If you notice a funky scent coming from your navel area, you might be wondering: Why does my belly button smell?
You’re not alone.
Belly buttons can be difficult to clean, and it’s easy for dirt, bacteria, and other gunk to build up inside your belly button.
Most belly button smells can be solved by improving belly button hygiene, but belly button infections are also possible, and they sometimes require medical attention. Either way, most smelly belly button causes can be effectively treated, and most aren’t serious.
Joshua Zeichner, MD, a Mount Sinai Hospital dermatologist, helps us to get to the bottom of what causes a smelly belly button, and the best practices in belly button odor treatment.
Why Does My Belly Button Smell?
Your belly button, or navel, is a small indentation in your lower belly. It’s essentially a scar left over from when your umbilical cord was cut after birth. Some belly buttons protrude (known as “outies”), but most belly buttons are hollow inside, with varying degrees of depth.
It’s this hollowness and depth that make belly buttons vulnerable to things like bacterial buildup and foul smells. It’s similar to how bacterial and fungal overgrowth can occur on body parts like the armpits, groin, or under the belly or breasts, Dr. Zeichner explains.
“The anatomy of the belly button itself, for most people, creates a moist environment that allows for overgrowth of microorganisms on the skin, including bacteria and fungi,” Dr. Zeichner says. “The overgrowth of those organisms, in combination with the interaction of those organisms with oil and sweat that builds up within the belly button, leads to, in some cases, a foul smell.”
Common Causes of Belly Button Odor
Most of the time, belly button odor isn’t something to worry about. Smelly belly buttons are usually caused by simple buildup of dirt and bacteria, not infections or serious health conditions. Here’s what to know about the possible causes of a stinky belly button.
Poor Hygiene and Buildup
In the majority of cases, belly button odor comes from a combination of poor hygiene and a buildup of bacteria, Dr. Zeichner says.
First, without proper cleaning, dirt, oil, sweat, and dead skin cells can accumulate inside your belly button. Additionally, belly buttons harbor an average of 67 types of bacteria, and they may multiply if your belly button area isn’t cleaned regularly.
“The same type of bacteria that live in areas like the underarm can live in the belly button,” Dr. Zeichner says. “Cleaning the skin will directly lower levels of microorganisms on the skin.”
Bacterial Infections
Less commonly, skin infections are to blame for smelly belly buttons, especially if you notice belly button discharge or redness along with the bad smell.
“If there’s a foul smell, if there’s any drainage, if you have any scabbing or open or raw skin, it may indicate an infection of the skin, which is more than just an overgrowth of microorganisms,” Dr. Zeichner says.
Most of these infections are from bacteria like Staphylococcus (staph), “which can live all over the skin and in the belly button, and in some cases can superficially infect the skin,” he explains.
Yeast Infections
It’s also possible to have a belly button yeast infection, which occurs when too much yeast (fungus) builds up inside your belly button. Most yeast infections that occur in folds of the skin like the belly button are caused by Candida fungi, which like to live in warm and moist places on your skin. Yeast infections in your belly button are caused by the same types of organisms that cause athlete’s foot or jock itch, Dr. Zeichner says.
Symptoms of a belly button yeast infection include redness, itching, and burning.
Eczema
Eczema, an inflammatory skin condition, can make you more likely to experience belly button odor, Dr. Zeichner says: “Conditions like eczema, where the skin barrier is not functioning optimally, can increase the likelihood of bacterial or even viral infections in the skin, especially if you have active eczema in that area.”
Cysts
Two main types of cysts can form near the belly button: epidermoid cysts and sebaceous cysts. Cysts are filled with fluid or pus and look like skin-colored or white/yellow bumps on your skin. They are not harmful, but if they become infected, they can cause symptoms like pain, redness, warmth, and a bad belly button odor.
Recent Surgery
Any type of structural change, including a recent surgery scar in the belly button region, can increase the chances of developing an unpleasant belly button smell. “Anything that creates a physical environment that allows for moisture, sweat, oil, and dirt to build up can create an optimal environment for overgrowth of microorganisms,” Dr. Zeichner explains.
Obesity
Being overweight can be a risk factor for developing a belly button smell. The reason is that when you have a larger body, there’s “a larger area of skin that can potentially be colonized, and that can increase the likelihood of a foul smell,” Dr. Zeichner says.
Symptoms to Watch for and When to See a Doctor
If you have a slightly unpleasant odor coming from your belly button, it’s most likely caused by a buildup of bacteria and dirt. A good cleaning is usually all that’s needed.
“If you smell a foul smell, just make sure that you are doing an extra special job or an extra cautious job of washing all areas of the body, and don’t forget about your belly button,” Dr. Zeichner advises.
But what if your belly button smells even after washing? And what if you have other symptoms besides a bad smell?
“Pus, redness, and pain are signs of an infection more serious than just a colonization,” Dr. Zeichner says. “If you have any of those signs or symptoms, you should touch base with your dermatologist.”
Preventing Belly Button Odor
The truth is, most people will soap up their belly area while bathing but won’t thoroughly clean their belly button. The best way to prevent belly button odor is to keep your belly button clean, inside and out.
“We want to make sure that we have good hygiene throughout the entire body, including the belly button,” Dr. Zeichner says.
Spending some time thoroughly cleaning your belly button will lower levels of microorganisms like bacteria and yeast on your skin. It will also remove dirt, sweat, oil, and other gunk that can cause smelly belly buttons.
There’s no need to overthink belly button cleaning. Dr. Zeichner recommends using your finger to clean it, but a cotton swab (Q-tip) may be necessary in some cases. “It really depends on the size of your finger and the size of your belly button,” he says.
Good old soap and water work just fine in most cases, but if you are concerned about a bacterial buildup, you might want to consider some of the antimicrobial cleaners on the market. Dr. Zeichner recommends:
- Hibiclens, which contains the active ingredient chlorhexidine
- Cleaning sprays with hypochlorous acid, which is a cousin to bleach
- A body wash called CLn, with the active ingredient sodium hypochlorite
If you have signs of a bacterial or fungal infection, your best bet is to contact your healthcare provider for advice. But some simple infections can be remedied with over-the-counter products. “You can combine an antifungal medication like what’s found in athlete’s foot creams, as well as an over-the-counter antibacterial ointment,” Dr. Zeichner recommends.
While everyone should be regularly cleaning their belly buttons, if you have a very deep or hard-to-clean belly button, you’ll want to be an especially diligent belly button cleaner.
“If your anatomy predisposes you to this, then it might be the type of thing that comes and goes,” Dr. Zeichner says. “So, you may need to make sure that you’re regularly maintaining hygiene in that area.”
