Everything You Need to Know About Navel Stones

A navel stone is a solid, stone-like mass that forms in the belly button. While some people might have belly button lint, navel stones differ from the soft, fuzzy clothing fibers that can collect in belly buttons. Navel stones are rare. When they do develop, they are likelier to occur in people with deep belly buttons or those who have difficulty cleaning their belly buttons. A navel stone is medically known as an omphalolith or umbilith.

What Is a Navel Stone?

A navel stone is a small, hardened mass that forms in the belly button. Navel stones are primarily made of sebum and keratin. Sebum is oil produced by the skin, and keratin is a protein that helps form hair, skin, and nails. These substances accumulate in the belly button, gradually harden over time, and create a stone-like object.

Navel stones are brownish-black colored, likely due to melanin (the natural pigment that determines your skin and eye color). Navel stones typically don’t cause symptoms, so some people may not notice they have a navel stone until it becomes large enough to stick out from the belly button.

Navel stones are not a health concern or a sign of an underlying condition. If a navel stone becomes large enough, it may irritate the skin in and around your belly button. This can lead to redness, itching, or pain and increase the risk of an infection in the belly button. Sometimes, these symptoms are why a person first becomes aware they have a navel stone.

Who Gets Navel Stones? 

Navel stones are caused by a hardened buildup of sebum and keratin. This buildup can occur in anyone, so anybody can technically develop a navel stone. Research has found the stones are more likely found in people with certain risk factors, including:

• Deep belly button: People with deep belly buttons are more likely to develop navel stones because debris and dead skin cells can easily accumulate in the crevices of the navel. 
• Poor hygiene: Inadequate cleaning of the belly button area can lead to a buildup of dead skin cells, sweat, and dirt. Over time, these substances can become trapped in the belly button and form a hard stone-like ball. 
• Obesity: Extra tissue and skin folds in the abdominal area can make accessing and cleaning your belly button difficult. 
  

When to Contact a Healthcare Provider

Navel stones are not a health concern or a sign of an underlying condition. While navel stones are usually harmless, larger navel stones can irritate the surrounding skin and increase the risk of infection. See a healthcare provider if you notice a hard, dark-colored object in your belly button or have any of the following symptoms in or around your belly button:

• Pain or discomfort 
• Foul odor 
• Discharge 
• Swelling or redness
• Itching 
• Bleeding 

Your healthcare provider will likely ask about your symptoms and medical history. They will probably look at your belly button and touch the area to identify any hard lumps. After asking about your symptoms, your healthcare provider may perform a physical examination. If your healthcare provider finds a navel stone, they will remove it. To confirm the diagnosis, they may send it to the lab, where it is examined under a microscope to check for keratin cells and confirm the diagnosis.

How Do You Remove a Navel Stone?

Navel stone removal is a simple and usually painless procedure that healthcare providers perform. Before extracting the navel stone, your healthcare provider will place a cotton ball soaked in sterile saline or glycerin on your belly button to soften the stone and make it easier to remove. 

Using forceps or tweezers, your healthcare provider will carefully maneuver the tool to dislodge the navel stone and lift it from the belly button. The process is usually painless, as navel stones are not attached to live tissue and have no nerve endings. 

Not removing a naval stone may lead to complications like irritation, bleeding, the growth of a small red bump that oozes (pyogenic granuloma), the development of a pocket of pus (abscess), cellulitis (a bacterial skin infection), and inflammation of your abdominal lining (peritonitis).

How to Prevent Navel Stones

Practicing good hygiene and keeping your belly button clean and dry is the best way to prevent navel stones. Here are some tips for preventing navel stones:

• Wash your belly button daily. Use mild soap, warm water, and a washcloth to clean all the folds in the navel.
• Dry your belly button thoroughly after bathing, showering, or sweating. Use a clean towel to dry the navel, paying special attention to the folds.
• If you have a deep belly button, you may need a moist cotton swab to access and clean all navel folds.

A Quick Review

Navel stones are hard, stone-like objects that form in the belly button. They are made up of sebum and keratin and are most common in people with deep belly buttons and those who have difficulty cleaning their navels.

Navel stones are not a health concern and usually don’t cause symptoms. But if they become large enough, they can irritate the skin in and around your belly button and increase the risk of infection. Healthcare providers remove naval stones using tools such as forceps. This is a simple procedure that should not cause pain. Practicing good hygiene and keeping your belly button clean and dry is the best way to prevent navel stones.