Can you explain why my surgeon sewed my belly button up like he did? (photo)

Question

I've been asked about my old belly button and why my PS didn't pull the skin all the way down instead of sewing it up like he did? If I remember correctly, he told me I had a lot shorter distance between my breasts and my belly button, than I did between my belly button and my pubic line.And he didn't want to take more skin off than necessary to where it'd be too stretched and caused new stretch mark. But maybe some doctors on here can explain reasons as to why a PS chooses to do it this way?

George Marosan, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question and the photos. Your PS did the right operation. Maybe the communication could've been better prior to your surgery. You had a hi riding belly button and not enough skin laxity to remove the opening created by cutting around your belly button.That is why you have a small vertical scar in the lower abdomen (that is the opening where your belly button was cut around) otherwise, you do have a nice acceptable result from the frontal view. Your belly button looks small and contracted from a circular scar. this creates a problem with hygiene. You could use a compressible ear plug in the belly button to slowly stretch and soften the scar.

Luis Macias, MD, FACS · Answer

Dear jlong826,I believe your surgeon may have tried to explain it to you as he commented that you had a short distance above your belly button to your breasts and a longer distance from your belly button down to your pubis.  He also noted that he did not want to take too much skin and make you too tight.  Based, on these comments the next most logical comment would be that given these, he would likely not be be able to remove the area where the belly button originally was and there would be a vertical scar.  Perhaps it was lost in translation or in all of the other information.  This is one of the ways to perform a tummy tuck in a person with a small amount of skin excess and laxity.  Hope this was helpful.

Juan A. Brou, MD · Answer

Dear Jlong826.  Your plastic surgeon is right, the skin or your upper tummy was not loose enough  for the belly button hole to reach the pubic region  so it couldn't be removed.  Right now it looks like an ovbious scar out of place but you'll be surprised as to how well it will blend and fade once it matures.  I have many cases where I couldn't remove the belly button hole and had to leave a vertical scar (sometimes touching the pubic scar like an inverted T) So I make sure to tell the patients this may be the case showing photos of previous patients with such scars.  Still the TT eliminates a lot of loose and damaged skin and tightens the abdominal muscles giving you a much improved flat tummy.  A residual belly button scar is not a failure, it's inevitable.

Curtis Wong, MD · Answer

you will have a vertical scar like yours.  Or you could have chosen to have a much higher scar on your tummy to avoid the vertical scar but I don't think you would be very happy with that either.  Your surgeon did what was necessary as part of your procedure and he did a very good job with the vertical scar.

Can you explain why my surgeon sewed my belly button up like he did? (photo)

Answers (4)

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