Ok, so I went to my PS to discuss my concern about my belly button closing. He gave me a shot of cortisone and said he will do it again in 3 mons & again 3 mons later. I read on this forum that your professional opinion is once it's closed it will not open. So I called my PS back and he said he will do a scar revision, but there is no guarantee that outcome is will be 100%. I questioned the zplasty, he said that is just for scars not the belly button. Now I have no idea what to do.
Answer: Scar revision for belly button after tummy tuck
An umbilical scar (belly button) after a tummy tuck can be revised once the tissue has softened up, this may take 9 months or a year after surgery. The scar tissue can be excised and a new belly button created. You can also seek out a second opinion in your area but I would express your concerns again with your plastic surgeon and see if he has a good solution. Steroids have some role but can be "re-open" a belly button this has already closed and scarred in.
Best wishes,
Dr.Bruno
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CONTACT NOW Answer: Scar revision for belly button after tummy tuck
An umbilical scar (belly button) after a tummy tuck can be revised once the tissue has softened up, this may take 9 months or a year after surgery. The scar tissue can be excised and a new belly button created. You can also seek out a second opinion in your area but I would express your concerns again with your plastic surgeon and see if he has a good solution. Steroids have some role but can be "re-open" a belly button this has already closed and scarred in.
Best wishes,
Dr.Bruno
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CONTACT NOW Answer: Belly Button after Abdominoplasty
Without more information, it is impossible to answer your questions. It would also be helpful to show your before and after pictures. If you are having unusual healing problems that it is good that you are following closely with your surgeon.
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Without more information, it is impossible to answer your questions. It would also be helpful to show your before and after pictures. If you are having unusual healing problems that it is good that you are following closely with your surgeon.
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September 24, 2011
Answer: Belly button closing down after tummy tuck, how ti fix it
You do not state how far you are from surgery and how scarred in your belly button is. What I find that works well in the rare circumstances that this happens is use an ear plug. Take a soft ear plug and squeeze it and roll it thin and insert it into the belly button. This will help control the scar in the early healing phase, prevents closure and helps soften it up. You might have to wear it for a few weeks. I would try this first, before jumping into a revision which will create a larger, uglier or more scarred belly button. Good luck.
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CONTACT NOW September 24, 2011
Answer: Belly button closing down after tummy tuck, how ti fix it
You do not state how far you are from surgery and how scarred in your belly button is. What I find that works well in the rare circumstances that this happens is use an ear plug. Take a soft ear plug and squeeze it and roll it thin and insert it into the belly button. This will help control the scar in the early healing phase, prevents closure and helps soften it up. You might have to wear it for a few weeks. I would try this first, before jumping into a revision which will create a larger, uglier or more scarred belly button. Good luck.
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September 24, 2011
Answer: Closed belly button
If your belly botton is small or closed because of the scar than perhaps revising the scar might help. Sometimes the blood to the belly button is not good and there could have been some delayed healing in the area causing the belly button to shrink. Also some peoples belly buttons are not so well formed and are sort of damaged after pregnancy. If any of this is the case you might actually need a little more done in order to re-create the belly button. In any event it's pretty minor. If you are forming keloids or think scars around the belly button be careful of further revisions because this could make it worse and difficult to correct.
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CONTACT NOW September 24, 2011
Answer: Closed belly button
If your belly botton is small or closed because of the scar than perhaps revising the scar might help. Sometimes the blood to the belly button is not good and there could have been some delayed healing in the area causing the belly button to shrink. Also some peoples belly buttons are not so well formed and are sort of damaged after pregnancy. If any of this is the case you might actually need a little more done in order to re-create the belly button. In any event it's pretty minor. If you are forming keloids or think scars around the belly button be careful of further revisions because this could make it worse and difficult to correct.
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September 24, 2011
Answer: Umbilical scar "closing down" after tummy tuck.
Umbilical scarring after tummy tuck is different for each patient, and depends not only on the innate healing and scar-forming tendencies of each patient, but also on prior surgeries that can leave belly button scars and decreased circulation to these healing tissues, as well as whatever circulation the umbilical stalk has after it is separated from the surrounding skin during the performance of your tummy tuck. This can be diminished even without prior surgery in this area.
