Removal of umbilical granuloma (treatment of umbilical granuloma)
Treatment for a small, moist red lump that can form in a baby's belly button after the cord stump falls off.
✓ Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant · last reviewed September 2026 · next review September 2027 · how we review
In short
- An umbilical granuloma is a harmless-looking moist red lump that can form in the belly button after the cord falls off; it is not, by itself, an infection.
- Salt treatment is a safe, simple first step that often works within a few days to a week, and you can usually do it at home once shown how.
- Silver nitrate is sometimes used if salt does not work, but only by a health professional, because it can cause chemical burns to the surrounding skin if it touches healthy areas.
- Get your baby checked rather than just treating at home if there is spreading redness, swelling, a fever, smelly discharge, or persistent wetness, as these can point to something other than a simple granuloma.
A plain-English summary. The detail — including risks and recovery — is below.
At a glance
A general guide. Your surgeon will give you advice for your situation.
Settles a moist, weepy belly button that is slow to heal
Home or routine treatment is not appropriate if there are signs of infection such as spreading redness, swelling, smell or fever — the baby needs...
Apply the salt and damp gauze as shown, once or twice a day. Keep nappies folded below the navel and the area clean and dry between treatments.
Clear, demonstrated instructions for salt treatment and how long to continue.
Apply the salt and damp gauze as shown, once or twice a day. Keep nappies folded below the navel and the area...
The granuloma often starts to shrink and weep less. Continue the treatment for the number of days advised, even if...
An uncomplicated granuloma has usually settled. If there is little or no improvement after about a week, go back...
A dark stain on the skin is normal and fades. A repeat application is sometimes needed. Watch for any burn or...
What is an umbilical granuloma and how is it treated?
An umbilical granuloma is a small, soft, moist, pink or red lump that can appear in a baby's belly button (navel) in the first weeks after the dried umbilical cord stump falls off. It often weeps a little clear, yellowish or slightly blood-stained fluid.
It happens because the area has not quite finished healing after the cord separated. It is not caused by anything a parent did, and on its own it is not an infection.
Many umbilical granulomas settle with simple salt treatment, which you can usually do at home after being shown how. A small pinch of ordinary table salt is applied to the lump and covered briefly, once or twice a day for a few days. If it does not respond, a clinician may suggest treating it with silver nitrate to shrink it, or occasionally a small procedure to tie off or remove it.
The main thing to be sure of first is that this really is a simple granuloma and not a sign of something else, such as an infection or a rarer problem where the belly button connects to the inside of the tummy. If there is redness spreading around the navel, swelling, a fever, or persistent wetness, your baby should be checked rather than just treated at home.
Types, options & approaches
There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.
Options at a glance
These are the main approaches described in this guide. The right option depends on the diagnosis, your goals and what your clinician thinks is safe.
Salt treatment
A pinch of ordinary table salt is applied to the granuloma and covered with clean damp gauze for a short time, once or twice daily for a few days. Safe, cheap and often...
Silver nitrate cauterisation
A health professional applies silver nitrate to shrink the granuloma, sometimes over more than one visit. The surrounding skin must be protected because silver nitrate can...
Ligation (tying off)
For a granuloma on a narrow stalk, a clinician may tie a fine thread around its base so it shrivels and drops off. Used in selected cases.
Small surgical removal
Rarely, a persistent granuloma is removed with a minor procedure, usually only after simpler treatments have not worked or if the diagnosis is in doubt.
Preparing for your procedure
- Have the granuloma looked at first by a health visitor, GP or nurse to confirm it is a simple granuloma and not an infection or rarer problem.
- If salt treatment is advised, ask to be shown exactly how to do it and how long to continue.
- Have ordinary table salt, clean gauze and warm (not hot) water ready at home.
- Always wash your hands before and after touching your baby's belly button.
- Keep nappies folded below the navel so the area stays dry and open to air.
- Note when the treatment started so you can judge whether it is improving within about a week.
- Ask who to contact if it gets worse, weeps more, or your baby seems unwell.
What happens
For salt treatment at home, you wash your hands, sprinkle a small pinch of table salt onto the granuloma, then cover it with a piece of clean gauze dampened with warm water for around 10 to 15 minutes. You gently clean the area afterwards. This is usually repeated once or twice a day for a few days. The granuloma often shrinks and dries up over several days.
If salt treatment does not work, a clinician may apply silver nitrate in a clinic. They protect the surrounding skin first, then touch the granuloma with a silver nitrate applicator to shrink it. This may need repeating at another visit. It can leave a temporary dark stain on the skin.
If the granuloma sits on a narrow stalk, it may instead be tied off with a fine thread so it drops away over a few days. Removal with a small procedure is only occasionally needed.
Is this procedure right for me?
A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.
May not be suitable if…
- Home or routine treatment is not appropriate if there are signs of infection such as spreading redness, swelling, smell or fever — the baby needs reviewing first.
- Treatment should pause for assessment if the lump does not look or behave like a simple granuloma, in case it is a remnant connecting to the inside of the tummy.
