Posted: June 27, 2022
Tummy tuck is a popular procedure for patients who wish to flatten and tighten their abdomen. While most of the attention is put on what happens to excess skin and fat, it is also fair to wonder about the way the procedure may affect the belly button. To educate curious patients, Dr. Orringer explains what patients might expect regarding their navel during and after abdominoplasty.
What Happens to the Belly Button?
In addition to the main incision made above the pubic bone, but typically below the underwear or bathing suit line, Dr. Orringer makes a second incision around the belly button. This navel incision is created to separate the belly button from the surrounding skin. Because the belly button is attached to a stalk, it does not move from its original position.
As Dr. Orringer removes excess skin and re-drapes the remaining skin to achieve a flatter, tightened tummy, a new opening must be created to accommodate the belly button. A variety of approaches exist and patients will usually discuss certain preferences regarding belly button appearance before having a tummy tuck, so the surgeon may customize the procedure accordingly.
Mini Tummy Tuck Difference
Mini tummy tuck is a less extensive form of abdominoplasty. Because it primarily addresses the area below the belly button, it is typically only appropriate for patients with a mild to moderate amount of loose skin and fat, concentrated on the lower abdomen. While this procedure might lower the belly button position somewhat, it does not involve an incision or scar around it.
Dr. Orringer believes that discussion of aesthetic goals and expectations is very important in the consultation and subsequent planning of the procedure. The approach to the belly button is only one component of the tummy tuck which typically addresses excess skin and fat and muscle laxity of the abdominal wall. Choose a surgeon with whom you feel you can communicate well and who, like Dr. Orringer, believes in a highly individualized, personalized approach. Some of Dr. Orringer’s transformative results can be viewed here.
To schedule a consultation with double board-certified, internationally known Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. Jay Orringer, please call (310) 273-1663. Dr. Orringer welcomes patients from Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Newport Beach, Northern California, nationally and internationally.
