Natural Looking Belly Button After Tummy Tuck?

People often think that with a tummy tuck the surgeon creates a new belly button. This is not the case, you keep your original belly button! However, you do end up with a scar around your belly button.
Surgically, an incision is made around the belly button, but the belly button does not physically move….it remains attached to the underlying muscle.
The skin above the belly button is lifted off the muscle, the skin is then pulled down over the top of the belly button and stitched to the pubic skin.
Then towards the end of the operation an incision is made in the skin at the level where the belly button lies underneath and the belly button is brought back to the outside world and stitched into position.
Surgeons use all manner of techniques or incisions to deliver the belly button. Ultimately you want a near normal appearing belly button and the least visible scar possible.
The technique I’ve developed over the years I believe provides the best possible and least noticeable scar in the vast majority of my patients. Typically I’m converting what is prior to surgery a very unhappy looking belly button, to a cute little belly button.

There are many techniques to attempt to recreate as attractive and natural a belly button (umbilicus) as possible. Keeping the size of a belly button small is best. With healing there tends to be initial tightening of a scar over the first few months. As the belly button scar is circular it may tend to get smaller early on but stretching of the scar can take place as the scar matures with gentle daily scar molding and massage therapy.

It’s not unusual for the umbilicus to undergo significant
changes in the immediate post-operative period.Wound healing is a dynamic process and for this reason, the shape of the
belly button may change.The coin slot
umbilicus that you describe may change as wound healing continues and swelling
resolves.This may result in a rounded
umbilicus with a more natural appearance.Unfortunately,
even after resolution of swelling and further wound healing, many patients are
still unhappy with the appearance of their umbilicus.Under these circumstances, a revision
umbilicoplasty may be necessary under local anesthesia.This is a difficult procedure that’s not
always successful.It’s
important to be patient and maintain good communication with your surgeon.Remember it’s still early and significant
improvement may occur with normal wound healing.