes close is a good idea.”
If an infection occurs, your healthcare provider may recommend applying a warm compress to the affected area. They may also prescribe topical antibiotics, like bacitracin or mupirocin.
However, treatments may vary depending on the type or location of the piercing. For example, if you have an infected oral piercing, your healthcare provider may prescribe an oral antibiotic, like amoxicillin.
Piercing rejection may or may not recur in people who have had it once before. “They can try again after the first piercing heals,” noted Dr. Landriscina.
How To Prevent Piercing Rejection
It’s not always obvious why the body rejects a piercing. Taking the following steps may help prevent it from happening:
- Avoid harsh cleansers. Instead, keep the pierced area clean by washing it with soap and water.
- Choose jewelry made from hypoallergenic metals. Some evidence suggests that nickel is more likely to elicit an allergic reaction than other metals, like gold.
- Make sure the piercer uses an autoclave to sterilize equipment, the room is adequately sanitized, and the piercer wears gloves
When To Call a Healthcare Provider
Contact a medical provider if you have any questions about piercing rejection or if your piercing shows signs of infection, such as pain, redness, swelling, or drainage of pus.
A Quick Review
Piercing rejection, when the body pushes out a piercing, is a fairly common occurrence. But there are things you can do to minimize the chance of your piercings getting rejected. Keeping piercings clean, choosing hypoallergenic metals, and checking piercings regularly for any signs of infection are a few ways to help keep piercings looking great.
Consult with a healthcare provider if you have questions about your piercings and how to keep them healthy.
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Health.com uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
- Preslar D, Borger J. Body Piercing Infections. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
- American Academy of Dermatology Association. Caring for Pierced Ears.
- Uter W, Werfel T, White IR, Johansen JD. Contact Allergy: A Review of Current Problems from a Clinical Perspective. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(6):1108. doi:10.3390/ijerph15061108
- Preslar D, Borger J. Body Piercing Infections. In: StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
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Migrating/rejecting navel piercing
Ive had my navel piercing for 8 years now. Never had a problem with it after the initial healing stage.
Ive noticed that the piercing is a lot lower down from where it used to be, and a kind of dipped light scarring is in its place.
Ive been reading up on it and migrating and rejection are too different things. Im hoping its migrating to a new position where it will be happier and not totally rejecting out my body. There is no pain or redness in it.
Is there anyone on here that has had the same problem after such a long time of having it? Can you stop it?
Ive just purchased a bioflex bar which presumably will be lighter that the bar im currently wearing, thinking the less weight, the less chance of it dropping
I would be so upset to lose it as its my only piercing and I had it doen specifically for me and me only
Comments
[Deleted User] Posts: 1,065
Forum Member
All vaginal piercings started as navel piercings.
stud u like Posts: 42,102
Forum Member
I am all at sea over this naval piercing. What is it?
morecowbell Posts: 1,491
Forum Member
I am all at sea over this naval piercing. What is it?
Doh! Thanks Stud u like, school girl spelling error there Have corrected x
morecowbell Posts: 1,491
Forum Member
All vaginal piercings started as navel piercings.
camer Posts: 5,237
Forum Member
All vaginal piercings started as navel piercings.
Not until you have a face lift then they are nasal piercings:D
stud u like Posts: 42,102
Forum Member
Doh! Thanks Stud u like, school girl spelling error there Have corrected x
:Dno worries. A friend of mine’s went septic.
x_malibubabe Posts: 2,261
Forum Member
I’ve had mine done since I was 12, I’m 21 now and it’s been changing recently. I personally think it’s due to weight gain. The top ball sits in the hole now and has made a comfortable groove around it.
I’m presuming this is the same as the thing that’s happened to you. Banana bars do come in different sizes so maybe try getting a bigger one that would fit in more comfortably.
morecowbell Posts: 1,491
Forum Member
I’ve had mine done since I was 12, I’m 21 now and it’s been changing recently. I personally think it’s due to weight gain. The top ball sits in the hole now and has made a comfortable groove around it.
I’m presuming this is the same as the thing that’s happened to you. Banana bars do come in different sizes so maybe try getting a bigger one that would fit in more comfortably.
Interesting. I have put a stone on recently (oink oink!). Maybe thats caused it.
[Deleted User] Posts: 85
Forum Member
I had mine done when i was 15 and 7 years (to the month) it started to grow out – I thought maybe it was just moving but 3 months later I had no option but to take it out and let it heal as it was obviously growing out and was starting to bleed randomly aswell. I rang the guy that pierced it and he said that it does happen more often than you’d think after 7 years.. which is really odd.
So my advice would be to keep an eye on it – maybe take a few photos or something so you can tell if it is moving slowly over time. It’s possible its just migrating but you need a point of reference so you can look back and see if its just moved or if theres more of the bar visible than there was hence being rejected.
Tho when I took mine out, the guy said he would redo it in 6 months if I wanted so its not the end of the piercing if it does reject. I didn’t have mine done again as I was irrationally scared that it would hurt due to scar tissue (im a wimp) and still unsure if I will have it done.
