Belly button surgery, sometimes called umbilicoplasty or a belly button lift, is a minor surgical procedure that changes the shape, size, and often the position of your navel (also called the umbilicus).Â
You're probably a good candidate for belly button reshaping surgery if you're healthy, with a desire to restore your navel to how it looked before pregnancy, weight loss, or piercing damage, or just change the natural appearance of your belly button. Have an "outie" and want an “innie”? Your surgeon can turn a protruding belly button into an innie by removing excess skin and reshaping your navel.Â
If you’ve lost your belly button during a previous surgery, they can also perform belly button reconstruction to create a new navel using surrounding skin.Â
Beyond just changing the appearance of the belly button, this type of plastic surgery can also be performed for medical reasons, like correcting an umbilical hernia. In this case, you might need the surgery to relieve pain or prevent more serious complications.
Umbilicoplasty can be a stand-alone procedure or be done along with other abdominal surgeries, like a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty). Dr. George Marosan, a plastic surgeon in Bellevue, Washington, says that he often removes the belly button during tummy tuck surgery and restores it later.
“The advantages of this are numerous," says Dr. Marosan. "There’s no potential separation during healing or stress on the abdominoplasty incision from being tethered to the belly button. I reconstruct the belly button at the optimum position to give the appearance of a youthful, not-operated-on abdomen. There’s also no visible scarring.” He notes that a scarred or distorted belly button can distract greatly, even from a good tummy tuck.
During an initial consultation, your plastic surgeon will discuss your medical history and goals before explaining your options and the risks of surgery. There are about 10 different navel reshaping techniques, and your surgeon will suggest the one they think will create the best result, based on your unique anatomy and goals.
RealSelf members’ belly button surgery before and after photos can help you see how the different incision styles look.