How long after a tummy tuck, can you remove the belly button stitches?

When the belly button is brought out through the abdominal skin during an abdominoplasty, it must be sutured into place. However, this suturing can be accomplished with a stitch that runs around the belly button but underneath the surface of the skin and dissolves in 4 to 6 weeks. Yes, there has to be a scar around the belly button, ideally placed down in the depressed area of the belly button contour, but there is no need for external sutures around the belly button that require removal and can potentially worsen the scarring around the belly button. If external sutures are placed, ideally they should be removed in approximately seven days. Best wishes.

Belly button stitches after a tummy tuck should be removed only when your surgeon feels the umbilical incision has healed enough. If they are non-absorbable external sutures, many surgeons remove them around 7 to 14 days, but timing varies with skin circulation, tension, scabbing, drainage, smoking, diabetes, and exactly how the belly button was repaired. Some sutures are absorbable and are not meant to be pulled out.

Do not remove them yourself unless your surgeon has specifically instructed you and shown you which stitches to remove. Removing them too early can let the small incision separate or widen the scar, while leaving certain non-absorbable sutures too long can cause irritation or stitch marks. Call your surgeon's office for the exact timing, and seek prompt care if there is spreading redness, increasing pain, drainage, odor, fever, black or dusky skin, or wound opening.

Most tummy tucks use a mix of dissolving internal sutures plus a small amount of non-dissolving skin sutures at the bellybutton. If you do have removable bellybutton stitches, they're commonly taken out around 10 to 14 days after surgery. That said, the exact timing depends on how the edges look and how well the blood supply is doing.

One important point: Removing stitches too early can sometimes cause the bellybutton incision to separate or widen, so it's best to let your surgeon make that call based on how you're healing.

Thanks so much for your inquire,

If dissolvable stitches are used around the belly button, they don’t need removal and will gradually dissolve on their own over a few weeks.

If non-dissolvable stitches are used, they are generally removed around 7 to 14 days after surgery.

Most surgeons will schedule a follow-up visit within the first week or two after surgery to assess healing and determine if any stitches need removal at that time. It’s essential to follow your surgeon's specific instructions and attend all follow-up appointments, as they will monitor your belly button and overall healing progress.

Sincerely,
Dr. Emmanuel Mallol

This depends on your surgeon. It can be anywhere from a week or more, depending on your recovery rate and the type of sutures used. If your sutures are absorbable, they don’t require removal.

Thank you for your question regarding belly button stitches after a tummy tuck. Typically, the stitches around the belly button are removed around 10 to 14 days post-op, depending on how well your incision is healing. However, this can vary depending on the specific technique used by your plastic surgeon and your own healing process.

It’s essential that you follow your surgeon's specific post-op instructions. Sometimes, dissolvable stitches are used around the belly button, which won’t need to be removed manually. If the stitches are not dissolvable, your surgeon will advise you when they should be taken out, typically during one of your follow-up appointments.

Make sure to attend all your post-op visits to ensure that healing is progressing properly. If you experience any signs of infection, like redness, increased pain, or discharge, contact your plastic surgeon immediately.

I hope this helps answer your question!

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

You can remove the belly button sutures 1 week following the surgery. Healing of the incisions takes up to a 1 year. You should begin scar cream at 2 weeks.

Your surgeon must determine when is best to remove stitches depending on the technique he/she used and also your progress.
Be encouraged.
Dr. Cardenas

You need to ask your surgeon. Usually sutures are absorbable and do not need to be removed. However, if non absorbable sutures were placed, then your surgeon can tell you when they need to be removed.

I leave the external sutures in the umbilicus for about 2 weeks.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.