How Do You Remove A Belly Button Ring That Won’t Unscrew?

Belly button piercings are among the coolest body modifications to help you achieve a unique look. While these piercings may look as sexy as ever, they also come with a few complications, especially if you don’t look after them properly.

Belly piercings are among the easiest piercings you can remove yourself, but you can only do this once the piercing heals properly. The healing process differs for everyone, though it takes about a month or at least a few weeks.

You can unscrew your piercing after that, but you may come across other issues, such as a tightened screw or a piercing stuck to the skin. This is why it’s best to do this with help from a professional. These issues aren’t life-threatening, but you could exacerbate their condition if you don’t take proper care of them.

If you plan on removing your belly piercing yourself, then read this article. Here’s a detailed guide on what you can do if you come across an issue while removing your piercing.

Do Belly Button Rings Unscrew From The Top or Bottom? Which Way Do You Turn It?

There are different ways you can unscrew your belly button piercing. Ultimately, it depends on the type of jewelry and the position of the piercing. Usually, you have to unscrew it from the bottom while gently holding onto the belly button ring. Before you begin unscrewing, make sure of a few things.

When removing a piercing, make sure to wash your hands, as contact with germs could lead to an infection. Remember that your piercing is the last place you want to experience a painful infection.

Start by sliding the belly button ring a bit to ensure that it moves freely. If you’re struggling to move it freely, it’s best to seek help from a professional. Don’t pull or shift it aggressively as it can irritate the skin and aggravate its condition.

The top of the belly button ring has a screw-on ball that helps keep your belly ring intact. Once you’ve located the screw-on ball, start unscrewing the ball while gently holding your belly button ring.

In some cases, the ring appears on the inside, but most often, it’s at the top.  Start by unscrewing the ball from the bottom. At the same time, slide the ring, and pull it out gently. This method allows you to remove the belly button ring smoothly.

In some cases, it may not come out that easily. This is where you should seek professional help instead. Once you successfully remove the piercing, clean the belly button area immediately by washing it with warm water. Use rubbing alcohol wipes to sanitize the region and eliminate any remaining germs.

Unscrewing the ball may seem a bit tricky, but a golden rule to remember whenever doing so is by sticking to the “tightie rightie, lefty loosey” step. This is an excellent way to remember how to unscrew your piercing.

Your piercing professional will usually screw the piercing ball to the right. So when loosening it, unscrew to the left. Keep repeating the four golden words mentioned above, and you’ll remove your piercing within no time.

What Should You Do If The Ring Is Stuck To Your Skin?

It’s very common for your belly button ring to stick to your skin, and this only happens when there is an infection or swelling on the belly button area. If you notice your belly ring stuck to your skin, you should leave it at once and allow it to heal till the infection and swelling subsides. If you’re noticing this two months after getting a belly button piercing, you may be able to remove it. After this long, the piercing has already passed the healing stage.

You have to be very careful when removing a belly ring that’s stuck to your skin, as the last thing you want is to rip your skin. It would be best if you go to a professional piercing artist to remove a belly button ring that’s stuck to your skin. If you still want to do it on your own, remember to make sure of a few things. These will help you remove your belly button ring safely if it’s attached to your skin.

For a little relief, you will want to wash your belly button with warm water as this will allow more movement of the belly button ring once your skin softens. You can easily do this under the shower, which might help the belly ring move from where it’s stuck.

Next, dab some moisturizer or hydrocortisone cream near the shaft of your belly ring and all over the piercing hole. This will help soften the area. This helps in removing the piercing easily. If you don’t want to remove the piercing, this can help the piercing shift from your skin since it’s stuck.

Once you’ve put on some cream, slowly shift the belly piercing by sliding it from right to left. If you can do this smoothly, keep going till you remove it fully. If your piercing has swollen, it can be a bit painful while removing. Hence, make sure to gentle when moving it from the right to left. If you’re not removing the piercing, adjust it properly by placing the end outwards.

In some cases, you will have to slide the piercing inside your navel, especially if it has a bar side. You can now unhook the ring securing the piercing. If the ball is stuck as well, you can easily remove it with a pair of pliers. But make sure to be extremely careful and gentle while doing so.

If you have an infection, you must immediately remove the piercing and apply an anti-inflammatory ointment on your belly button to reduce the infection. Consult a professional if you feel like the infection is worsening with time.

If you’re still unable to remove the piercing, refrain from pulling the piercing, and instead, visit a professional. If you remove the piercing too harshly, it will scrape the skin and worsen the infection if you already have one.

Does It Hurt To Change Your Belly Button Ring?

The first time you get a belly piercing, you will experience some pain. Your bellybutton is a highly sensitive area. However, once you get a belly piercing and change it again, it doesn’t hurt that much as it did the first time. It doesn’t hurt some people at all, depending on how well the piercing has settled in and healed.

If you want to experience minimal pain when changing your belly button ring, it is best to wait for at least 3-4 weeks till your piercing heals fully. Belly button piercings completely heal after six months, so waiting that long is a much better option.

For some people, changing a belly ring can hurt, but if you follow a few steps while removing the piecing, you can ensure a smooth removal process. Before touching the area with the piercing, wash your hands with a bar of antibacterial soap.

This will prevent any spread of infection on your belly button piercing. This area is prone to bacterial infections, which can lead to further complications.

Next, clean the belly area and piercing with a saline solution. This helps prevent bacteria from getting through the piercing site.

Remember to have your new jewelry ready and make sure it’s properly cleaned and sanitized before using it. For maximum disinfection of your new belly ring piercing, soak the jewelry in rubbing alcohol for a while, and then thoroughly wipe and dry the jewelry with a clean cloth.

You might want to use an antibacterial soap if you’re using unsterilized or acrylic-based jewelry. Once you disinfect your new jewelry properly, remove the old one in a proper manner. You have to be extremely careful when removing your original piercing and remember to use the “righty, lefty” method.

Make sure to slide the ball smoothly, and if you’re unable to do this, it’s a significant indicator that your piercing still needs some time to heal, and you may have to wait for a few more days till you change the jewelry.

If you successfully removed the original belly ring piercing, continue to slide in the new belly ring. Make sure to close the belly ring with an appropriate closure, which is a small ball in this case. Some piercings have a curved feature, so if you have something like this, just make sure it sits in place without closing it with anything. By following these steps, you can experience a smooth piercing change process and won’t experience pain in the slightest.

The Bottom-Line

Belly button piercings come with many complications, but they are quite worth the pain. If you’re in love with your belly piercing, you will do whatever it takes to prevent it from getting stuck to your skin or infected. Even if you still have to deal with certain complications, these are easily reversible.

Just make sure to follow proper guidelines and seek professional help. It is easy to unscrew or re-pierce your belly ring piercing on your own, but it would be wise to go to your professional piercer as they have experience in dealing with this the right way. Hopefully, this article makes your belly button piercing journey a bit more fun and a little less complicated or stressful.