What Causes Belly Button Discharge?
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Medically reviewed by Sameena Zahoor, MD
If you haven't washed your belly button in a while, you might see some thick, brown belly button discharge. This discharge is likely caused by skin cells, sweat, dirt, fungi, and bacteria build-up and can be washed away with proper hygiene. However, discharge from your belly button may also be a sign of an infection that needs further treatment.
Like other areas of your skin, your belly button can house bacteria and fungi that lead to infections. Bacteria and fungi can thrive in the belly button because the skin folds create the perfect dark, damp environment for the germs to breed. Besides oozing fluid, an infected belly button can have other signs, such as a foul odor or itching.
What Does Belly Button Discharge Look Like?
Typically, abnormal discharge from the belly button is a sign of an infection. Infection-related discharge can appear clear, white, yellow, brown, green, or bloody. It may also look like a runny liquid, thicker pus-like fluid, or paste. As discharge dries, it can appear crusty or form brown patches of skin.
In addition to discharge, your infected belly button may have the following:
Foul odor
Itchiness
Rash
Redness
Pain
A small bump inside your belly button
A fluid-filled lump under your skin
What Causes Discharge From the Belly Button?
Skin infections and infections of different types of cysts can cause belly button discharge. You may also experience some specific belly button-related conditions that cause fluid to leak from your navel.
1. Poor Hygiene
Brown patches of dirty skin (dermatitis neglecta) inside your belly button usually means your navel needs to be washed. These patches may eventually detach from the skin and look like a waxy brown discharge.
The tiny folds of the belly button collect dirt, sweat, bacteria, and dead skin cells. Not washing your belly button regularly—especially after sweating—allows these substances to build up. As a result, built-up dirt, sweat, and dead skin cells form brown patches of skin inside the belly button.
Not regularly washing your belly button can also make your belly button smell since bacteria try to break down proteins in your sweat.
2. Bacterial Infection
Belly button discharge caused by a bacterial infection is actually pus. Pus is a thick yellow, white, or green fluid made of dead tissues, white blood cells, and bacteria. If the infection progresses, the discharge may also have a foul odor.
Research has identified nearly 300 different types of bacteria in the belly button. If you don't wash regularly, bacteria can overgrow and enter cuts or tears.
Bacteria often get into wounds from a belly button piercing or laparoscopic surgery (surgery that involves inserting a tube through the navel). As a result, you may get skin infections like cellulitis, impetigo, or staphylococcal (staph) inside the belly button.
Other signs of a bacterial infection in your belly button include:
Foul odor
Itchiness
Swelling
Redness
Pain
3. Yeast Infection
A skin yeast infection inside the belly button may sometimes cause clear or translucent yellow belly button discharge. This fluid will ooze from inflamed, itchy patches of skin or blisters inside the belly button. Skin can also become cracked and start to bleed.
Yeast is a type of fungus. One type of yeast called Candida naturally lives on your skin. Candida can overgrow in moist, dark skin folds like your belly button and lead to a fungal infection called Candidiasis. Not washing your belly button, sweating excessively, and wearing tight clothing increase your risk of getting a yeast infection in your belly button. People with psoriasis and diabetes are also more likely to get this fungal infection.
More common symptoms of a yeast infection in your belly button include:
Red, inflamed rash in belly button folds
Pus-filled swollen bumps
Blisters
Cracked skin that may or may not bleed
Itchy skin inside or around your belly button
4. Sebaceous Cyst
A sebaceous cyst is a fluid-filled bump underneath the skin. The bump can form anywhere underneath the skin, including inside your belly button.
Sebaceous cysts form when the sebaceous glands (oil glands) become blocked or damaged. These glands are connected to your hair follicles and typically release an oily substance called sebum to protect the skin and hair. If this oil can't be released, oils, fluid, and keratin (skin protein) can build up in a sac-like pouch under the skin.
A ruptured or infected sebaceous cyst can cause a thick off-white to yellow discharge that resembles cottage cheese.
In addition to this thick discharge, symptoms of an irritated or infected sebaceous cyst can include:
Warm or tender skin inside or around the belly button
Red or inflamed skin inside or around the belly
Slow-growing, skin-colored lump under the belly button skin
Pain inside the belly button (may also be painless if not infected)
5. Epidermoid Cyst
Epidermoid cysts inside the belly button can become infected and rupture. This can cause a foul-smelling and thick, white, or yellow discharge. Epidermoid cysts form when the epidermal cells on the outer skin layer (the epidermis) don't shed and get trapped beneath the skin's surface. These trapped skin cells will continue to produce keratin, causing a thick build-up of skin cells inside a fluid-filled sac.
