Can you take a bath with an umbilical hernia?

Written by He Zong Quan
General Surgery
Updated on January 30, 2025
00:00
00:00

Umbilical hernia is primarily due to the weak abdominal wall at the navel, allowing abdominal contents to pass through and protrude at the surface, forming a lump. In children under two years old, if the umbilical hernia does not cause incarceration or significant redness and swelling on the skin's surface, bathing is generally not affected. In adults, umbilical hernias usually do not heal on their own and often require surgical treatment, otherwise, the hernia tends to enlarge. As long as the umbilical hernia does not cause significant incarceration requiring emergency surgery, or local inflammatory skin reactions, it does not affect the patient's ability to bathe. Even if surgery is necessary for an umbilical hernia, it is considered an elective procedure.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tang Da Wei
General Surgery
45sec home-news-image

What impact does an umbilical hernia have on a baby?

Umbilical hernia mainly manifests in children as a bulge at the belly button, primarily containing small intestine. If an umbilical hernia is not treated in a timely manner, it may gradually enlarge when the child cries or when intra-abdominal pressure increases, leading to more of the small intestine protruding outside of the abdominal cavity. This can potentially cause localized intestinal obstruction, impacting the child's intestinal absorption capabilities and leading to weight loss. If a significant portion of the intestine protrudes and becomes incarcerated, it could cause intestinal obstruction or necrosis, necessitating surgical removal of the necrotic intestine in a hospital.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tang Da Wei
General Surgery
40sec home-news-image

How to press back an umbilical hernia?

Umbilical hernias are generally more common in newborns, primarily because the umbilical ring has not yet completely closed. In children, lumps appear in the navel area when they cry or when abdominal pressure increases. To address an umbilical hernia, first massage the area around the belly button, then gently return the hernial sac to the abdominal cavity with both hands. After returning the hernia, secure it externally with a hernia belt. This can effectively prevent the recurrence of the umbilical hernia. Typically, through conservative treatment, which involves this method of binding for about one to two months, the patient’s umbilical hernia can heal on its own.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Dong Xian Yan
Pediatrics
45sec home-news-image

Why can't you cry with an umbilical hernia?

In children with umbilical hernia, crying can easily lead to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure. As the intra-abdominal pressure increases, gas in the intestines and mesentery can easily protrude through the unclosed umbilical ring, thereby exacerbating the symptoms of the umbilical hernia. In severe cases, this could lead to serious complications such as incarceration of the hernia. Therefore, in addition to not crying, children with an umbilical hernia should also avoid constipation, coughing, and vigorous activities that could increase intra-abdominal pressure, in order to prevent worsening of the hernia symptoms. In daily life, their diet should be light and easy to digest.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Peng
General Surgery
1min 6sec home-news-image

How is umbilical hernia treated?

In treating umbilical hernias, we need to consider both the age of the patient and the size of the hernia specifically caused. Generally, children under the age of two do not require surgery. Typically, we consider using a coin or cardboard larger than the umbilical ring, wrapping it up, pressing against the umbilical ring, and securing it with adhesive tape to prevent movement. Most can close by themselves and heal. For children over two years old, if the hernia is still larger than 1.5cm, surgical treatment should be considered. In adults, traditional tissue repair methods are generally used, or an open umbilical hernia tension-free repair. The repair can be placed in front of the muscle or can use a hernia ring filling method. For most patients, if there is an opportunity for minimally invasive treatment, laparoscopic umbilical hernia repair can be selected. This method generally involves a smaller incision and can preserve the navel, reducing the chance of incision infection, and is particularly suitable for obese patients.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xian Hua
Pediatrics
59sec home-news-image

How long does it take for an infant umbilical hernia to heal?

Infant umbilical hernia is caused by congenital weakness of the umbilical and abdominal regions, resulting in protrusion of the navel. Generally, it does not require special treatment. This is because up to 80% of infant umbilical hernias will gradually decrease in size as the child ages and physically develops, and the hernial ring may even close, thereby healing naturally. Surgery is usually chosen only if the diameter of the hernia ring is too large, especially if it is more than 2 cm, or if the child is over two years old and still has a noticeable umbilical hernia. Before this, it is usually advisable to avoid situations that could increase abdominal pressure in the child, such as preventing prolonged and intense crying. If the child has gastrointestinal symptoms, they should be treated promptly and actively to prevent repeated protrusion of the umbilical hernia.