Sometimes there can be superficial infection that decreases circulation, slows healing, and increasing scarring, or it can just be due to the genetics of healing that some patients bring to the procedure. We, as plastic surgeons, never know in advance when we may end up with one or more of these concerns, though fortunately they are relatively uncommon. But do enough tummy tucks for enough years, and we all see this occasionally.
Your surgeon is offering correct advice, and no surgical revision comes with guarantees, so this is correct as well. Z-plasties are done in cases where scar contractures would benefit from lengthening--this is a time-honored and well-understood procedure that every plastic surgeon learns and uses when necessary or advisable. The Z-plasty flaps that an umbilical scar revision would require are tiny, and would themselves be subject to circulation and healing concerns, so your surgeon's judgment that more scarring is not advisable is entirely reasonable and best decided upon by the expert actually examining your scar, not any on-line consultant.
If you still have questions, seek additional opinions, but your surgeon has the best information about you and your concerns, and appears to be right on target here. A poor umbilical scar is not your surgeon's fault, nor is it something that requires you to find the "right" corrective technique. Your surgeon wants as good a result for you as possible, but the present situation is what needs to be dealt with, and the recommended options and not "right" or "wrong," they are possible procedures designed to improve things as much as possible.
Good luck and best wishes!
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CONTACT NOW September 24, 2011
Answer: Umbilical scar "closing down" after tummy tuck.
Umbilical scarring after tummy tuck is different for each patient, and depends not only on the innate healing and scar-forming tendencies of each patient, but also on prior surgeries that can leave belly button scars and decreased circulation to these healing tissues, as well as whatever circulation the umbilical stalk has after it is separated from the surrounding skin during the performance of your tummy tuck. This can be diminished even without prior surgery in this area.
Sometimes there can be superficial infection that decreases circulation, slows healing, and increasing scarring, or it can just be due to the genetics of healing that some patients bring to the procedure. We, as plastic surgeons, never know in advance when we may end up with one or more of these concerns, though fortunately they are relatively uncommon. But do enough tummy tucks for enough years, and we all see this occasionally.
Your surgeon is offering correct advice, and no surgical revision comes with guarantees, so this is correct as well. Z-plasties are done in cases where scar contractures would benefit from lengthening--this is a time-honored and well-understood procedure that every plastic surgeon learns and uses when necessary or advisable. The Z-plasty flaps that an umbilical scar revision would require are tiny, and would themselves be subject to circulation and healing concerns, so your surgeon's judgment that more scarring is not advisable is entirely reasonable and best decided upon by the expert actually examining your scar, not any on-line consultant.
If you still have questions, seek additional opinions, but your surgeon has the best information about you and your concerns, and appears to be right on target here. A poor umbilical scar is not your surgeon's fault, nor is it something that requires you to find the "right" corrective technique. Your surgeon wants as good a result for you as possible, but the present situation is what needs to be dealt with, and the recommended options and not "right" or "wrong," they are possible procedures designed to improve things as much as possible.
Good luck and best wishes!
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September 24, 2011
Answer: Scarring after tummy tuck
I think that at this point you and your surgeon are doing the right things given your situation. What may or may not also be helpful is gentle dilation of the bellybutton with a small marble that can be placed in the bellybutton (and taped over). This may be left in place overnight and may help avoid continued contraction of the umbilicus. As with any recommendations you should receive online, I would suggest clearing it with your plastic surgeon before you begin.
Otherwise at this point there is not much to do except allow for continued scar maturation. Scar revision surgery may be necessary eventually.
I hope this helps.
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Answer: Scarring after tummy tuck
I think that at this point you and your surgeon are doing the right things given your situation. What may or may not also be helpful is gentle dilation of the bellybutton with a small marble that can be placed in the bellybutton (and taped over). This may be left in place overnight and may help avoid continued contraction of the umbilicus. As with any recommendations you should receive online, I would suggest clearing it with your plastic surgeon before you begin.
Otherwise at this point there is not much to do except allow for continued scar maturation. Scar revision surgery may be necessary eventually.
I hope this helps.
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