Can you pick the dirt in your belly button? Don't pick it randomly, beware of 4 hidden dangers

The son likes to play with his father. When he is excited, he likes to pick his father's belly button. As a result, he almost "picked through" his father's belly. Experts remind that although the belly button is small, it is easy to cause serious trouble if you pick it carelessly.

Mr. Xiong is 30 years old, and his son Taotao (pseudonym) is less than 2 years old. Taotao usually likes to stick to his father and play with him.

Recently, Taotao has been curious about his father’s belly button, and picking his father’s belly button has become the little guy’s “daily homework”.

Half a month ago, Mr. Xiong's belly button was scratched by his son, leaving a small cut, which soon formed a scab.

Mr. Xiong thought it was just a superficial injury and didn't take it seriously.

Later, his abdomen above his belly button began to swell and ache. The day before yesterday, Mr. Xiong, who was suffering from unbearable abdominal pain, went to the City Center Hospital for treatment. Examination diagnosed him with a huge abdominal wall abscess. Once the bacteria in the abscess erode and penetrate the peritoneum, it will cause intra-abdominal infection with disastrous consequences.

Director Wang, a general surgeon at the hospital, said that the belly button is the place where the internal organs are closest to the outside world, so it is best not to pick it randomly. If you pick it hard, it will cause stomach pain and other discomfort. Once the local skin of the belly button is damaged, it is easy to form an abscess, so you need to seek medical attention in time.

Navel, the first scar on the human body

The navel is also known as the Shenque point. During the fetal period, there are umbilical arteries and umbilical veins inside the navel, which connect the mother and the fetus. They can bring nutrients from the mother into the fetus through the umbilical blood vessels, thereby promoting the growth and development of the fetus.

After the fetus is delivered, the navel degenerates to form a belly button.

The belly button is essentially a scar left after the umbilical cord falls off after the fetus is born, a scar that everyone has.

For a person who has left the mother's body, it has almost no use and cannot be considered an organ. It does not participate in any physiological function and is just a trace left at birth.

However, everyone's belly button is different, some are deep, some are shallow, some are concave, and some are convex. Why is this so, and does it have any impact on human health?

First, let’s talk about what a healthy belly button looks like.

A normal navel is located on the midline of the abdomen at the level of the anterior superior iliac spine, and the diameter of the navel is generally about 1.0-2.0 cm.

Male umbilicus is usually larger than female umbilicus.

The depth of the navel depends on the amount of subcutaneous fat. The thicker the subcutaneous fat, the deeper the navel, which means the better the nutritional status; the thinner the subcutaneous fat, the shallower the navel, which means the less nutrition.

Under normal circumstances, the belly button is a small depression or a small protrusion, mostly round in shape.

The abdominal muscles below the belly button form a small depression.

If the navel meets the three characteristics of "round, big and deep", it is generally believed that the innate vital energy is sufficient.

In terms of shape, it is round and full, the color is uniform, the color is red and bright, and it feels strong when pressed.

If a woman's belly button is a perfect circle, it means that she is in good health and her ovaries are functioning well. If a man has a round belly button, it means that he is energetic, has normal blood pressure, and his internal organs are healthy.

In addition, the depth of the belly button has no effect on health.

It’s just that if the belly button is very deep, it is relatively easy to hide dirt and grime, and it is difficult to clean normally, which can easily cause bacterial infection and lead to belly button inflammation.

What is the “mud” in your belly button?

Do you want to clean up?

"The black mud in the belly button is used to protect the belly, don't pick it at all!"

I believe many people have heard this sentence, so what is the "mud" in the belly button? Is it really not allowed to pick it out?

The belly button is a place where dirt and filth are hidden, and the "mud" inside is human secretions and metabolic products.

The skin of the belly button secretes oil and sweat, which provide nutrients for the growth of bacteria, so there are many bacteria stored in the belly button. It has been reported that there may be as many as 1.2 million bacteria in the belly button.

Although there are many bacteria, they are generally harmless to human health, so there is no need to worry too much.

Scientists have also found that bacteria on the body may strengthen the skin's defense system, but if you don't clean your belly button for a long time, it may emit a pungent odor similar to body odor.

Because these bacteria will decompose oil and produce ammonia substances, these substances will accumulate in the belly button for a long time. In addition, if you don't have the habit of cleaning the belly button regularly, the dirt in the belly button will gradually increase and produce a bad smell.

