What's a Belly Button? 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.
You may think that belly button removal is done mostly for cosmetic reasons. While it can give you a unique, navel-free look, umbilical surgery is required for people with medical conditions, such as umbilical hernias and persistent infections as well as those having some types of cancer treatment.
The navel region is an erogenous zone with heightened sensitivity that when touched by the finger or the tip of the tongue can produce erotic sensations. Individuals who are ticklish in that area can be aroused by tickling, blowing raspberries, or being teased with a feather, flower, or blade of grass.
"Your belly button should be cleaned just like the rest of the skin." Whether you're the owner of an outie or innie, your belly button is home to "tiny creases, where dead skin, dirt, and bacteria can accumulate," explains Dr. Rodney.
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Poor hygiene is the most common cause of belly button odor. Like other body parts, the belly button requires regular and proper cleaning to stay healthy and odor-free.
Luckily, all that unwanted stuff inside the navel can be safely removed through regular cleanings. To minimize bacteria and extract anything else that may become trapped in there, experts recommend a weekly hygiene routine.
The belly is widely considered as an erogenous region, meaning it holds multiple nerve endings that make it sensitive to various sensations.
The diversity that the researchers observed was spectacular—in the 60 different belly buttons surveyed, they found a total of nearly 2,400 phylotypes (a phylotype is shorthand in microbiome studies for “species”) of bacteria.
If you're gently pulling out some lint, you're fine — there's no reason to leave that stuff in when you find it.
The main reason for this is that the belly button provides the shortest distance from the skin to the inside of the abdominal cavity. Additionally, it is relatively easy to hide the incision inside the belly button.
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.
Poor hygiene: Failing to clean the belly button regularly can lead to the buildup of dirt, sweat and dead skin cells, creating an environment for bacteria and fungi to thrive.
Navel stones are primarily made of sebum and keratin. 1 Sebum is oil produced by the skin, and keratin is a protein that helps form hair, skin, and nails. 4 These substances accumulate in the belly button, gradually harden over time, and create a stone-like object.
Behind the belly button are many organs. These include the intestines, stomach, and bladder.
Red Flags Signaling Medical Attention
Severe abdominal pain accompanied by high fever, vomiting blood, or sudden intense pain could signal an issue requiring immediate medical attention.
The space below contains the bladder, rectum, and part of the descending colon. In females, the pelvis also houses the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.
Most guys enjoy kissing on the mouth. Once you're comfortable with light kisses on the lips, try moving on to deeper and more intimate kisses, like the French kiss. If you're both bored with kissing on the lips, try kissing him in other places, like on his forehead, cheek, or shoulder.
So, what do men find attractive in women? Per Wikipedia: Men, on average, tend to be attracted to women who have a youthful appearance and exhibit features such as a symmetrical face, full breasts, full lips, and a low waist-hip ratio.
Other studies have found a link between a woman's waist to hip ratio and her fertility, offering some explanation as to why, alongside breasts, waist size is viewed as important by men selecting a mate.
Stick with mild soap and water for regular cleaning. For infections, diluted hydrogen peroxide (with water) may help, but consulting a skincare expert is best for ongoing issues. What if my belly button is red or painful? Redness, pain, or swelling could signal irritation or infection.
If you have a fungal infection the belly button will look red, and the redness may extend to the surrounding skin for a few millimetres. It may be itchy. Bacteria may also infect the belly button, often taking advantage of the damage already done by the fungi. This leads to scabbing and a yellowish discharge.