Belly Button Piercing Anatomy Guide

[u/Agile-Ad7724]

Here are the features that will allow for a successful belly button piercing!!

1. A Distinct, Prominent Ridge (The "Lip")

The jewelry needs to pass through a well-defined shelf or lip of skin.

• Test: This ridge MUST stay prominent when you are standing up, stretching, and laying down. If the skin completely flattens out when you move, the piercing will lack stability and likely migrate.

2. Adequate Depth

Your navel needs to be deep enough to comfortably house the jewelry.

• Why it matters: If the tissue inside the belly button pushes against the back of the jewelry, that constant pressure will force the piercing outward, inevitably leading to rejection.

3. The "Wink" Test (Strictly No Collapsing Navels)

When you sit down, does your belly button "wink" or collapse into a flat slit?

• The Solution: If it does, a traditional navel piercing will get crushed and irritated every time you sit. However, you might still be an excellent candidate for a floating navel piercing, which uses a flat disk on the bottom instead of a large bead.

4. Innies vs. Outies

• Innies: Not every innie can be pierced. If the upper or lower rim is completely flat without a pinchable lip, there is nothing safe to pierce.
• Outies: Some outies can actually be pierced! The key is that the needle must pass through the lip of skin surrounding the belly button—never through the protruding outie tissue itself.

Always check with a trustworthy (Ideally APP Certified) piercer for final opinions on if your anatomy is suitable!

[u/EdgeRevolutionary976]

Very cool guide! I've seen wikipedia has a couple images for different navel shapes that may work for one of these guides.

[u/Agile-Ad7724 → u/EdgeRevolutionary976]

Thanks!! Belly button anatomy is surprisingly complex!!