Improper cleaning and sterilization can cause infection. A naval piercing infection is painful, and it looks red, swollen and might bleed or excrete pus. To prevent infection, you should clean your piercing twice a day with antibacterial soap. Also, avoid touching the jewelry frequently and stay out of swimming pools and spas unless you protect your piercing with a waterproof bandage. If you suspect that your piercing might be infected, talk to your doctor about it. These infections have the potential to be serious and can lead to blood poisoning.
If you go to an inexperienced piercer, you can suffer nerve damage. This occurs when the jewelry is pushed through a nerve. The nerve can become severed, causing permanent damage. You should ask for the master piercer when you go to get the procedure done. While no one is perfect, he is the most experienced person in the shop and therefore the least likely to make a mistake that will cause nerve damage.
You might be unaware that you are allergic to a particular type of metal until you get your naval pierced. Then, all of the sudden, you have a painful allergic reaction. When getting your new piercing, look for surgical stainless steel, gold, platinum, titanium and niobium jewelry. When you change your jewelry after the area has healed, look for nickel-free, nonallergenic jewelry.
If the procedure is done incorrectly, or you do not take proper care of your piercing, it can cause scarring. Also, naval jewelry is more prone to rub against clothing, so there is the risk of it getting snagged on your clothes and getting torn out. This would not only be painful, but it would leave an unsightly scar.
Since the naval is a surface piercing--one that breaks through a small portion of the skin--it is more likely to migrate and eventually get rejected from your body. The jewelry slowly will make its way closer to the surface until it comes out on its own. Rejection almost always causes scarring, so if you suspect that your jewelry is migrating, you should consult with your piercer.