- Silver nitrate should not be used without protecting the surrounding skin, and is increasingly avoided where salt treatment will do.
- Repeated home treatment is not appropriate when something is clearly not improving and needs a clinician's review.
Delay or rearrange if…
- Your baby is unwell, feverish or feeding poorly.
- The belly button is red, swollen, hard or producing smelly or pus-like discharge.
- The diagnosis has not been confirmed by a clinician.
- You have not been shown how to do salt treatment safely.
Alternatives to discuss
- Salt treatment at home as a safe first step.
- Simply keeping the area clean and dry and watching, if a clinician advises, as some granulomas settle on their own.
- Silver nitrate or tying off (ligation) if salt treatment fails.
- Referral to a paediatric team if the diagnosis is uncertain or it does not respond.
Before you decide
Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.
What matters most to me?
Think about symptoms, daily life, work, caring responsibilities, sport, fertility, travel, appearance and anxiety — the right choice depends on your priorities, not just the medical facts.
What are all my options?
Ask about waiting, monitoring, medicines, rehabilitation, a smaller or larger procedure, a different test, NHS referral, or a second opinion where that would help.
What would make me pause?
Active infection, pregnancy, unstable medical problems, smoking, medicines that increase bleeding, poor support at home, or feeling pressured are all reasons to slow down and get tailored advice.
What happens if I do nothing today?
For some problems, waiting is safe; for others, delay can make treatment harder. A good consultation should explain the trade-off in plain English.
Benefits
- Settles a moist, weepy belly button that is slow to heal
- Salt treatment is gentle, low-cost and can be done at home
- Avoids more involved treatment in most babies
- Reduces ongoing wetness that can rub or irritate
- Lets a clinician confirm it is a simple granuloma and nothing more concerning
Risks & complications
- Mild redness or irritation of the skin around the navel with treatment
- The granuloma needing more than one round of treatment to settle
- A small amount of continued weeping until it fully dries
- Salt treatment not working, so another treatment is needed
- A temporary dark or brown stain on the skin after silver nitrate
- The granuloma coming back and needing further treatment
- Chemical burns to the surrounding healthy skin from silver nitrate if it is not applied carefully
- An underlying problem being missed if the lump is not a simple granuloma (for example a remnant connecting to the inside of the tummy)
- Infection of the navel area needing medical treatment
The single most important safety point is that silver nitrate can burn healthy skin if it spreads beyond the granuloma, so it should only be used by a health professional who protects the surrounding skin. Salt treatment avoids this risk, which is why it is usually tried first. If the lump does not behave like a simple granuloma, or your baby shows signs of infection, it needs reviewing rather than repeated home treatment.
Published figures to discuss
Umbilical granuloma is a minor condition and reliable complication percentages are not generally meaningful for parents. The most relevant safety points are qualitative: salt treatment is low-risk, while silver nitrate carries a small but real risk of chemical burns to surrounding skin if not applied carefully.
| Figure | Reported range | How to interpret it | Source / confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical burn from silver nitrate | Uncommon with careful protection of surrounding skin | The skin around the umbilicus should be protected and parents told what mild staining or irritation looks like. | Guide sourcesClinical context |
| Persistent wet umbilicus after treatment | Uncommon but important | Persistent discharge may indicate an umbilical polyp, infection or rare urachal/omphalomesenteric remnant. | Common salt versus silver nitrate for umbilical granuloma — RCT (PMC)pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govSource-linked context |
| Need for repeat treatment | Common enough to be expected in some babies | Several applications may be needed before the granuloma dries and shrinks. | Guide sourcesClinical context |
| Umbilical infection | Uncommon but serious in newborns | Spreading redness, swelling, fever, poor feeding or lethargy needs urgent assessment. | Common salt versus silver nitrate for umbilical granuloma — RCT (PMC)pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govSource-linked context |
These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.
What happens afterwards
There is no real recovery from treating a granuloma. The aim is for the lump to dry up and the belly button to heal, while you keep the area clean and dry.
- A little continued weeping until the granuloma fully dries
- Mild redness of the skin around the navel during treatment
- Needing a few days of salt treatment before it improves
- A temporary dark stain after silver nitrate, which fades
- The belly button gradually drying and healing over
Aftercare
- Keep the belly button clean and dry, and fold nappies below it so air can reach it.
- Wash your hands before and after touching the area.
- Continue salt treatment for the full number of days advised, even once it looks better.
- Do not put creams, powders or antiseptics on it unless a clinician tells you to.
- After silver nitrate, gently protect the surrounding skin and watch for any burn or spreading redness.
- Go back for review if it is no better after about a week, or sooner if it worsens.
- Seek advice promptly if your baby develops a fever or the navel becomes red, swollen or smelly.
