Understanding Umbilicoplasty

Umbilicoplasty, or the use of surgical procedures to in some way alter the appearance of a patient’s belly button, is commonly performed as a part tummy tuck procedures, but can also be performed absent of any accompanying surgery.  Umbilicoplasty allows patients to put aside self consciousness in the appearance of their belly button and to be able to start wearing bikinis, low rider jeans, and other clothing that accentuates the stomach.  While a majority of umbilicoplasty surgeries are performed on women, an increasingly larger percentage are now performed on men as well.

Tummy Tucks and Belly Buttons

The appearance of a patient’s belly button can sometimes be significantly altered when they undergo a surgical procedure such as a tummy tuck.  A large belly button might have blended in perfectly with a larger overall tummy, but such may not be the case after sculpting has occurred.  When a tummy tuck is performed and excess fat is eradicated and skin is pulled back to create a more sleek appearance, the belly button can become more pronounced.  Many surgeons anticipate this occurrence and arrange to include a belly button revision as a normal part of all stomach sculpting procedures.  If a mismatch of belly buttons and tummy shapes is not noted until after the fact, an umbilicoplasty can then be performed with relative ease to match the size and shape of belly button to stomach.

Innies and Outies

Some patients are self conscious about the appearance of their belly buttons because its size or shape seems abnormal.  A large percentage of these cases include “outie” belly buttons where the navel protrudes from instead of sinks into the stomach.  In this case, belly button surgery can be the perfect option to re-sculpt the skin of the belly button to form an “inner”, which tucks the navel back into the stomach with a pleasing curve.

Outie belly buttons can occur for several reasons.  The first reason is because of the cut made on the umbilical cord when still an infant.  This is fairly common.  The second reason is because of changing body types causing a former innie to become an outie.  If a lot of weight is gained, especially if gained rapidly, an innie can turn into an outie.  This can also occur during pregnancy.  Many women experience their former outie belly buttons turning outwards.  A post-natal belly button revision can easily fix this change!