Epidermoid cysts can develop in the belly button after trauma or laparoscopic surgery damages navel tissue. Epidermoid cysts can also be genetic.
Besides discharge, signs you have an infected or irritated epidermoid cyst include:
Tender or sore skin inside or around the belly button
Skin redness inside or around the belly button
Slow-growing lump with a tiny hole in the center
6. Urachal Cyst
Clear, foul-smelling yellow belly button discharge can indicate an infected urachal cyst. This is actually urine draining from the belly button.
As a fetus, you develop a structure called the urachus that connects the bladder and belly button. This structure usually goes away after birth. Rarely, the urachus remains. When this happens, leftover tissue and fluid can form a sac-like pocket (a cyst) between a child's belly button and bladder.
Urachal cysts usually do not cause symptoms or complications, unless they become infected, which then would require medical treatment.
Besides discharge, signs of an infected urachal cyst include:
Red or inflamed cyst protruding from the belly button
Abdominal pain
Bloody urine (hematuria)
Pain or burning sensation when peeing
Urinary tract infection (UTI)
7. Navel Stone
Navel stones are hard, stone-like bumps made of built-up sebum and keratin. The brownish-black bumps usually don't cause discharge, but they can start to leak white or yellow pus if they become infected. Navel stones may also bleed if irritated or infected.
People with deep belly buttons are more likely to develop navel stones because it's harder to keep their navels clean. If the belly button isn't properly washed, sebum and keratin can build up and harden into a navel stone.
Other signs of an infected navel stone include:
Pain inside the belly button
Swelling inside and around the belly button
Red, inflamed skin
Itchiness
When To See a Healthcare Provider
See your healthcare provider if you have belly button discharge that doesn't go away with regular washing. Belly button discharge that doesn't clear up is likely a sign of an infection that needs to be treated.
Other signs you may have an infection in your belly button include:
Bleeding
Pus
Unusual lumps, rash, or bumps
Swelling in and around your belly button
Pain in or around your belly button
Itching skin in and around your belly button
Warm or tender skin
Fever
Your healthcare provider will likely examine the area for visible signs of infection and ask about your symptoms. They may also swab or scrape your belly button to take a discharge sample. A lab can test this sample to identify the presence of specific yeasts or bacteria. Blood tests may also be taken to identify infections, and ultrasounds may be used to diagnose cysts.
Treatments for Belly Button Discharge
If your belly button discharge is caused by poor hygiene, cleaning it can usually get rid of the discharge:
Use a washcloth or finger to lather mild, fragrance-free soap into your belly button. This can help loosen any discharge that's building up.
Then rinse with warm water and repeat washing until you notice the dark patches are gone.
Dry your belly button with a towel afterward. Bacteria and fungi thrive in a damp belly button.
If your hygiene practices aren't the cause of your belly button discharge, a healthcare provider can help stop the discharge. If you have a yeast infection, your provider will likely prescribe antifungal cream or powder to kill Candida yeast and prevent future growth. Bacterial infections are typically treated with topical antibiotic ointment or oral antibiotics.
Depending on the severity, infected cysts may be treated with oral or intravenous (IV) antibiotics. Cysts can also be removed or drained via surgery. If you have a navel stone, a healthcare provider can remove it with tweezers or forceps.
How To Prevent Discharge From the Belly Button
The best way to reduce and prevent hygiene-related and infection-related belly button discharge is to keep the navel clean. Most people should wash their belly buttons with warm water and mild soap a few times a week. However, how often you should shower and clean your belly button depends on how much you sweat as well as your health status.
Some specific ways to improve your hygiene and prevent future belly button discharge include:
Replacing washcloths and towels regularly to reduce bacteria growth
Washing belly button piercings with sterile saline solution or gentle soap
Avoiding allergy-prone nickel belly button piercings and opting for surgical-grade stainless steel
Showering after workouts, active jobs, or swimming
Avoiding lotions inside your belly button
A Quick Review
Belly button discharge might be a build-up of dirt, sweat, and skin cells that can be washed away with proper hygiene. However, discharge may be a sign of an infection inside your belly button.
Not washing your belly button allows bacteria and fungus to overgrow and infect the skin. As a result, you may notice discharge from a skin infection inside your belly button. Cysts inside the belly button or navel stones can also become infected and cause discharge.
See your healthcare provider if you notice any discharge, pain, swelling, or itching. They can help you identify the problem and treat the underlying cause of your belly button discharge.
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