Belly Button After Tummy Tuck Surgery: Can It Be Moved?

The picture is not appearing and without examining you, it is hard to say for certain. Likely you did not have enough skin to need to re-create the belly button and he performed a mini tummy tuck, where the belly button is "floated" and pulled down with the skin. A mini or standard tummy tuck generally does not address the very top part of the abdomen, but for patients who did not have a ton of excessive skin on the upper abdomen, a mini or standard tummy tuck is sufficient. To address concerns with significant excess skin on the upper abdomen, an incision is made along the center of the abdomen, which can leave a pretty significant scar, but it does not sound like this would describe you. Typically that type of tummy tuck is performed on massive weight loss patients. Because you may not have had enough "looseness", it is likely that he was not able to address your concerns completely without creating a higher incision. I would visit your original surgeon and discuss this with him and see what he recommends as the best solution to correct your concerns. I would also visit several other board certified plastic surgeons for a second opinion.

I'm sorry to hear about your disappointing results following your tummy tuck surgery. It's understandable to feel frustrated, especially when the outcome doesn't meet your expectations.

Regarding your concern about the belly button not being recreated during your tummy tuck, this is indeed less common but can occur. Typically, in a tummy tuck, the belly button is repositioned through a new opening after the excess skin has been removed and the remaining skin tightened. However, if your plastic surgeon did not create a new belly button and instead moved it down, it suggests that anything above the belly button wasn't significantly affected or pulled down. This approach might have been chosen if there was a concern about not having enough skin to resect above your previous belly button without risking too high a scar or not being able to close the incisions comfortably. This could result in leaving some skin laxity in the upper abdomen, which seems to be your primary concern now.

Your surgeon's caution could have been to avoid a scenario where you might end up with a small vertical scar in your lower abdomen, which can happen if there isn't enough skin to pull down completely over the old belly button site. However, this doesn't seem to have fully addressed your needs or expectations regarding the appearance of your upper abdomen.

Since you still have significant loose skin and are unhappy with the appearance of your upper abdomen, it would be worthwhile to discuss revision options with your plastic surgeon. A revision might involve re-evaluating the amount of remaining skin and possibly adjusting the approach to tightening and repositioning the skin more effectively. Another tummy tuck might be considered to address the loose skin in the upper abdomen, potentially involving a different technique to manage the skin around the belly button more effectively.

Thermage, which you mentioned your surgeon has recommended, is a non-surgical option that uses radiofrequency energy to tighten skin but may not provide the significant correction needed for pronounced skin laxity resulting from previous surgeries and pregnancies.

I encourage you to have an open and honest discussion with your plastic surgeon about your concerns and the possibility of a revision surgery. If you feel unsure about the proposed plan, seeking a second opinion from another board-certified plastic surgeon could also provide you with more options and peace of mind.

Again, I'm sorry for your disappointing results, and I wish you the best as you seek a satisfactory resolution.

Sincerely,

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FASMBS, FICS
Plastic and Aesthetic Surgeon

Although your post –operative pictures are helpful, it’s
virtually impossible to make a recommendation without pre-operative pictures,
your previous operative report and a physical examination.An operative report is essential to determine
why your umbilicus wasn’t transposed.Under these circumstances either an umbilical float procedure or a
mini-abdominoplasty may have been performed.This distinction is important because a previous umbilical float
procedure would significantly limit revisional surgery options.Your
post-operative pictures demonstrate excess abdominal skin above the level of
the umbilicus.Assuming an umbilical
float procedure wasn’t performed, you may be a candidate for a revisional
procedure.Under these circumstances,
your flaps can be re-elevated and the umbilicus transposed with removal of
excess abdominal skin and fat.Your
lower transverse abdominal incision can be kept low, but a small vertical
incision may be necessary where the umbilicus was preciously positioned.If an umbilical float procedure was performed
options for revisional surgery are more limited.For
these reasons, it’s important to thoroughly discuss your options with your
plastic surgeon.If you’re not satisfied
with the response, a second opinion may be necessary.