My belly button is protruding after my TT. (photo)

Hello,

It sounds like you're a good candidate for a belly button revision. It's fairly typical for you to have to pay anesthesia and facility fees for any revisions and for the surgeon to not charge anything for his part. Hope all goes well!

Best wishes,

Dr. Blagg

Austin, TX

That can easily be revised by removing some of the excess skin around the belly button and then closing the wound.

It looks like revision of BB may be justified in your case. Based on the practice around the country it is reasonable to ask patient to pay for anesthesia (this can be done in local anesthesia) and facility fee for revision surgery. Revisions are usually not calculated in your initial surgery cost. Results of surgery are not always predictable and they do not depend of surgeon only; patient's individual response to trauma of surgery (swelling, scarring, etc.) may significantly influence result of surgery.  I think that your plastic surgeon's offer is reasonable. Good luck.

The appearance of your belly button can be improved with a revision.  If anesthesia cost is in question, then you can easily have this fixed with a local anesthetic without the added expense.Good Luck!

Thank you for your question.  The umbilicus appears engorged/swollen in the image.   Sometimes this appears in the early post-op period and eventually resolves.  At six months from the surgery, however, I would not expect it to change significantly.  It does seem appropriate to have your plastic surgeon improve its appearance at this point.  This could be done under a local anesthetic perhaps, or local with sedation.  Your surgeon may consider taking a small 'wedge' out of the umbilicus itself to make it look better.  Fees for revisions like this vary among plastic surgeons: most charge only for the facility/OR/anesthesia fee and do not charge a surgeon's fee.

I think that you would be happier if this were made to look better.  Best of luck!

Brad Remington, MD

Thank you for your question. To be blunt, no, your belly button will never be how it was. Sometimes, depending on the technique used, and the blood supply at the time of the surgery, the belly button after a tummy tuck can look somewhat stuck on - it lacks the natural shape and slope normal belly buttons have. After 6 months, it will really not change much. If you are unhappy with how it looks, your PS can easily fix this - it's all about how much it truly bothers you. While it's another expense, I would suggest using anesthesia if this is what your Plastic Surgeon recommends (sometimes this procedure can be done under local, with you awake) - to give you your best result. Best of luck!