What is a belly button? A belly button or a tummy button is a hollowed or raised area on your stomach where the umbilical cord attached before birth. Many people have this area smelling bad for many reasons. This could be due to poor hygiene or a medical issue. Sometimes, there could be a discharge from this area which means there is a certain disease or infection.
Here are five reasons your tummy button smells:
Piercing woundMany women have pierced their belly buttons for beautification. However, they don’t know how much they risk contracting infections at this place through the piercing. Piercing this area will make the wound hard to heal which will start oozing a foul smell and discharge.
SurgeryAfter a surgery, many people are left with wounds. A surgery on a tummy tuck will be hard to heal, and with time it will start causing a foul discharge which might form infections. A poop-like smell will come out of this place if not well taken care of after a surgery.
Yeast infectionYeast infections or fungal infections could be due to Candida albicans. Candida albicans is a fungus that strives in warm and moist areas like the belly button hole. They cause a yeast or a fungal infection which has a cheese-like odor. Sometimes, these infections cause a foul-smelling discharge accompanied by some pain.
Bacterial infectionMany people with inner tummy buttons ignore this place when taking a shower. A lot of dirt will accumulate in this hole, where bacteria will start to thrive and grow. In a long time, infections will form here which will cause warmth and even a foul smell with some discharge. You might start feeling pain if you don’t clean this place when you don’t wash this place well.
Increased metabolism during pregnancyMany women experience this problem during periods and during pregnancy. This is usually due to an increased metabolism in your body making you perspire more. Without cleaning this area well, you will likely end up with a foul smell oozing from this place.