Bleeding From Belly Button

Belly button bleeding is also known as navel bleeding, and it is caused by several aspects and among them an infection. If you see blood coming out of your belly button, it is something that will make you scared. Although this could be a serious issue, it is nonetheless a condition that can be treated. You will have blood oozing out of the belly button if there is a rapture of blood vessel within the area.

In newborns, it is a common occurrence to have blood oozes in belly button especially in the first few weeks. There is nothing wrong about that though if it persists, you might want to see a doctor. In newborns, the bleeding in belly button occurs when the blood vessels separate as the umbilical cord dries and falls off.

However, in adults, this navel bleeding is something that is a cause for alarm because it is usually accompanied by some other symptoms such as swelling, pain, excessive itching, and redness. At times, you may experience a foul smell from a white or yellowish pus that is discharged from the belly button alongside the bleeding.

An incidence of bleeding of belly button is often a sign that comes after an earlier symptoms of development of infection. A person might earlier have had a sign such as swelling and discoloration of skin, which is followed by the bleeding of belly button. A discharge such as the yellowish pus might also occur.

Depending on the nature and extend of infection, the blood being released may be more or less. As the infection advances, you might have the small ruptures in belly button allowing the blood to seep right into the discharge. The blood may be in form of little spotting or steady flows.

Causes of bleeding from belly button

The main cause of navel bleeding is an infection. A person who has pierced the belly button may have infected himself or herself. Though most of the professional piercers use sterilized tools and piercing precautions, those not knowledgeable about this practice could cause some troubles when they use tools that are not properly sterilized and do not follow the piercing procedures properly.

Using the wrong piercing technique could infect the pierced belly button with a bacterial infection. When you do not follow the piercing aftercare instructions properly as provided by the professionals, you could as well infect yourself or another person with bacteria. The belly button is usually moist and warm, something that provides an ideal condition for growth of bacteria and fungi.

The growing number of microorganisms could attack the skin and cause some sort of inflammation. When the blood vessels in the area rapture because of the inflammation, the blood may end up draining out from the belly button. Cellulitis is an infection caused on skin by bacterial and is specially triggered by streptococcus bacteria.

Similarly, a yeast infection caused by Candida albicans fungus could lead to bleeding of belly button. One thing with these microbes is that in normal conditions, they live on skin surface and they cause no infection. However, due to lack of proper hygiene and touching of the belly button area using unwashed hands and taking a bath using polluted waters, such aspects could be some of the factors that lead to the uncontrolled growth of the infection.

Treatment

Navel bleeding is something that needs immediate attention and proper treatment in order to avoid serious complications. A physical examination is needed to help study the symptoms and identify the causes. If the bleeding is caused by fungal infection, use of antifungal creams may be opted for. For bacterial infection, it is treated with use of antibacterial ointments.

If the bacterial infection is so serious, then oral antibiotics might be needed in order to help in eliminating the infection faster. Prior to application of medication, the navel area needs to be washed with use of antibacterial soap and water. When applying the medication, vigorous rubbing of the skin should be avoided in order to avert irritation that could cause inflammation.

Depending on the nature and severity of the infection, oral antibiotics may be administered. However, where the infection has advanced, a patient may be administered with intravenous antibiotics. It is important to keep the belly button as clean as possible all the time and ensure it is dry. This will promote the healing of the infection and ruptured vessels thus reducing the level of bleeding.

Cleaning the area keeps the bacteria and fungi away thus minimizing chances of the infection occurring again. You need to seek medical attention immediately you notice the first sign even if there are no other symptoms that are present. This will help in preventing the infecting from spreading and bringing other serious issues that complicate the treatment process.

At times, a small cyst or duct, which extends right into the abdominal wall through the belly button, could be present and this is called the urachal remnant. This is usually left over from the fetal life. If the bleeding arises from this urachal remnant, it may require attention such a surgery to correct it.