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Breast Implants Inserted by Belly Button

asked 1 year ago by anon
Latest answer by Anthony Dardano, DO
Question viewed 428 times
Tags: belly button, insertion

I saw that a doctor on realself says belly button insertion of breast implants is a bad idea. Do other doctors agree with this conclusion? Are there times when it makes sense to go this route?

20 answers to Breast Implants Inserted by Belly Button

TUBA

Hello, I am a board certified plastic surgeon and member of both The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. I am a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons as well. I've been in private practice in Beverly Hills for 11 years specializing in breast and nose surgery. I have performed over 1500 transumbilical breast surgeries in this time and kept accurate records of outcomes and complications... more

Gerald Minniti, MD, FACS
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

drminniti.com

TUBA- A solution in search of a problem (where none exists)

This is not a new, and my opinion, a good idea. Why? 1. Insertion site is too far from operative site, therefore can't be precise. Precision is key to great outcome. 2. V deformity from navel pointing towards breasts like a neon light- I have seen it- not pretty, and can't correct. 3. remote navel scar vs. two small scars on breast that heal nicely 4. revisions will require brest incision anyway 5. can't do silicone implants 6. I personally... more

Scott E. Kasden, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Breast augmentation through the belly button is a stupid idea whose time should never have come.

Breast augmentation is not an easy operation. It requires thoughtful consideration of the the patients requirements, an understanding of her tissue limitations, and an appreciation of the behaviour of implants in tissues over time. To blissfully blow up a balloon and hope that it rips the tissues at just the right location and just the right amount, and at the same time hope that the device is not damaged in the process is quite simply, just plain stupid.... more

Claudio DeLorenzi, MD
Toronto Plastic Surgeon

TUBA breast augmentations

I personally think it is a bad idea and wouln't even want to try one. The problem is that you can only do saline through the umbi, there is no control of bleeding, and the exact dissection of the pocket to perfect size and symmetry is not possible from so far away compared to the closer incisions. This, plus the fact that no revisions can be done through the TUBA make it nonsense to me.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Breast Augmentation Thru Belly Button

This might seem like a great approach if you are looking for no visible scarring, but there are disadvantages. For example: You are restricted to saline implants, and sometimes exact implant adjustment and placement is difficult.

Anthony Dardano, DO
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

Breast augmentation

I suppose that the trans umbilical approach has it's advantage, but also it's disadvantages as well. One has to weight them and see if it is better for them. I personally don't see the advantages.

Shahin Javaheri, MD
San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

Transumbilical Breast Augmentation (TUBA) - a great procedure in the right patient

In the carefully selected patient the transumbilical breast augmentation (TUBA) is an excellent option to augment the breast under the muscle with virtually no visible scar. It is an especially good choice in patients who are thin, who have minimal sagging and asymmetry, and who request saline implants (many still do inspite of the availabilty of silicone). Poor candidates: thicker tissued/more corpulant patients; patients with chest wall issues and severe flaring at... more

Christopher J. Schaffer, MD
Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

Tuba breast augmentation is a good choice if performed by the right surgeon in the right patient

I am a board certified plastic surgeon practicing in Birmingham Alabama. I am also a member of both The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. I perform over 1500 breast augmentations per year and have performed around 2000 trans umbilical (TUBA). It is sad that when you hear doctors stating that TUBA is a bad approach, if you were to ask most answering the question you would find they have never performed the... more

William J. Hedden, MD
Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

www.heddenmd.com

TUBA is a failed concept for breast augmentation

We can achieve wonderful, predictable and reproducible results with the breast-based augmentation approaches that we currently have. There is simply no compelling advantage to TUBA, and a host of disadvantages. This likely explains why few surgeons do the TUBA procedure.

Scott Sattler, MD
Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

Augmentation through belly button

I do not perfrom the procedure for many of the reasons the other prior surgoens have stated, but if you so desire to perform it this way, please make sure you seek a surgeon who routinely performs the procedure this way, because there any many technical nuisances.

