Tummy Tuck: Q&A

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Tummy Tuck to Fix Loose Belly Button?

I had two pregnancies. My tummy is still flat, the skin above (around) belly button are loose, one inch scar above belly button. Will umbilicoplasty solve the problem? Or I have to do Tummy Tuck? I am OK with my tummy, but don't like the scars on belly button.

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19 Doctor Answers | Asked by sleepytiredhungry in ca

Doctor Answers (19)
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Minor problem may require abdominoplasty

This is a tough problem and I can sympathize with your concerns regarding the large scar. However it may be the best method to eradicate the loose skin around the umbilcus. The trade-off may not be worth it because you have to be willing to exchange the loose skin for the lower abdominal scar which may need to be higher than you desire. I don't believe umbilicoplasty will satisfy your goals unless you are willing to accept a longer vertical scar whch may be more unsightly than the loose skin. more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

32 reviews

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck will help you the most

You have small umbilical hernia and loose skin . From your pictures you have stretch marks above and below belly button. Tummy tuck will give the best result.

Kamran Khoobehi, MD

28 reviews

New Orleans Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck is not the solution for the deformity caused by umbilical hernia

As I can see in the picture the patient has an umbilical hernia which produces unsightly deformity in the navel, it seems that the bulging deformity may be perfectly corrected by means of correction of the hernia and removing excess skin. If the patient's main concern are the periumbilical striae these may only be eliminated by means of a tummy tuck ,but I think there is not enough sagging skin at supraumbilical... more

Tummy Tuck to repair umbilical hernia and scar

It is possible to just fix the umbilical hernia and to revise the upper abdominal scar. It is also possible to fix the hernia with a tummy tuck. To make the correct decision depends on how much loose skin there is in hte lower abdomen.

It Looks Like You May Have A Small Umbilical Hernia Following Pregnancy

Unfortunately, there may be no good solution to this problem. Each potential solution involves significant trade-offs that can potentially affect the aesthetics of your abdominal wall. It appears that you have a small umbilical hernia. This should be repaired because of its medical implications. It might be possible to make minor aesthetic adjustments to the umbilicus at the time of the repair. Re-evaluation after complete healing may reveal a clearer picture of what needs to be done... more

Unfortunately the only way to correct the loose skin around the umbilicus is to trade it with a vertical scar.

In 13 years of practice I have performed this procedure once and the patient was extremely happy because she traded multiple stretch marks and loose skin with only one line (scar). An umbilicaplasty will not sufficiently treat the loose skin.

Loose Belly Button ....Tummy Tuck?

Hi sleepytiredhungry. All I have to say is that you have a very nice abdominal shape. I can see your stretch marks and scar, both of which are very slight. My best advice to you is to enjoy the time with your children and reassess at a later stage in life. You will get improvement of the stretch marks and appearance of your belly button with a full abdominoplasty, but I do not think that the overall aesthetic result will improve on your current condition. Keep... more

Hernia repair and umbilicoplasty likely your best option

It appears that you also have an umbilical hernia. I think that unless you address the underlying hernia that the cosmetic result for any umbilicoplasty or abdominoplasty procedure will not be satisfactory. I frequently perform umbilical hernia repairs at the same time as an abdominoplasty. Nonetheless, from what I can see from your photo it appears that maybe just an umbilical hernia repair with an umbilicoplasty may meet your goals. The best way to determine what will best help you meet... more

Abdominoplasty not necessary

Based on your picture, it does not look like you need an abdominoplasty. An umbilicoplasty will not erase your scar, but may help the shape of your belly button. Also, it does appear as though you have an umbilical hernia which needs repair. You may benefit from some liposuction at the same time as the surgery. Good luck.

Fix the hernia

The belly button can get quite damaged with the pregnancy process. But once it is it can be difficult to get it back to the way it should be, especially with the previous incision. A woman's belly button is oval in shape, an "innie" and has a hood at the top. It is this hood that really make the belly button more appealing. If the surgeon knows how to do the umbilicoplasty, and you can tell by looking at his abdominoplasty pics then he should be able to do a nice hood that... more

Tummy tuck, by definition, leaves umbilical scar

I actually think an umbilicoplasty would help you as long as you are realistic about the amount of skin that can be tightened. An umbilicoplasty can smooth out some of the wrinkling, repair the umbilical hernia and even tighten the midline fascia above and below the belly button. It cannot tighten the skin, and when you bend over you will still see some wrinkling.

Guess what?

It looks to me like you have an umbilical hernia, and that will need to be fixed. This can be done at the time of umbilicoplasty. sek

You certainly don't need a tummy tuck

Dear Sleepy, You definately do not need a tummy tuck to correct your belly button. A local procedure to re-distribute the small amount of extra skin around the belly button should improve it pretty significantly. Good luck!

Less is more for you

A tummy tuck would clearly be overkill for your abdomen and the scar would not be a good trade-off. A local procedure around the bely button may make it a bit better but not very much. You might be best served by doing nothing at all.

No good answer for your problem

There is no good answer for you problem. On this one picture, it appears you have some loose skin just in the immediate periumbilical region, about 2 inches around the belly button, then you have some excess subcutaneous fat, another 4 inches. It appears to me, you have some rectus abdominis muscle weakness in the area below the umbilicus. If you want to obtain the best result, accepting a longer scar, then abdominoplasty will be the best, but you may need a short vertical scar in the... more

Caveat...

A diversity of opinions may mean all are valid, or none are. While it is difficult to give specific recommendations based on one photo, it is always important to remember that not all problems have good surgical solutions. This may be the case with you since your looseness is quite minor even though it might affect you in a major way. it seems that your problem is more with quality of skin rather than quantity of skin.The minimal results that non-surgical techniques might produce could be... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

4 reviews

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Umbilicoplasty might be best

I agree with Dr. Moelleken that an abdominoplasty seems like more than you need. Having said that, there is probably no good way to remove the scar above the umbilicus. You may have an umbilical hernia, and so an umbilicoplasty might imprve the appearance and would be an opportunity to fix the hernia if that is what is causing the bulge.

Addressing post pregnancy tummy

Every post pregnancy tummy is different. In general we want to do the least invasive approach that will give significant improvement. It appears that you might have a small hernia in the umbilicus that could be fixed simplythrough the belly button. If your muscles are lax, then we need another incision. Sometimes a limited incision gives a limited result. The key is deciding what is right for you which will take an examination. Try to choose a surgeon who specializes in these procedures. more

Tummy tuck vs. smaller procedure

In my opinion a full tummy tuck is not right for you. You mentioned your abdomen is still flat. That means you don't need tightening of the fascia, the deep layer covering the muscles. The long pubic to umbilicus distance will mean either a high scar or a vertical incision where the belly button used to be if a full tummy tuck were performed. It may be preferable to perform a periumbilical umbilicoplasty, a belly button plasty with just an incision around the belly button. While this will... more