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Using the correct equipment for piercing your belly button is essential. Otherwise, the piercing could go badly wrong or result in a nasty infection. To pierce your belly button in the safest way possible, you will need:  A 14 gauge sterile piercing needle, a 14 gauge belly button ring made from stainless steel, titanium or bioplast, some rubbing alcohol or alcohol wipes, a body ink marker, a piercing clamp and some cotton balls. Using a sewing needle, safety pin or piercing gun to pierce your belly button is a bad idea, as these items are unsafe and will not produce good results. Before you proceed with piercing your belly button, you will need to take all precautions necessary to eliminate the chance of getting infected. Spray any used countertops or tables with a disinfectant (not an antiseptic). Don't forget to wash your hands (and lower arms) in warm water! Everything needs to be completely sterile. An even safer precaution is wearing latex gloves (if they're sterile and haven't been sitting out). Dry your hands with a paper towel--not a cloth towel that's porous and attracts bacteria. If you have bought all of these items new (which you should have) they should be in sterile packaging. However, if they did not, or you have handled them already, you will need to sterilize them yourself before piercing.  You can do this by submerging the items in rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide and leaving them to sit in the liquid for a minute or two. Remove them from the liquid (wearing clean latex gloves, if possible) and leave them on a clean piece of paper towel to dry completely. Before piercing, it is necessary to thoroughly clean in and around the belly button to remove any bacteria from the surface of the skin. It's best to use a disinfecting skincare gel especially designed for piercings (such as Bactine) or rubbing alcohol.  Generously apply the disinfectant or rubbing alcohol to a cotton ball and wipe thoroughly around the area to be pierced. Wait for the area to dry completely before proceeding. If you are using rubbing alcohol, it's important to use one with a concentration of above 70% isopropanol, to achieve the necessary level of disinfection. If necessary, use a Q-Tip or other similar device to get inside your navel. Make sure to clean both above and below the piercing site. Before you pierce, you will need to have some idea of where the needle is going, so using a body ink marker to mark the entrance and exit locations of the needle is a good idea.There should be approximately 1 cm (.4 inches) between the navel and the pierced hole.  Belly button piercings are typically located at the top of the belly button, rather than the bottom, but the choice is yours. Use a small hand-held mirror to check if the two marks are aligned horizontally and vertically. Only do this while standing, as your stomach scrunches up when sitting and will not give you a straight pierce. Some people who are squeamish about pain may want to numb the skin around the belly button with an ice cube wrapped in paper towel before proceeding.  However, it is important to be aware that numbing the area with ice will also make the skin tough and rubbery, making it harder to push the piercing needle through. Alternatively, you can apply a little numbing gel (such as those used for numbing gums before injections) to the area using a q-tip. You don't want to be fumbling with this while struggling to hold both the clamp and the needle in place.
Gather the correct equipment. Create a hygienic environment. Wash your hands. Sterilize the clamp, piercing needle and belly button ring. Clean around the belly button. Make a mark where the piercing should be. Decide whether you want to numb the area. At this point you may want to unscrew the ball from the top of the belly button ring (leave the bottom intact).