Pępek - this little mark on the belly has always fascinated people. How is the navel formed? Can the navel get sick? Who lives in the navel? Does it serve anything at all? Check what curiosities about the navel are still being discovered by scientists.

Pępekis the umbilical cord scar. In the first 2 weeks after birth, the remnant of the umbilical cord dries up and falls off, leaving the navel - our first scar. The navel consists mainly of connective tissue. The navel is one of the so-called places with reduced resistance, where the abdominal wall is weaker and more prone to pathological changes such as a hernia.

Recent research carried out at North Carpina State University has shown that there are as many as 2,368 species of bacteria in the navels, of which 1,458 are varieties of bacteria previously unknown to science. In addition, it turned out that each navel has its own unique bacterial flora! What was found in the subjects' navels? In one of them, bacteria that so far lived only on Japanese rocks, another examined one had the so-called archaea (primitive single-celled organisms - mostly without a nucleus and organelles). The latter admitted to scientists that he had not washed in many years …

How is the navel formed?

The umbilical cord forms in the first weeks of pregnancy. The umbilical cord contains one large vein and two smaller arteries through which oxygen is supplied from the mother's bloodstream and waste products are drained away.

Umbilical vessels are covered with the so-called Wharton jelly - a spongy substance that protects them from pressure during baby's movements and during labor. The umbilical cord grows with the child - it is often longer in mobile toddlers.

Cutting the umbilical cord is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the world. The umbilical cord connecting the newborn with the mother is not crossed today immediately after the baby is born, but a while later. During this time, an additional 80-100 ml of blood flows into his bloodstream, which is almost 1/3 of the entire blood volume of the newborn! This is one of the first "gifts" from mom for a new life.

The rest of the umbilical cord is secured with a plastic clasp, which can be removed after a few days. Within 2 weeks, the stump will generally dry out and fall off by itself. However, this process may take longer. The speed of healing of the navel is influenced by: thicknessof the umbilical cord, thickness of the skin ring around it, speed of the stump drying out and care activities.

What's under the navel?

Remains of umbilical veins turn into hard ligaments leading from the inside of the navel to the liver. The deeper vessels that were once used to communicate with the mother's bloodstream become part of the internal circulatory system - they supply blood to the bladder, digestive and urinary systems.

It may very rarely happen that the channel connecting the bladder with the navel remains open (urine may then leak from the navel). Such a defect requires surgical intervention.

The navels themselves are not so much innervated, but the part of the tissue beneath them is. When we strongly press the middle of the navel, it will act as a kind of button. The nerve bundles beneath it connect with the nerve bundles from our bladder and urethra on their way to the spinal cord.

Through this connection of nerves, an impulse is sent to the brain. The brain is unable to identify where it got the impulse from, so we can feel a tingling sensation around the bladder and pelvic area. A bit as if we need to go to the toilet.

Navel shapes

Contrary to popular belief, the appearance of the navel does not depend on how the doctor ties the umbilical cord. It depends on how the baby's skin grows the umbilical cord in the womb.

  • Concave navel- this is what most people have. This is evidence of the proper condition of the inguinal ligaments, which are a remnant of the umbilical cord, proper formation of the abdominal muscles and proper fusion of the umbilical ring.
  • Pępek convex- they are quite rare, one in ten has one. They are a memento of small umbilical hernias or mild infections while healing.
  • Missing navel- and it happens. Generally in people who are born with an umbilical hernia or a cleft abdominal wall. In infancy, they undergo surgery, as a result of which their natural navel is surgically sutured. For example, the Czech supermodel Karolina Kurková does not have it, although it is present in almost all session photos with an exposed belly. The navel is added to Kurkova in Photoshop. This defect did not interfere with her career - Kurková became one of the Victoria's Secret Angels.

Pregnancy can change the shape of a woman's navel. As the belly grows, the previously concave navel may bulge. In some cases, it sticks out so much that it is even referred to as an umbilical hernia.

Diseases of the navel

  • Navel inflammation

Staphylococci are usually the cause of the infection of the navel. Infection develops within the umbilical cord stump in newborns. It is rare in developed countries. In the first stage, it causes inflammation of the navel, but can easily spread through the umbilical vessels, leading to peritonitis and, consequently, sepsis.