- Ordinary table salt at home
- Clean gauze pieces
- Warm (not hot) water for dampening gauze
- Nappies that can fold below the belly button
- A note of when treatment started
- Health visitor / GP contact details to hand
Scars and how they heal
Salt treatment does not usually leave a scar. Silver nitrate can leave a temporary dark stain on the skin that fades, and very occasionally a small mark if it burns healthy skin. After a granuloma settles, the belly button generally looks normal as it finishes healing.
⚠ Get urgent help if…
- Spreading redness or warmth of the skin around the belly button (possible infection)
- A high temperature, or your baby becoming unsettled, sleepy or feeding poorly
- Foul-smelling or pus-like discharge from the navel
- Swelling or hardness around the belly button
- Bleeding from the area that does not settle
- Persistent wetness or discharge that does not improve with treatment
- After silver nitrate: a sore, blistered or burnt patch of skin around the navel
Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.
General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your surgeon gives you.
Results & realistic expectations
A good result is a belly button that dries up, stops weeping and heals over, usually within a few days to a week or so of salt treatment, or after one or two silver nitrate applications if needed.
Treatment settles the granuloma but cannot rule out, on its own, the rarer possibility that a persistent or unusual lump is something other than a simple granuloma. That is why a granuloma that does not respond, keeps coming back, or comes with signs of infection should be reviewed by a clinician rather than treated again and again at home.
Once a granuloma has settled it usually does not return, and the belly button heals normally. If it keeps coming back despite treatment, your baby should be reassessed in case the lump is not a simple granuloma or there is an underlying reason it keeps forming.
Related tests, treatments or support
Treating a granuloma is usually done on its own. If a clinician is checking the belly button anyway, they will also make sure there is no infection or other navel problem at the same time. No other procedure is normally combined with it.
Follow-up & long-term care
Follow-up is usually simple: review with your health visitor or GP if the granuloma has not improved after about a week of salt treatment, or sooner if it worsens. If silver nitrate is used, you may be asked to return for a repeat application. You should always have a clear route to get advice if you are worried.
Repeat, follow-on and what comes next
- More than one round of salt treatment, or more than one silver nitrate application, is sometimes needed.
- A granuloma that keeps returning should prompt reassessment rather than endless repeat treatment.
- Occasionally a minor procedure is needed if simpler treatments do not work.
Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.
What good aftercare looks like
- Clear, demonstrated instructions for salt treatment and how long to continue.
- Plain warning signs of infection and a route to get advice.
- A planned review if it has not improved within about a week.
- Willingness to reassess and consider other causes if it keeps coming back.
What affects the cost
Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:
- Whether salt treatment at home is enough or clinic treatment is needed
- Number of silver nitrate applications required
- The clinician's appointment fee if treated privately
- Whether a minor procedure (ligation or removal) is needed
- Any review appointments
- Any tests if an underlying problem is suspected
- The clinician's appointment fee
- Whether more than one silver nitrate visit is included
- What is covered if a minor procedure is needed
- Follow-up or review appointments
- What happens, and what it would cost, if the lump turns out not to be a simple granuloma
- The cancellation policy
On the NHS? Umbilical granuloma is assessed and treated through NHS services such as your health visitor, GP or paediatric team; salt treatment is often done at home after being shown how.
You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.
Consent traps and marketing red flags
These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.
Consent traps
- Not being told that salt treatment is a safe first option before silver nitrate.
- No warning that silver nitrate can burn the surrounding skin.
- Assuming any belly-button lump is a simple granuloma without considering other causes.
- No clear advice on infection warning signs or when to come back.
Marketing red flags
- Going straight to silver nitrate or a procedure without trying or explaining salt treatment.
- Describing silver nitrate as completely without risks.
- Treating repeatedly without reviewing why the lump is not settling.
- Charging for a procedure for something that would likely settle with simple home care.
Choosing a specialist safely
- Check the surgeon is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
- Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
- You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the surgeon who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
- Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
- You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.
Questions to ask your medical professional
Take this to your consultation. A good surgeon will welcome every one of these.
- Are you sure this is a simple granuloma and not an infection or something else?
- Can you show me exactly how to do the salt treatment and for how long?
- How long should I wait before bringing my baby back if it is not improving?
- If silver nitrate is needed, how will you protect the surrounding skin?
- What signs of infection should make me seek help sooner?
- Is there any reason my baby would need to see a paediatric specialist?
- Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
- Will you be the surgeon who carries out my procedure, and who looks after me afterwards?
- What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
- What does a realistic result look like — and what can this procedure not achieve?
- What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
- Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
- What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?
Frequently asked questions
Is an umbilical granuloma dangerous?
How does salt treatment work and is it safe?
Why might silver nitrate be used instead?
How long until it goes away?
What if it does not get better?
Do we need to see a specialist?
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How we made this page
Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →
Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.
Sources & standards: Sheffield Children's — Umbilical granuloma Common salt versus silver nitrate for umbilical granuloma — RCT (PMC) Chemical burns from topical silver nitrate in umbilical granuloma — case report (PMC) NHS — Belly button (umbilical) care in babies British Association of Paediatric Surgeons (BAPS)
Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.
Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.
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