Why does my belly button keep getting crusty?

Belly buttons contain a lot of folds that allow for the buildup of dead skin cells, sweat, and various microorganisms, Cynthia Bailey, M.D., a diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology and founder of Dr. Bailey Skin Care, tells SELF. On top of that, people often neglect to wash their navels well, Dr. Bailey adds.

Why does my belly button go crusty?

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. Your doctor may prescribe a prescription or over-the-counter antibacterial or anti-fungal cream or ointment. It depends on the type of infection.

How do you get rid of a crusty belly button?

Your healthcare provider may recommend an antifungal cream, ointment or powder. You'll apply the antifungal directly onto the skin of your belly button. You can find many antifungal creams over the counter. Your healthcare provider may offer a prescription antifungal medicine if necessary.

Is it normal to have brown crust in your belly button?

Navel stones are usually dark brown or black. They are also dry and hard to the touch. When doctors examine them under the microscope, they can whether the stone is made up of dead skin, hair, sebum, or other debris that has built up in the navel. Navel stones aren't usually painful.

How can you tell if your belly button is infected?

What's Inside Your Belly Button?

Why is my belly button crusty and itchy?

Also known as atopic dermatitis, eczema is a condition that can make the skin in and around your navel itchy and red. Treatment: There is no cure for eczema. Wash with gentle soap, and then rinse and dry your belly button thoroughly. If you have an “outie” belly button, moisturize it twice a day.

Why is my belly button dry and flaky?

The fungus candida thrives in dark, warm, moist places like your belly button. It causes a rash of dry, itchy, swollen skin. You're more likely to get it if you're pregnant, obese, or take antibiotics. You can help prevent it if you wear looser clothing and keep your navel clean, especially in hot, humid weather.

What does belly button gunk look like?

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.

Is belly button discharge serious?

If you notice belly button discharge, chances are you have an infection. But other things, such as cysts and poor hygiene, can also cause your belly button to leak fluid.

What is belly button cheese?

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.

How do you get a yeast infection in your belly button?

Like other areas of your body, your navel naturally contains bacteria and fungi. If you don't clean your belly button regularly and the circumstances are just right, microorganisms can proliferate and cause an infection, Edidiong Kaminska, M.D., a dermatologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, tells SELF.

Why is my belly button flaky and smelly?

Most belly buttons are indented so act as a trap for sweat, dead skin, and dirt. Few people wash the belly button with soap so germs can develop. The most common cause for a belly button smell is poor hygiene. All areas of the body need to be washed regularly to stay clean and healthy.

Is it normal to have scabs on your belly button?

This is completely normal, and you should not worry at all. Keep the area clean as you are, and do like your mother always told you: don't pick the scabs! They will come off on their own when they are healed.

Can I use peroxide in my belly button?

Cleaning your belly button. If you're noticing an odor from your belly button, you may need to clean the area more thoroughly. Here are the steps: Depending on the sensitivity of your skin, you can use water, a saltwater solution, or hydrogen peroxide to clean your belly button.

What does psoriasis in the belly button look like?

If a person has inverse psoriasis in the bellybutton, the symptoms may include: painful skin near or in the bellybutton. raw-looking, smooth patches of skin in or around the bellybutton. little or no gray or silvery scales.

What does a bacterial belly button infection look like?

Dirt, bacteria, fungus, and germs can get trapped inside your belly button and start to multiply, which can cause an infection. If you develop a belly button infection, you might notice white, yellow, brown, or bloody discharge seeping out of it. That discharge might also have an unpleasant smell.

Are belly button yeast infections painful?

Navel fungal infections cause a rash like symptom that's red, itchy and may resemble eczema. The navel may also become red in general and feel quite sore.

What is the belly button connected to internally?

Internally the veins and arteries in the cord close up and form ligaments, which are tough connective tissues. These ligaments divide up the liver into sections and remain attached to the inside of the belly button.

What is inside of 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.

Is the belly button connected to anything in adults?

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.

What organ is directly behind the belly button?

Located directly behind the stomach, the pancreas lies deep in the center of the abdomen. Its position corresponds to an area 3-6 inches above the “belly button”, straight back on the back wall of the abdominal cavity.

What is behind the belly button in a female?

The area behind your belly button contains parts of your stomach, small and large intestine, and pancreas. Learn about causes of abdominal pain by location.

Should you clean your belly button?

Your belly button should be cleaned just like all the other parts of the body; otherwise, the area can develop gnarly smells and infections, often paired with red, itchy, and scabby skin—especially if you have a navel piercing.

How deep does your belly button go?

Belly buttons are barely a few millimetres deep at a young age. At a young age, belly buttons have an elongated shape. The diameter of the navel varies from fifteen to twenty millimetres. The body weight, pregnancies and abdominal wall hernia can influence the appearance.

Why does my belly button feel like it's being pulled from the inside?

What causes belly button pain that feels like a sharp, pulling pain? If you feel a sharp pain near your belly button that gets worse when you stretch or cough, you might have a hernia. A bulge near the belly button is the most common symptom. You may also experience pain in the area near your groin.