Inflammation of the navel more often affects children with disorders in the immune system. The treatment usually involves antibiotic therapy to kill the bacteria responsible for the infection.

  • Navel granuloma

Sometimes the site after an infant's umbilical cord falls off does not heal properly. A red, oozing lump then appears at the bottom of the navel. This is known as a "navel granuloma". A granuloma is an overgrowing, infected, and non-healing granulation tissue.

This condition requires medical consultation. Treatment consists of the use of an antibiotic ointment, frequent washing of the navel and, in selected cases, minor surgery involving the ligation of the stalk of the granuloma.

  • Umbilical hernia

The convexity of the bottom of the navel indicates the presence of a hernia, i.e. a hole in the abdominal cavity. Seek medical attention if you notice a hernia.

It is possible to use conservative treatment by applying special patches that bring the rectus abdominals closer to each other, which allows for the closure of the hernia opening. This treatment brings very good results in many cases. Large hernias, however, most often require surgery.

LEARN MORE:Umbilical hernia: causes and symptoms. What is umbilical hernia surgery?

  • Navel tumor (the so-called tumor of sister Mary Joseph)

Usually has an irregular demarcation and a hard consistency, and can be painful. The surface of the lesion is often ulcerated or necrotic, and there may be blood, serous, or purulent discharge.

It usually indicates the presence of disseminated neoplasms of the colon, stomach, ovary or pancreas, which move "out" along the ligament leading from the abdominal cavity to the navel. Quite often, these nodules are the first symptom of previously undetected cancer.

The first to notice this unusual symptom was the nun Mary Joseph (Julia Dempsey), who works as an assistant surgeon at St. Mary's in Rochester (later the famous Mayo Clinic). Pain around the navel can signal serious diseases such as inflammation appendicitis, enteritis, boils, and appear for reasons as prosaic as too tightclothes or heavy pressure on the abdominal cavity. Pain in the navel area may also be caused by a rash, which is the result of an allergy to one of the elements of clothing, e.g. a belt buckle or a metal button.

See the gallery of 8 photos

Plastic surgery of the navel

Umbilicoplasty is a plastic surgery of the navel. Giving the navel the shape that its owner wants is quite a popular procedure. So you can turn convex navels into concave, narrow the wide navels, give the deep navels a tonsil shape, etc. Currently, the most fashionable are the long, narrow ones, with a tiny "cap" at the top.

Fear of the navel

Omphalophobia is a panic fear of the navel. It is sometimes caused by the related traumatic experiences of childhood (e.g. a wound or a sharp object sticking into the navel). People with omphalophobia avoid looking at the navels and touching the vines of their own navel, as it causes panic symptoms - increased heart rate, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, trembling of the arms and legs, weakness.

You did not know about the navel

  • The navel allows you to avoid postoperative scars. Surgeons using a laparoscope (a miniature webcam with a light at the end and a set of surgical instruments) enter the abdominal cavity through a small incision in the navel. Treatments of this type shorten the recovery time and reduce the risk of postoperative infections.
  • Bacteria from the navel can be used to make cheese. As part of the art project "Grow Your Own", led by the University of Edinburgh, Stanford University and the Science Gallery in Dublin, brie cheese was shown, which was produced using bacteria from the belly button of food critic Michael Pplan. With kpei, Australians at 7 Cent Brewery in Gisborne South brewed beer using yeast taken from their navels.
  • The vast majority of people who choose to have their navel piercings have serious problems with wound healing. This place is extremely sensitive and the process of complete healing after making a kpczyk may take from 6 to 12 months.
  • Staring at your belly button was a form of meditation. It was practiced by Hesychaists - representatives of the mystical branch of Eastern Christianity. Calming down, regulating breathing, taking a sitting position and staring at one point of the body (most often the navel, personifying the center of the body) was to help them see God's light.
  • Former Royal Air Force officer Peter Mason and his wife Aleksandra, after moving from Scotland to Ppski, opened a one-of-a-kind school - a navel massage school. According to the founders of the school, such a massage has a beneficial effect on our conditionphysical, emotional and mental. Apparently, it is enough to massage the navel with the thumb every day for 5 minutes!

Category:

Anatomy