Vishnu Rumalla, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Breast Implants Inserted by Belly Button or the TUBA technique

All 9 previous posters are not in favor of the TUBA or TransUmbilical Breast Augmentation. I also concur. So from the tone of your question you want to hear that it is an acceptable option. It is NEVER an acceptable option. So for you better understand and comprehend this issue, if the TUBA techniques was SOOOOO great, why do less than 1% of all the board certified Plastics Surgeon offer it? Think in those terms, I guess 99% of us are uninformed. Keep re reading these posts the reasons... more

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Belly Button Breast Augmentation--Good Idea or Not?

TUBA (Trans Umbilical Breast Augmentation) is a fourth option for breast enlargement with (saline) implants. The most common incisions used by the vast majority of experienced breast surgeons are: 1) Inframammary--crease incision; 2) Axillary--armpit incision; 3) Periareolar--around the dark skin of the nipple area. Use of an incision in the belly button area and an endoscope can allow placement of saline implants without an incision on the breasts, BUT does involve some limitations... more

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.mpsmn.com

Breast Implants through belly button very bad idea.

Hi. 1) Voids manufacturer's warranty. 2) Cannot use silicone implants. 3) Higher risk of bad shape. 4) Any revision will require breast incision anyway. see video

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

TUBA Breast Augmentations

The TUBA procedure (Belly Button Breast Implant) provides poor access for creation of a pocket for the breast implant. There is at least a 50% incidence of malposition or major complication requiring revisions via that route. Much more predictable, safer results are obtained via an incision on the breast.

Marie E. Montag, MD
Omaha Plastic Surgeon

Breast Augmentation Through The Belly Button Offers No Advantage

When considering breast augmentation, the size and location of the incision is one important consideration to most patients. But one must remember that the incision is not the operation, the breast implant and its proper positioning is. Going through the belly button does provide good scar camouflage but does so at the expense of several significant disadvantages for the breast implant result. Besides being only able to use saline implants, there are potential problems with good pocket... more

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD
Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com

Belly button breast augmentation

This TUBA surgery sounds attractive to the patient, however it comes with potential problems including implant malpositon because of the inability to precisely place the implant under direct visualization. This can lead to assymetry. Also, only saline implants can be utilized thru this approach. I believe at this time salines are an inferior product compared to the silicone gels that are offered. To fix any issues with the TUBA, an incision must be placed on the... more

Phillip R. Craft, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Belly button breast augmentation

Breast augmentation through the belly button offers no advantage other than marketing. I have seen many patients with implant malposition when done through the belly button, requiring a second surgery through a traditional scar. One patient spent two weeks in a hospital from an abscess right over the belly button, requiring a large incision to drain the abscess and two incisions in the breast to remove the implants.

Francisco Canales, MD
Santa Rosa Plastic Surgeon

Yes, Transumbilical Breast Augmentation works for the right patient

Having performed many transumbilical breast augmentation procedures both over and under the muscle, I can say it is an excellent procedure for the right patient. It is ideal for a patient who is very symmetrical and has good breast shape, and who does not have a pronounced breast fold. If these rules are not followed, then the surgeon can have more difficulty in placing the implants correctly, and they may sit too high and result in assymetry. Transumbilical augmentation does have the... more

Jeffrey Hartog, MD
Orlando Plastic Surgeon

TUBA

A tuba is a transabdominal approach mainly for saline implants. If you want silicone you can not palce them that way. Other approaches provide better access to open the pocket and control bleeding.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

TUBA or transumbilcal breast augmentation: the belly button breast implant technique

While I understand that this is a SEXY idea, I think it is a bad surgery for several reasons. It does not allow precise placement of the implant under direct visualization. I have had the opportunity to see many patients with complaints about asymmetry and any revision requires a scar on the breast making the "scarless" aspect a moot point.