Belly button repair after tummy tuck

If you’ve had a tummy tuck, you may be wondering what to do if your belly button doesn’t look quite right. It’s normal for a few weeks after surgery for your belly button to be red and swollen, but if it stays swollen or continues to change color or shape, contact your plastic surgeon immediately.

If you or a loved one has had a tummy tuck and is experiencing an abnormal belly button appearance, it may be time to have your surgeon check it out. After surgery, you’ll wear an abdominal support garment for several weeks. The garment compresses the abdomen and helps reduce swelling. It also helps support your new abdominal wall as it heals.

Your surgeon will explain how long the compression garment must be worn and whether any other activities (like exercise) need to be avoided while wearing the garment. It’s important that you follow these instructions carefully so that your recovery goes smoothly and without complications.

You may find it hard to access the right information on the internet, so we are here to help you in the following article, providing the best and updated information on Belly button repair after tummy tuck , pictures of belly buttons after tummy tuck. Read on to learn more. We at cosmeticsurgerytips have all the information that you need about belly button revision before and after. Read on to learn more.

Belly button repair after tummy tuck

To me, one of the most important parts of a tummy tuck is the belly button. Whether we like or don’t like the tummy tuck scar itself, it is usually concealed under the bathing suit or bikini line, but the belly button is there for all to view. I wish more surgeons focused on it. An overly large belly button can diminish what is otherwise a lovely result.

I always tell my patients that nothing is as natural as a god-given belly button, but I do my best to keep it as natural as possible after surgery.

Belly button thinking

Keep it simple

I have seen surgeons make all sorts of unusual shapes in a quest for the “perfect” belly button. In my opinion, the simpler the better. I make a short horizontal line and remove little if any skin. Because of the downward tension on the abdominal skin, that horizontal line elongates into a diamond. That is all you need and as the umbilical skin heals the diamond becomes rounder.

That horizontal incision, which elongates into a diamond, also allows me to pull the abdominal scar down lower- so to me it is a win/win.

Keep it small

I like small belly buttons for three reasons:

Smaller belly buttons are less obtrusive. Meaning, they draw less attention.
I don’t know what kind of scar you will make. While I use all the tools in my power to make your scars beautiful, ultimately, your genetics will determine how much scar tissue you lay down. A smaller belly button will generally leave a smaller scar.
If a belly button is too small making it larger is easier, but if a belly button is too large making it smaller is far more difficult.

Keep it low

To some extent, in a standard tummy tuck, we are beholden to the starting position of the belly button. But when the tissues are elevated that little stalk can be nudged up or down and even right to left. When I can, aesthetically I prefer a little lower. In my opinion, an umbilicus in the lower third of the abdomen tends to make the torso look longer and hence leaner.

Leave it long

We can leave some surrounding skin which, when flipped up, will deepen the stalk when the belly button is freed from the surrounding tissue. Why would you do this? Most women having tummy tuck have muscle tightening. When the midline tummy muscles are pulled together, tissues in between, including the belly button stalk, are pulled inward. Starting with a longer stalk allows a more precise and tension-free closure. If too long, the stalk is easily trimmed as it is inset.

Quilting and tension

As many of you know I quilt my tummies. That means I sew down the abdominal wall skin so it heals more quickly. It also lets me pull the abdominal skin to the belly button without pulling on the stalk. Less tension often means less risk of healing issues and hopefully a better scar. Removing some fat in the area where the belly button will be placed also helps to minimize tension and improve contour.

While my way is not the only way, and nothing is foolproof, it has been an evolution. It has always been my goal to put as many patients as I can back into a two-piece bathing suit, have them feel good about it, and hopefully have no one know I’ve even been there.

pictures of belly buttons after tummy tuck

Patient 1

Details: Tummy tuck w/ liposuction
Post-Op: 2ys
Children: 2
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 125lbs

Patient (Above)

Details: Tummy tuck w/ liposuction
Post-Op: 2ys
Children: 2
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 125lbs

Tummy tuck before and after belly button 3

Patient 2

Details: Tummy tuck w/ liposuction
Post-Op: 6mo
Age: 32
Children: 4
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 115lbs

Patient 3

Details: Tummy tuck w/ waist lipo
Post-Op: 6mo
Age: 38
Children: 2
Height: 5’0”
Weight: 120lbs

Patient 4

Details: Tummy tuck
Post-Op: 6mo
Age: 30ys
Children: 2
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 144lbs

Patient 5

Details: Tummy tuck w/ waist liposuction
Post-Op: 6mo
Age: 51
Children: 2
Height: 5’3”
Weight: 132lbs

Patient 6

Details: Tummy tuck, followed by further lipo 5 months ago
Post-Op: 15mo
Age: 36
Children: 2
Height: 5’1”
Weight: 160lbs

Patient 7

Details: Tummy tuck
Post-Op: 1yr
Age: 30
Children: 3
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 130lbs

Patient 8

Details: Tummy tuck w/ liposuction
Post-Op: 3mo
Age: 31
Children: 2
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 167lbs

Patient 9

Details: Tummy tuck w/ liposuction
Post-Op: 6mo
Age: 35
Children: 2
Height: 5’5″
Weight: 118lbs

Patient 10

Details: Tummy tuck
Post-Op: 4mo
Age: 29
Children: 2
Height: 5’1″
Weight: 110lbs

Tummy tuck before and after belly button 2

Patient 11

Details: Tummy tuck
Post-Op: 6mo
Age: 47
Children: 3
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 160lbs

Patient 12

Details: Abdominoplasty w/ waist liposuction
Post-Op: 5mo
Age: 34
Children: 3
Height: 5’3″
Weight: 130lbs

Patient 13

Details: Abdominoplasty w/ waist liposuction
Post-Op: 1yr
Age: 32
Children: 5
Height: 5’5″
Weight: 150lbs

Tummy tuck before and after belly button

Patient 14

Details: Tummy tuck with waist lipo
Post-Op: 4yrs
Age: 30
Children: 2
Height: 5’3″
Weight: 154lbs

Patient 15

Details: Abdominoplasty
Post-Op: 4mo
Age: 31
Children: 3
Height: 5’0″
Weight: 110lbs

Patient 16

Details: Abdominoplasty
Post-Op: 5mo
Age: 44
Children: 8
Height: 5’3″
Weight: 145lbs

Patient 17

Details: Abdominoplasty, Secondary liposuction lower back and waist
Post-Op: 3mo
Age: 40
Children: 5
Height: 5’5″
Weight: 140lbs