Sore Belly Button

The belly button, or navel, or umbilicus is an innocuous and conspicuous part of the body. But, in case this part becomes sore or painful, it causes immense discomfort to the sufferer.

The soreness often accompanies pain, itching, inflammation, and sometimes, smelly discharge. If you are suffering from any of these ailments, you must be wondering what can be the cause of it and how can it be treated. An attempt to solve all such queries of yours has been made in this article. Take a look.

• Sometimes, debris gets entrapped inside the belly button. It causes irritation of the skin and exposes it to microbial attack, that in turn results in infection.
• The presence of a urachal cyst causes abdominal pain and a rise in the body temperature. The cyst often bursts and gives out foul-smelling fluid.

• The presence of foul-smelling substance/discharge in your belly button is due to candidiasis, caused by Candidiasis albicans.
• Patent urachus is the medical complication that involves leakage of urine and mucus from the belly button. It arises due to improper closing of urachus tube after birth. The condition can be corrected by surgical methods.

• Wearing tight pants
• Dryness and lack of moisture
• Umbilical Hernia
• Appendicitis
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Constipation
• Diverticulitis
• Ruptured Spleen
• Wilm's tumor
• Celiac disease
• Colon cancer

Generally, the belly button soreness gets treated on its own. This is because, the immune system of your body works to restore the normal state of the belly button.

You may speed up this natural process of healing by providing your body with nutrients that act as immunity boosters. The most important among them is vitamin C, present abundantly in all citrus fruits.

You can take over-the-counter antibiotics and antifungal medicines to treat a belly button infection. A moist, warm, and dirty belly button is the ideal place to attract microbes, which may worsen the condition even more.

Therefore, try your level best to keep it clean and dry. But don't wash your belly button with strong and harsh soaps. This will over dry the region and will further expose it to micro-organisms.

You can apply hydrogen peroxide on the belly button 3-4 times a day. This will not only keep it clean but will also remove the cyst, if any. You can cleanse the belly button with salt water solution. To make this solution, take a cup of water and add 2-3 teaspoons of table salt to it. Mix it well and use it for cleaning your belly button.

If your sore belly button is itchy and inflamed, placing an ice cube on it for 5-10 minutes twice a day will provide you with some relief. At last, if you feel that dryness and lack of moisture in the surrounding is the cause for sore belly button in your case, try to maintain the normal levels of oil and moisture by using a moisturizing lotion or olive oil for the purpose.

Try the aforementioned home remedies if you have a sore belly button for a period of 6 - 9 days. In case you notice satisfactory improvement in your condition, continue the remedies. Otherwise, pay a visit to a medical practitioner for necessary intervention as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.