If yes, why is it that sometimes after a TT, the BB is too high or low?
Do All PSs Use the Original Belly Button when Doing a TT?
Doctor Answers 11
Yes in a tummy tuck your original belly button is saved. It may be repositioned depending on how the abdomen is tightened
Belly button position in tummy tuck surgery
Belly button, or umbilicus, position after surgery is critical. Always review a surgeons image results in order to determine that the desired results are being achieved. The original belly button is preserved in tummy tuck surgery, but the dynamics of positioning the abdominal flap can apply forces that alter the perceived appearance. The proper appearance is achievable, so review those results. Good Luck
Umbilical Aesthetics Critical To Good Excellent Tuck Results
The belly button or umbilicus is a very important anatomical landmark in terms of an attractive abdomen. Excellent tummy tuck results demand particularly close attention to the umbilical scars. The position of the belly button on the abdomen is usually fixed, but several things can affect the apparent position. If there is a lot of skin laxity, the "stalk" of the belly button can stretch and appear to be lower that the actual position. Postop, this would result in a belly button that appears higher than it was. The placement of the tummy tuck incision can also have an impact on whether the umbilicus appears too low. A high incision will make the umbilicus appear to be low...an optical illusion. The length of the patient's torso can also have an impact on belly button position. Long torso's tend to have higher belly buttons. Finally, if a procedure called umbilical floating is perfomed, it can result in a lower than normal belly button if special precautions are not taken. It is far better to preserve the natural anatomy than to try to create something completely new. Best of luck!
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Belly button does not relocate with tummy tuck
A tummy tuck typically removes all of the skin and fat between the belly button (umbilicius) and the pubic area, with the upper abdominal skin freed up so that it can be pulled over that area. In doing this, the bellybutton is left attached at its original location because it is necessary for it to have blood supply. So it is not actually possible to move it. The key is to make the sca and shape as good as possible since it will be more likely to be exposed than the bikini line scar.
Belly button position in tummy tuck.
The standard technique is to leave the native belly button in its location and bring it out through the skin in a similar position in relation to the ribs and pelvic area. This scar can be visible and it is usually better if it is smaller rather than larger. I also remove some of the fatty tissue around this area to give the natural gentle slope inward that a natural belly button has.
In a few cases the patient has requested to not have any scars in this location and I have recreated an indentation with or without manipulating the central deep area of the belly button which gives a nice appearance without the circular scar.
Location of Umbilicus after Tummy Tuck?
Thank you for the question.
The appearance of the umbilicus is of great importance for most patients undergoing tummy tuck surgery. After all, the scar around the umbilicus is the only “scar” that the patient will see when she is wearing a swimming suit or undergarments. The appearance of the umbilicus can be a telltale sign that a patient has undergone tummy tuck surgery.
Generally speaking, the patient's own umbilicus is "used” during the tummy tuck procedure. However, the plastic surgeon is responsible for creating an opening along the abdominal wall flap through which the umbilicus is brought out. If this opening is “too low or too high” the appearance of the umbilicus can appear “too low or too high” postoperatively.
I hope this helps.
Tummy Tuck Belly Button
Yes, you keep your belly button. Your belly button is attached by a "stalk" (like a flower stalk) to an area underneath the skin and fat layer. During the surgery, a cut is made around your belly button leaving it attached to the stalk. After the excess tummy skin is removed and everything is put back together, a new hole is made for the belly button which is then stitched. (This is why there is a scar around the belly button.)
I like to take extra care to be sure the the belly is not too high or too low. I also like to be sure it is not too large. This is a "small" but important detail to discuss with your PS.
Thanks for a great question.
Do All PSs Use the Original Belly Button when Doing a TT
By standard technique, the navel remains where it is along the abdominal wall, and is brought out at that spot through an incision made in the repositioned abdominal skin.
Occasionally the navel is "floated" when there is not enough excess skin for a full TT technique, but there is some laxity in the upper abdominal skin--in this case, the navel is lowered a bit, usually from a position that was high enough to tolerated making it lower.
Hope that anwers your question. Best wishes.
Belly Button after Tummy Tuck
A full abdominoplasty requires the surgical creation of a new belly button. Creating the new belly button, which is called an umbilicoplasty, is a part of tummy tuck surgery that requires a great deal of attention and finesse on the part of the surgeon. My goal is to create a new belly button that, as much as possible, resembles a 'natural' belly button. Natural belly buttons do NOT look like a perfect circle, and circular umbilicoplasty scars are a tummy tuck dead giveaway.
The technique I use for umbilicoplasty is designed to create a slightly 'hooded' appearance to the upper half of the belly button, an appearance that is generally considered fit and athletic. Not all patients have the goal of wearing a two-piece swimsuit, but many do, and I want these patients to be able to do so without feeling self-conscious about the appearance of their new belly button.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.