What should I pay attention to if my belly button has an odor?

There will be some secretion in the belly button. A small amount of secretion has a protective effect, but a large amount of secretion will cause problems with the belly button. When water flows out of the belly button and is accompanied by an odor, you must consider that there is an infection around the belly button or inside the belly button. The main reasons include the entry of water during bathing, or perhaps not paying attention to cleaning it in normal times, and long-term water filling causing inflammation of the belly button, which requires timely disinfection and treatment.

What to do if your belly button smells

Everyone has more or less secretions in their belly button. A small amount of secretions can actually play a protective role, but if there is too much secretion or brown substance flowing out, it is considered an umbilical infection and you should go to the hospital for diagnosis. Also, the sunken navel caused by omphalitis is a dark corner that is prone to water and dirt accumulation and is not easy to dry out. In addition, the temperature here is suitable, making it a good culture medium for bacteria. Furthermore, the umbilical stump has not yet completely closed after umbilical cord cutting and is not covered by skin. If the umbilical cord is not properly cared for, bacteria can grow and multiply in large numbers and cause omphalitis.

The initial symptoms are redness at the root of the umbilical cord or the wound after the umbilical cord falls off, white purulent secretions, and further redness and swelling of the skin around the umbilicus.

Bacteria can even enter the blood circulation through the umbilical blood vessels, a potential channel that has not yet been closed anatomically, causing serious consequences such as sepsis, so omphalitis must be treated promptly. First of all, keep the navel skin clean, hygienic and dry. Never apply unsterilized powder or lime on the navel.

You can use a sterile cotton swab dipped in 75% alcohol to clean the secretions from the remaining part of the umbilicus or the depression of the umbilicus, then apply 1% gentian violet or 2.5% iodine, and then bandage it with sterile gauze. Omphalitis can be mild or severe, so it is best to go to the hospital for examination and treatment.