The navel is in fact a scar left after an umbilical cord—a flexible tube which carries oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the baby is cut. A navel—called as well as belly button can be an innie, outtie, or a combination of both. In most humans, navel is a dark, damp area of the body, which can be easily infested by fungus and bacteria. This body part is also passed through by body sweats which when trapped, can create a preferable site for the bacteria to grow.

Is bleeding navel common?

As a matter of fact, bleeding navel is not a common issue. Hence, any bleeding or discharge coming from the belly button should be an indication of an infection. Mostly, bleeding navels are triggered by improper wound healing after a belly button piercing. Unhygienic instruments and careless post-piercing wound care are two most common reasons for a belly button infection. However, this issue does not come along with all piercing procedures. A proper wound care and kept-cleaned navels are the key to avoid bleeding belly button even after piercing-induced infection.

Causes of navel bleeding

As bleeding is uncommon with navel, some inducing factors, thus are occasional. Some of the risk factors of bleeding navel include:

• Infection
  • Navel infection is generally caused by improperly healed open wound post-surgery or post-piercing.
  • Infection may trigger smelly discharge, which may be similar to pus or water. Infection also cause small ruptures to the navel, which eventually cause blood leak. This is how bleeding is disclosed.
  • Navel infection, in addition, is triggered by various causes, such as:
    • Improper wound care. An infection which is caused by an improper wound care might be undergone by those who have experienced surgeries on the abdominal area, or those who have got their belly button pierced.
    • Unhygienic belly button area. As a damp, dark, and narrow part of the body, most navel area is enclosed by the abdomen skin. As a result, belly button can be a perfect site for bacteria to grow. Yeast and bacteria living in human skin may trigger a problem of infection if they are growing in this uncleansed and unobserved body part. Trapped sweats which is not rinsed during showering might also trigger bacterial infestation which eventually causes abnormal discharge and infection.
    • Application of antibacterial ointment can be a double weapon when related to navel infection. It may have an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, yet an ointment is greasy and oily and thus, may clog pores and skin around the navel, resulting in cut-off blood supply, which causes delay in wound healing. Delayed wound healing will likely cause an infection.
    • Touching and picking the belly button with unwashed hands might also transfer bacteria into the damp part of the navel. When these bacteria grow, the signs of infection are usually observed.
  • Abdominal trauma
    • Abdominal trauma can be triggered by accidents or surgeries.
    • When trauma happens, the blood vessels around the abdomen are damaged and thus, causes bleeding.
  • Re-opened incision
    • Post-surgical incisions are resulted from any surgical around the abdomen.
    • If an incision is re-opened, especially unnoticed, the newly-grown tissues and tiny blood vessels are affected. These new skin tissues are tore and thus, trigger blood discharge around the wound site. A healing wound site which has scabs may also bleed when picked. Picking scab is in fact, has similar effect with tearing the delicate skin beneath the wound site, which delays wound healing and triggers the body to produce blood as a natural wound cleanser.

Signs of serious navel bleeding

Mostly, navel bleeding can be healed at home without any specific treatment. However, you should see a doctor when finding out some severe infection symptoms which include elevating fever and nausea. If you are unable to stand up or sit down for a certain period of time, this can be another sign of seriously infected navel. Moreover, bleeding which does not stop immediately or which reoccur often should be checked by the practitioners. As a precaution, keeping the area clean and hygienic is definitely beneficial. Also, avoid using harsh products to clean the belly button, as this body part is delicate.