Mini Tummy Tuck Q&A
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Worried About Belly Button After Mini Tummy Tuck
asked 3 years ago by Betty Z.
Latest answer by Raj S. Ambay, MD
Question viewed 11,561 times
Tags: belly button, female, healing, recovery
I just had my mini TT about 2 wks ago. All went fine. The pain was less than during a c-section. I'm worried about the way the belly button looks. It looks like a line with two folds around it. My doc said to start packing it which I'm doing but once I remove the gauze and tape, it folds back into a line. I can't see how the skin will spread apart but I'm still hopeful. Is this the normal healing process for the belly button because the pictures that I've seen show very tight skin around the navel. Will time fix this???
16 answers to Worried About Belly Button After Mini Tummy Tuck
+3
The skin will relax over several weeks to months
Betty,
Don't worry. You are only two weeks after surgery. Your skin is very tight and also very swollen. This will distort your belly button to some degree. It is unclear from your question whether there is an incision around your belly button. If you had a "mini tummy tuck," then you should only have an incision at your panty line. In either case, however, you will be very surprised how much the skin will relax and appear more natural after several weeks to months. I hope...
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+2
Mini Tummy Tuck
It is very common for the belly button to get stretched during a mini-tummy tuck. This results in vertical orientation of the belly button. This will gradually settle with time as the lower abdominal skin loosens up. Also, a vertically oriented navel is meant to be more attractive than a round or horizonatl navel.
+2
Belly button after mini-tummy tuck
The belly button is pulled on when you have a mini-tummy tuck as the lower skin is removed. Usually this will settle down a bit with time.
+2
Belly Button Appearance After a 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...
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+1
Belly Button
I would wait, since two weeks is very early. The taught skin will relax over time and i bet you will be pleased. The vertical nature of your belly button is based on the pull of your skin. Again, give it time.
Raj S. Ambay, MD
Tampa Plastic Surgeon
Tampa Plastic Surgeon
+1
Belly button appearance after mini tummy tuck
Hello,
That is one of the potential downsides of a mini tummy tuck. The belly button is not usually rejuvenated. Give it more time as it may improve a little more. You can undergo a peri-umbilical skin excision which may help this but it still will not look as good as if it were completely rejuvenated.
All the best,
Dr Repta
+1
Belly Button and Mini Tummy Tuck
There are a variety of incisions used to recreate the belly button or umbilicus during a tummy tuck. The initial appearance will change when the swelling goes down and the car matures.
I needed there are some revision procedure that can be performed to improve the appearance.of the belly button following mini tummy tuck.
+1
Belly button after tummy tuck
Belly buttons are tough.
If your belly button looks slit like after a Mini tummy tuck (where there usually is no scar at the belly button), it is likely due to the pull of the skin, and may be hard to round out.
You can try the marble trick to round it out a little, which can have small success.
If there is a scar at the belly button, then many other factors come in: how is your scar? is it soft? how was it inset? did you keloid? etc.
A key to remember: you are JUST after surgery. When...
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Lauren Greenberg, MD
Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon
Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon
+1
Belly button appearance immediately after mini tummy tuck
At two weeks out from surgery, it is too early to tell what your final result will evolve into...I am sure your surgeon prepared you for the changes you will see immediately after surgery and what to expect in the coming 3-6 months and even beyond as most scars are fully healed at 12 months. Although tough to swallow, time is sometimes the best medicine...keep up with your surgeon's recommedations as he/she has the best view or vantage point to monitor your progress.
Good Luck!
Dr. C
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John Philip Connors III, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
+1
Belly button insets differ
Frequently the belly button is not relocated during a mini-tummy tuck; rather some of the skin below it is removed and the belly button itself becomes stretched. During a full tummy tuck, an incision is made around the belly button and it actually gets relocated. The surgeon has much more control of the ultimate shape during this inset process and the "slit-like" appearance is rare.
+1
Two weeks is not enough time for tummy tuck recovery
Let your skin relax over 6 months and then start looking at the area. Right now there is a lot of swelling and tension. Give it time.
Barry E. DiBernardo, MD
Montclair Plastic Surgeon
Montclair Plastic Surgeon
+1
Belly button distortion after mini tummy tuck will improve after 3-6 months
It is common for the belly button to be distorted , pulled down, which creates the fold you describe. This happens because the belly button is not moved during the
mini tummy tuck
.
In the next few months your skin will stretch and relax and the belly button will look more normal. However, it will probably not return to exactly the way it looked before surgery
+1
Belly button two weeks after Mini Tummy Tuck
Don't worry, you are only 2 weeks after surgery. Follow-up with your surgeon to have your concerned addressed. The skin will likely relax as the postoperative swelling resolves. Since you had a mini-tummy tuck that did not involve an umbilicoplasty (as completed in a standard tummy tuck), there may be some persistent distortion of your belly button. If this is the case, then you may need an umbilicoplasty to correct the problem.
+1
Belly button and mini tummy tucks
Since in a mini tummy tuck the belly button is not incised around, the downward pull on the skin can make it drag down too and can cause some distortions. These should improve over 3-4 months of healing though.
+1
Mini versus Full Tummy Tuck (abdominoplasty) and appearance of belly button (umbilicus)
In a mini tummy tuck the skin is stretched and the muscle is tightened. This has the effect of making the base of the belly button narrow but gathering the overlying skin creating the appearance you describe. The only alternative is to redrape or eliminate the redundant skin by doing a full tummy tuck. It may be possible that your skin relaxes. Others find the use of the "marble trick" (taping a marble inside the belly button) to be useful but this really tends to work better in a...
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Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1
Mini tummy tuck results?
Thank you for the question.
Since you were only 2 weeks out of your mini tummy tuck procedure hopefully the appearance of the umbilicus improved with time.
However, a few general words of caution may be helpful in regards to mini- tummy tuck surgery. In my opinion, the mini tummy talk is an operation that produces very limited results and is very rarely indicated. It involves a shorter incision but does not address the majority of the abdominal wall...
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