It is not recommended to remove a large or hard navel stone (omphalolith) yourself at home, as it is safest to have a healthcare professional do it. Attempting removal yourself can increase the risk of injury, infection, or an abscess, which may require more serious medical treatment.
Seek a doctor's advice before removing an omphalolith at home. If the stone is particularly large, hard, or has caused an infection, it may be best for a doctor to remove it. They do so in a sterile environment, which can be difficult to reproduce at home.
Navel stone removal is a simple and usually painless procedure that healthcare providers perform. Before extracting the navel stone, your healthcare provider will place a cotton ball soaked in sterile saline or glycerin on your belly button to soften the stone and make it easier to remove.
The navel stone itself isn't a health problem or a symptom of an underlying condition. It's just an accumulation of dirt and oil in a spot that is hard to clean. But a stone can start to irritate the skin in and around your navel. The irritation might lead to a skin infection inside your navel.
But your belly button contains bacteria just like every other part of your body, and that means it needs cleaning every now and then. Neglecting to clean your belly button can lead to unpleasant odors, irritation and infection.
Sweat and Oil: In hot and humid conditions, the belly button area can trap sweat and oils, collecting dust and other particles. Dead Skin Cells: Shedding skin cells build up in small, enclosed areas like the navel without proper cleaning.
You may not need to do anything if tonsil stones don't bother you. In fact, tonsil stones often fall out on their own eventually and the underlying cause goes away. But if you get them frequently, or if they cause uncomfortable symptoms, your provider can recommend other treatments.
Typically, they soften the stone first by using a cotton swab soaked in sterile saline held to the stone. Using gentle manipulation, they remove the stone from the belly button. On rare occasions, if an infection forms from the navel stone, a doctor may need to remove the stone and drain the abscess.
Your belly button may also contain dirt, sebum (oil), and dead skin cells. All together, this can cause comedones, which are like blackheads, to develop in your belly button; this buildup can potentially lead to a naval stone, a brownish-black bump.
If the pain is severe, persistent, or accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, nausea, or vomiting, you should consult a healthcare provider. Pain that increases with movement or physical activity can also be a sign of a more serious underlying condition, such as an umbilical hernia or appendicitis.
Simply dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol or plain soap and water and gently clean the area once a week, and dry pat as you normally would after a shower.
Accumulation of Dirt and Debris
Your belly button is home to many types of bacteria, fungi, and other germs. Combine that with dead skin cells and the natural oils from your skin, and you've got the recipe for an unpleasant odor.
Study Finds the 3 Dirtiest Body Parts You're Forgetting to Wash in the Shower
“If your belly button looks redder than usual, a bit swollen and there is purulent discharge (or pus) coming from the belly button that has a foul smell, you could have an infection,” Kadri said. Other signs to watch out for include: Pain and tenderness. Itching.
Grab a Q-tip and mild soap.
Before going in, swab the Q-tip with soap and water; Dr. Chacon says it's best to use “mild, fragrance-free soap” to avoid irritating the navel's sensitive skin.
Your belly button marks the spot where your umbilical (say: um-BIL-ih-kul) cord was once attached. This cord is a soft, bendable tube that carried nutrients — vitamins and minerals — from your mother to you, back when you were in her belly (womb). A belly button is also called a navel.
The sebaceous glands release oil in the skin. If dirt or oil clogs one of these glands in or near the belly button, a cyst may form under the skin. People can contact a doctor for a proper diagnosis if they believe they have a cyst.
The intestines are the internal organs that lie directly behind the navel. The abdominal organs have a protective fat layer called the omentum draped over them. The abdominal cavity is covered by peritoneum, with the muscles, fascia, fat, and subcutaneous tissue forming the other layers beneath the skin.
Overview of Belly Button Problems
If you've noticed discharge, a strong smell, pain, or another change in your belly button, you may need to see a doctor. If your belly button leaks discharge or blood, you may have a bacterial, fungal, or yeast infection.
What causes a belly button to smell? Most belly buttons are indented and act as a trap for sweat, dead skin, and dirt. Few people wash their belly button with soap, so germs can develop. The presence of dirt and bacteria in the belly button is the most common cause of a belly button smell.
Without getting in there and cleaning your belly button on the regular, the lingering gunk — e.g. dirt, sweat, dead skin cells, clothing fabric, and bacteria — can collect and "cause odor or even an infection," says Dr. Goldberg.