I've answered literally thousands of questions about piercings, but this was the first time I've ever been asked this particular question:

Hi Elayne,

Good morning ! I have a quick question. I am interested in having my navel pierced. I was told by a friend of mine that navel piercing would help reduce the overall belly.

I am really not sure of this & wanted to hear your expert advice. My current waist is 38 inches & if the above said info is true I am definately looking forward to have the piercing done.

Please let me know your thoughts on the same ....

Warm Regards,
Ignatius

My reply:

Hi Ignatius,

If you are asking whether a navel piercing will cause you to lose weight or reduce the dimensions of your abdomen, the answer is no. There's absolutely no reason why a navel piercing would have that effect. Also, navel piercing can make it a little more challenging to be physically active, especially during initial healing, and that certainly wouldn't help with weight loss.

Should you be interested in getting the piercing for aesthetic reasons, here's some practical information from The Piercing Bible:

Navel Piercing: Weight and Weight Loss
Regardless of your weight, if your navel folds in and disappears when you sit down,
this is a good reason to select a different piercing. Wearing jewelry on this type of build
causes mechanical stresses that guarantee healing complications. If you have a horizon-
tal crease across the area even when you are standing, you are unsuited to navel pierc-
ing for the same reason. Some heavy people are still able to get navel piercings because
body size isn’t as key a factor as your configuration in the area of the piercing. However,
the diminished blood supply caused by excess abdominal fat does make healing more
difficult. If you are diabetic and carry excess weight in this area, navel piercings are
inadvisable because complications are to be expected and can be more serious.

If you are planning to lose weight, the overall shape of your navel area is still the
primary consideration when deciding whether to postpone piercing. A protruding beer
belly is generally suited to navel piercing because usually the area gets smaller with
weight loss, but maintains the same basic contour.

Extremely rapid weight gain or loss during healing could cause irritation if the abdo-
men changes shape quickly enough to prevent the piercing from settling. It is unlikely
that a weight fluctuation could impact a healed navel piercing, however, unless it is
substantial enough to alter the shape or location of your navel.

You're more likely to reduce your waistline by getting a tongue piercing, since that slows down your eating--at least for a little while.

Sincerely,
Elayne