Usually, the belly button discharge will be a pale white, off-yellow, or light green color, and will kind of look like snot does when you have a cold. It may also give off an unpleasant, sour smell, which is another sign of infection.
Simply put, a belly button full of gunk will eventually start to smell. And that gunk can be things other than belly button lint. Your belly button is home to many types of bacteria. You may also have fungi (like the yeast called Candida) and other germs in there.
If the belly button becomes infected, a person should see a doctor for advice and prescribe medication if needed. The symptoms of an infection are redness, itching, and swelling. Sometimes, there may be fluid or pus, which can harden to form a crust around the area.
Dip your finger or a soft washcloth in a solution of saltwater (about a teaspoon of table salt in a cup of warm water) and gently massage the inside of your navel. This should loosen stubborn germs that can cause odor. Then rinse with plain water and pat it dry.
If your belly button is “leaking” clear or colored discharge or blood, you may have a bacterial, fungal, or yeast infection. Crusty skin, strong odor, itching, and redness are also signs of infection. If discharge and crust stick around after you wash your belly button, you should see your doctor.
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.
“If you stick a fingernail in there and really scrape to get the fluff out, that can break the skin and could lead to an infection,” he explains. Some people also clean their belly buttons with cotton swabs soaked in alcohol, which he says can cause dryness and irritation.
The most common symptom of a belly button yeast infection is a bright red rash in the skin folds of your navel. The rash is typically extremely itchy. It may burn. You may also see scaling, swelling or a white discharge.
Wherever you talk, you point your belly bottom. So if I talk to you over here, I point my belly button. If I move over here, I point my belly button. That's the belly button rule.
Apparently this happens because the spinal cord relays signals to the bladder and which can be mistaken for the same bladder discomfort that we feel when we need to the toilet. So, there you have it – you aren't weird, your body is!
Bellybutton pain can occur for many reasons, such as an infection, an umbilical hernia, pregnancy, or a problem with the digestive system. A doctor can help resolve any underlying issues. Anyone experiencing bellybutton pain, or periumbilical pain, should talk with their doctor to determine the cause.
“It is largely inaccessible, so it remains dirty even after showering.” The shape of your navel makes it easy to collect dirt, which can even cause a strong smell. Dr. Richardson cautions against touching your belly button with your germy fingers, as it can lead to serious infections.
The shape and dent of your navel essentially determines how the umbilical cord heals. Belly buttons don't necessarily mean anything in particular about your health, however some people would argue that your belly button says a lot about you as a person.” Belly buttons are low-key gross.
“A washcloth or Q-tip may help." Unlike with your ears, your navel is a "blind pouch" (does that make anyone else think of teeny, tiny kangaroos?) so unlike with your ears, there's no risk of going too far with a Q-tip or losing anything inside your body.
The body is filled with bacteria. Some live in dry areas, some in greasy areas, and some thrive in damp environments. The skin folds of the belly button and navel form a moist environment; the perfect conditions for the fungi to live in. The navel is to fungi what water is to a fish.
You need to swab your navel with a cotton bud dipped in warm, soapy water or alcohol once a week. Make sure you dry the entire area thoroughly afterwards.
It usually forms when the surface skin is folded in on itself, which is often the case in a belly button. As skin grows, dead skin cells can't be shed like it can elsewhere on the body. It can leak a cheese-like substance and have a foul-smelling odor, but it is typically not dangerous and does not require treatment.
When your belly button smells, it is usually because of a hygiene need or infection. The belly button contains several tiny skin folds that can trap sweat, dirt, dead skin cells, and bacteria. Possible infections include candidiasis, bacterial infections, or an infected urachal cyst.
Bacterial infections, fungal infections, and cysts may cause belly button discharge. Belly buttons can become infected if the skin is cracked, overly moist, or pierced. In addition, laparoscopic surgery through the naval may pose a risk for infection. Treatment includes antibiotics, antifungals, or drainage.
Complications can occur when the protruding abdominal tissue becomes trapped (incarcerated) and can no longer be pushed back into the abdominal cavity. This reduces the blood supply to the section of trapped intestine and can lead to abdominal pain and tissue damage.
Experts generally agree that all you need to do is soap up a washcloth and gently scrub your navel. Soap and a washcloth can work for innies, too, but you may need slightly more specialized tools—namely, as Healthline explains, a cotton swab and some rubbing alcohol.
Navel lint, or belly button fluff, is mostly made from your underwear. The majority of clothing fibres just contribute to house dust, but underwear fibres get caught by the hairs below your belly button, which points upward and towards your mid-line.
As you can see in the picture below, the belly button normally isn't connected to anything in adults. It does play an important role for developing fetuses, however. This photo shows what the belly button looks like from inside the abdomen. As you can see, it is not attached to anything in the body.