February 8, 2025
Why Does My Belly Button Smell? Causes, Treatment, and Prevention
The smell of the navel buttons is more common than some realize, and this may be the result of the main hygiene problems, as well as more serious infections.
1. Poor hygiene
Washing with soap and water helps to remove dirt, oils and sweat from your skin. But without regular cleansing, these substances can accumulate in the navel, which potentially leads to a blockage smell.
This is especially true if you have a deeper Belly button, because additional skin folds can make thorough cleaning more complicated, explains Barbaru Bauer, Doctor of Medicine, a family medicine doctor at the Medical Center of Ohio University in Columbus, Ohio. “A deeper navel creates a darker, more humid environment in which bacteria can flourish,” she says.
2. Accumulation of dirt, sweat, coat or garbage
Even if you regularly bathe or bathe, your Belly button may not attract the attention that it needs. This frequently restrained area also acts as agility for dead skin cells and coat coat. And between caught humidity and accumulated garbage, it is an ideal environment for the development of smell.
This combination also creates an ideal state for the formation of umbilical stone. This is a small painless mass made of lumps of garbage, which can also have an unpleasant odor.
3. Bacterial infections
Although it is normal to have some bacteria on the skin, there may be problems when bacteria fall into the navel and multiply. Bacterial infections that can affect the abdomen button include impetigo (which often begins as wounds or blisters on the mouth and nose) and cellulite (which often causes swelling and pain), and they usually occur when the skin bacteria enter the skin through a cut And multiplying, according to Dr. Baver.
If you do not completely dry the navel after bathing or sweating, moisture can stimulate the growth of bacteria that cause impetigo and cellulite. Signs of infection in the abdomen button include edema, redness, pain, pus and an unpleasant odor emanating from the affected area.
These infections are more likely in people with a weakened immune system (often caused by chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and HIV/AIDS), poor blood circulation, skin folds from excess weight and obesity, as well as the lack of mobility from the disease or injury . These factors can violate healing, which creates the environment for the prosperity of bacteria.
Bacterial skin infections are usually easy and are treated with antibiotics. However, if they are not treated, they can lead to complications such as abscesses (puppies that may require drainage) or sepsis (life -threatening infection that extends to the bloodstream).
4. Yeast infections
Yeast infections that can cause an acidic smell like bread can also occur in the navel. An ordinary culprit CandidateSays Bauer. This mushroom flourishes in a dark, warm and humid environment, which makes the navel an ideal place, she explains.
Strong sweaty, for example, during training or in a hot, wet climate, can increase moisture in the umple. In addition, wearing dense clothes or fabrics that do not breathe well can capture heat and moisture, creating a terrain for mushrooms.
People who take antibiotics wear dentures, receive cancer treatment or have health conditions that affect the immune system (for example, HIV or diabetes), are also at greater risk of yeast infections.
The infections of the yeast of the navel often improve within a few weeks after the start of treatment with the actual antifungal cream, ointment or powder. However, infections may return if the region does not remain dry.
5. Cysts
The creation of dead skin and oil cells in the navel can also cause small nonpace blows under the skin, called epidermoid cysts. Although these cysts are usually harmless, they can become infected or inflamed. When this happens, you can notice a grayish-white discharge and cheese smell.
If you leave the unprocessed, the cyst may become infected, which leads to the development of an abscess that may require drainage.
6. Piercing
Another alarming reason for the odor of the navel is an infection, either in the navel itself or spreading through the body, often caused by regular cleaning of the navels with warm soap and water, says Benedict Ifedi, doctor of medical sciences, a family doctor with medicine with Hermann in Houston, state Texas.
If the navel piercing is not cleansed, dead cells of the skin, oil and bacteria accumulate, which leads to infection. Conventional symptoms of infection include pain, redness and smelly pus, which can be yellow, gray, green, brown, white or bloody red.
Like other infections, if the infection of the navel button from the piercing remains unprocessed, bacteria can multiply and spread beyond piercing, potentially entering the bloodstream. This can lead to sepsis.