Is your belly button suppose to disappear after a tummy tuck? (Photo)

If you do hundreds of belly buttons and tummy tucks a year, you run into this issue due to previous hernia repair and umbilical devascularization.  Neoumbilicoplasty can be performed in a variety of ways.  For a full tummy tuck, the umbilicus must remain attached to the abdominal wall to maintain its blood supply so it is still there. There are a multitude of ways to create a belly button.  Every plastic surgeon will have a different skill set, but umbilicoplasty is fairly straightforward. Find a board certified plastic surgeon with who performs hundreds of tummy tucks and umbilicoplasties each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results.Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

I would contact your surgeon asap. He might had forgotten to bring it out. If there was a blood supply issue he still wold have lade the foundation for a belly buttom

Thank you for sharing your question and photograph.  Unfortunately this is not normal and should be addressed with your surgeon.  If there was a concern about the umbilical blood supply it may be removed during the surgery but you should have been apprised of this risk.  Call your doctor, they are your best source of information and reassurance.  

Preservation and creation of a youthful, "innie" belly button is an essential part of a well performed tummy tuck. There are rare cases when the original belly button can not be preserved, such as a large hernia or inadequate blood supply. In these cases, a new belly button can be created using the abdominal skin with excellent cosmetic results. Please discuss your concerns with your original surgeon or seek a second opinion from a Board Certified Plastic a Surgeon in your area. Good luck. 

No, your belly button should not disappear after a tummy tuck. Typically it is brought out through a new opening in the skin, but it should always still be there. I'd suggest booking an appointment with your surgeon to be examined and have your questions answered. If you don't trust your own surgeon as a result of this, I would seek a second opinion from a board-certified plastic surgeon near you. Best of luck! 

Not normal. I would just contact your surgeon and ask where it is. Chances are it is inside and not pulled through yet. That can still be done. Best of luck. 

This is not typical. Ask your surgeon what happened or get a second opinion. In near all cases, the belly button is preserved. See link below for examples. A new belly button can be created. 

Only in rare cases, usually with a very large ventral hernia affecting the bellybutton as well, that a bellybutton needs to be removed in a typical tummy tuck. If there was some lack of blood flow, and the surgeon thought it better to remove it, that's certainly a possibility. You can go back and create a new bellybutton out of the remaining tissues. I would ask you operating plastic surgeon what their reason for lack of a bellybutton was.