Ok so I got my belly button pierced around five months ago. It was fine, I cleaned it, it seemed fairly healed to me, so I went to the piercer to change the ring. He said it was fine to change, so we changed it. The first day was fine...but now it's starting to hurt. It's red and it hurts. There's no pus or anything, but there feels like something is wrong. Do you guys know if I should go to a doctor? Is there some type of cleaner you guys know works? Please help me out. :P

[edit] Thanks you guys. I went and bought a new ring (surgical steel) and got it changed. The piercer cleaned it all out, it actually was pretty painful. They look the shitty ring out and replaced it. A day later it all totally went away. It's painfree right now. :D Thanks!

Go back to the piercer to ask if this is ok?

perhaps the introduction of a new piece has irritated the wound to some degree -- maybe not to a full-blown infection. i'm also completely ignorant on such piercings but maybe the metal is problematic? it probably is a good idea to return to the piercer as nilfy suggested. i'd probably throw some peroxide or neosporin on it until.

You definitely need to go see a doctor, even if it's not serious. But in case it is, it can lead to problems in your abdomen.

I had a friend, she had to get surgery done because the infection spread inside her. :/

omgomgomgomg i looked at it...and the place where the ring sits is GREEN. So I think it's made out of really shitty metal or something. Does anyone know a decent place to get GOOD rings? X_X

ah yes... i was thinking it was the metal like i said before.

a lot of people have allergy to metals with nickel plating. this is why there are a lot of nickel-free jewelry all over the place. i think a good idea would be to replace your metal with solid sterling or gold. this should be an option anywhere. be sure to check the tag or ask a salesperson.

Usually if you go back to the piercer you can talk to them and they can figure it out, if it gets serious go to a doctor. I had the same issue with my lip - the first ring I used ended up being a no-go and my lip got red and a little swollen and irritated. Changed it out ASAP to an allergin free ring and I've had it for four years now =3

Ah, yes, I had some irritation when I changed my first piercing which is natural given the fact that you are removing something that has been healing, and been the only object occupying that space, and replacing it with another item. Though, I have never had anything like what you have described. It sounds like they may have contaminated the ring when they changed it. You definitely want to see a doctor about that, and if it turns out it was contaminated during the change, you'll want to go back to the place you got the piercing and talk to the manager or whomever owns the place. If they caused the infection, you'll need to lodge the complaint and while the manager can't make up for time and suffering, you might want to see what he/she will do to compensate for their employees carelessness.

Also, if you are looking for a good place to get piercings, I recommend BodyCandy[dot]com or HotTopic. Everything is surgical steel or pure silver and I have never had a problem with the piercings I buy in either shop. I DO NOT recommend buying piercings from Spencers since the few piercings I bought there, the silver started coming off and exposing whatever was beneath the silver coating causing my skin to turn green and also causing an allergic reaction.

Definitely make sure you get surgical grade steel next time. Silver can cause temp skin discoloration.

As for where to get peircings, that depends on what's around you. I usually go to a local tat/peirce shop with a good reputation. Look around you. Does the place look clean? Are there tools just setting out? Does the staff look clean? Are they knowledgeable about aftercare, or just about piercings?