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Re-centering Belly Button After Tummy Tuck?

asked 3 years ago by beaches2961 in Georgetown, USA
Latest answer by Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Question viewed 4,046 times
Tags: belly button

Is there anything that can be done to re-center a belly button after a Tummy Tuck? Mine is off-center for about 1/4 inches.

19 answers to Re-centering Belly Button After Tummy Tuck?

Yes there is

There are ways to re:center the umbilicus (belly button) . You should ask your surgeon about it and let him/her describe how it will be done.

Michael S. Beckenstein, MD
Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

Not easily

An interesting study was done a few years ago where the belly button position was measured prior to surgery, and a very high percentage of them were off the midline. What this means is that being off by 1/4 of an inch is actually normal, and it was probably there before. It may not have been obvious because typically a tummy tuck patient has loose skin in that area. In any case, there are a few options, the main one being sutures underneath to pull it over. This of course involves more... more

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

You can revise the position of the belly button

There may be revisions that can re-center your belly button or perhaps make it look less off-center. However, you might want to review your pre-operative photos. Many patients think their belly button was malpositioned because of surgery but did not realize that the belly button was not centered pre-op. This may be due to spinal problems like scoliosis or laxity of the soft tissues as well as intrinsic asymmetry. However, your surgeon doing the revision must be familiar with the original... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Discuss your options with your surgeon in more detail

It sounds like you have a small problem that may require a procedure to reset the belly button in a more desirable position. Your treating plastic surgeon knows you the best, knows your anatomy, and knows the operation he/she performed on you. I would strongly advise you to continue to see your surgeon and discuss your option in more detail.

Stephen A. Goldstein, MD
Englewood Plastic Surgeon

Many women actually have a belly button that is off center prior to surgery.

It is interesting to see that many women actually have a belly button wihich is off center prior to a tummy tuck. Many women don't realize this. In fact, I point this out to all of my tummy tuck patients because I am not always able to give a patient a perfectly centered belly button denpending on the length of their umbilical stalk. Yes, there are ways to "correct" this and make the belly button more centered after the fact. I would consult with your plastic surgeon or another... more

Sanjay Grover MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

The belly button can be re-centered but it is not easy.

To beaches2961, Hi! If it is really only a quarter of an inch off, you may want to consider living with it. The problem is that re-centering the belly button can leave you with additional scars. Many people have slightly off center belly buttons without surgery. The SHAPE of the belly button is more important than whether it is exactly in the middle.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Several ways to move the belly button

There are a few choices: 1) Excise a segment of skin on the side closer to the midline, and the closure will pull the belly button toward the midline. The downside of this is the chance of widening the size of the umbilicus. 2) Make a new opening in the skin where you want the belly button, move the stalk, and close the old site. This will leave a scar where the belly button came from. 3) Re-open the entire tummy tuck incision, elevate the skin up to the rib cage, move the whole flap... more

Michael A. Bogdan, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Yes, you can adjust the belly button

Beaches2961, If your belly button is off center after an abdominoplasty, it is possible to improve the alignment. However, you should wait several months after your initial surgery to let all the swelling resolve and the tissues to settle. If you provide a picture, we may be able to give more specific comments on the possible treatments.

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

www.ShaferPlasticSurgery.com

Sometimes

Hi there, It is sometimes possible to improve the position of a belly button depending on your exam. I would wait until you are completely healed and everything is soft, then talk to your surgeon and see if something can be done. Usually these types of minor revisions can be done in the office under local anesthesia and with little to no recovery period.

Armando Soto, MD
Orlando Plastic Surgeon

www.DrArmandoSoto.com

Off centered belly button after tummy tuck

Numerous issues surround an off centered umbilicus and it is most likely due to an off centered umbilicus pror to surgery. Commonly this is associated with a minor scoliosis. Once it is placed, options for correction include tightening the muscle to "pull" it over to the other side or sliding it throught the skin which will leave a scar on one side. see video

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

An off-center navel after tummy tuck can be recentered with local anesthesia.

If the navel is off center by only a quarter of an inch, it can be reposition with local anesthesia. There are several ways to do it but tightening the fascia on the opposite side of the deviation can move it laterally without any further scarring on the abdominal wall. A second option is to make a lateral skin incision and pull it towards the midline by way of skin tension. The navel may, however, have a slanted funnel.

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Correcting an Off Center Belly Button after a Tummy Tuck

Although many women have an off center belly button BEFORE a Tummy Tuck, few would tolerate it after the procedure. The best way to make sure the belly button is in the midline is to actually draw the midline much like an engineer would during the surgery. I visualize and then mark the midline along a line between where the ribs meet in the center (xyphoid) and the clitoris. Then, with the tummy tuck incision temporarily stitched in the center, I visualize the belly button below the skin... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Repositioning the belly button after a tummy tuck

A tummy tuck is a very popular and effective way to contour the abdomen. During this procedure, your physician has elevated the flap of skin and fat in your lower abdomen and pulled it in fairly. In fact, your belly button remains in place. It is only the skin around it that moves downward. A great deal of care must be taken to ensure that the belly button is re-created in the middle of the abdomen. If the belly button is off center, there are possible remedies. If you have enough laxity... more

B. Pat Pazmino, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

www.miamiaesthetic.com

Umbilicus revision

If your umbilicus is off- center, it can be centralized but it may leave a bit of a scar lateral to where it was before the revision.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Belly button position after Abdominoplasty

The position of the belly button during abdominoplasty is determined by the umbilical stalk. In most cases, the position of the umbilicus on the abdominal wall is not changed during a tummy tuck procedure. Interestingly, a study performed a few years ago determined that in most patients, the position of the umbilicus is actually off center. Discuss this study with your plastic surgeon as it was published recently in PRS journal. In answering your question, there are several ways to... more

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

A quarter inch is minimal

Surgery can advance the belly button but is that all that is wrong here. A quarter inch is minimal and may be an omen of other complaints.

Robert M. Freund, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Belly button can be re-centered after tummy tuck

Beaches, Your plastic surgeon does have the ability to re-center your belly button. One quarter of an inch is a very short distance and can usually be done rather easily without incurring further scarring. Good luck!

Kenneth R. Francis, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

A small operation may improve it a little bit

Hello, Particularly in large cases in which the stalk of the belly button is large and in cases of delayed healing, the belly button may not end up as close to the center as we would like. A small operation under local can tweek it but just a little bit. It would be a bigger deal to re-open the whole incision and try to "float it." I have only had a few "tweek" patients over the last twelve years and they seem to be OK with the improvement. In smokers, a... more

John P. Di Saia, MD
Orange Plastic Surgeon

Re-centering belly button can be difficult

The correct location for your belly button after a tummy tuck is in the mid line, and level with the top of your hip bone or pelvis. You can locate the point by placing your thumbs firmly on the top of the pelvis at your waist and follow your index finger around your waist to the mid line. With tummy tuck the belly button is kept where it started at its attachment on the abdominal wall and "brought through" after all skin excess is removed and all is closed. We spend a good amount... more