People with deep belly buttons or who are fatter are more likely to have smelly belly buttons.

Therefore, you must clean your belly button regularly, but it is not recommended to pick it directly with your hands.

How to clean your belly button correctly

Method 1: Dip a disposable cotton swab in clean water or 75% medical alcohol, and then gently wipe the inside of the belly button.

Method 2: If the inside of the belly button is relatively dirty, you can first rinse and soak the belly button repeatedly with saline solution or hydrogen peroxide, usually 2-3 times a day, each time for 5-10 minutes; wait until the dirt inside the belly button is completely soaked before cleaning it.

Use a cotton ball or cotton swab dipped in iodine or saline to gently wipe the navel to clean out the dirt, which can also serve as a disinfectant.

Note that you need to be gentle. If one cleaning is not enough, you can clean it multiple times.

Once cleaned, the odor will be gone. Remember to keep your belly button clean and dry.

After disinfection and cleaning of sludge, you can use Bactroban ointment or chloramphenicol eye ointment and apply it to the deep part and surface of the belly button with a cotton swab to protect the surface of the belly button and prevent the possibility of secondary bacterial infection.

Pick your belly button randomly, beware of these 4 hidden dangers

Although the belly button is not directly connected to the internal organs, it is the weakest part of the abdominal cavity. In addition, there are related nerve reflexes between the belly button and the abdominal cavity. Therefore, some people pick their belly buttons too hard, which may irritate the belly button and cause these four hidden dangers.

1

Damage to the skin around the belly button

Be careful not to use hard objects or fingernails to scratch your belly button, because the skin of the belly button is relatively thin, mainly composed of surface skin and fibrous connective tissue under the skin, without a muscle layer.

The fingernails are sharp and can easily scratch the surface skin. Once the skin at the belly button is damaged, it is susceptible to bacterial infection, causing symptoms such as inflammation, redness, swelling, and suppuration.

If the navel is infected and purulent, oral antibiotics are required for treatment. If necessary, the abscess needs to be incised, the pus needs to be drained, and the wound dressing needs to be changed regularly.

2

Stomachache

The belly button is relatively close to the internal organs, and the protective effect of the fat layer is relatively weak. If you pick your belly button too hard or too frequently, the secretions will be cleared away and the internal organs will easily get cold, causing symptoms of abdominal pain.

In addition, frequently picking your belly button with your hands will damage the skin in the folds. Stimulating the belly button will cause a neurological reflex reaction, produce pain, and induce pain.

Reminder: The area below the navel belongs to the intestinal tract. You should pay attention to keeping the navel warm to avoid discomfort caused by cold. If the navel becomes red, swollen, or painful, you must go to the hospital for treatment in time.

3

diarrhea

Frequent picking of the belly button can easily remove secretions. A cold belly button may cause the stomach and intestines to become cold. The cold stimulation of the stomach and intestines may cause diarrhea.

4

Inflammation

This situation is quite serious and patients should be very careful. Fingers and nails contain a large number of bacteria. If the bacteria accidentally enter the body during the picking process, it may cause inflammation. Severe patients may develop peritonitis, sepsis and other conditions.

What is the reason for water discharge from the belly button?

If there is water discharge from your belly button, you should be alert to the possibility of urachal infection.

The urachal tube is a tube that connects the navel to the top of the bladder. Normally, this tube closes after birth.

If the urachal tube is not completely closed, a fistula may form to the bladder.

Urine can enter the navel along this duct, causing chronic inflammation that is difficult to heal. This is one of the reasons why some people have long-term discharge from the navel. Some people may even experience redness or even suppuration in the navel, requiring surgical treatment.

If your belly button is generally leaking water, you just need to pay attention to your personal local hygiene, wipe it once a day with a sterilized cotton ball, and try to keep it dry.

Finally, I would like to add one more point of knowledge:

Although the belly button is basically useless, it is an important golden section point of the human body. It is also a symbol of human beauty and plays a relatively important role in the aesthetic appreciation of the human body.

This is also the reason why there is always a group of people who are obsessed with exposing their belly buttons.

In addition, the human internal organs can also obtain some oxygen through the belly button. Especially when the human body has certain diseases, the belly button will play an important role.

For example, when portal hypertension occurs in cirrhosis, due to the relatively high portal vein pressure, it is necessary to find collateral circulation to achieve blood return. At this time, the umbilical blood vessels can be reopened.

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