Re-centering Belly Button After Tummy Tuck?

If the navel is off center by only a quarter of an inch, it can be reposition with local anesthesia.  There are several ways to do it but tightening the fascia on the opposite side of the deviation can move it laterally without any further scarring on the abdominal wall.  A second option is to make a lateral skin incision and pull it towards the midline by way of skin tension.  The navel may, however, have a slanted funnel.

There are ways to re:center the umbilicus (belly button) . You should ask your surgeon about it and let him/her describe how it will be done.

Hello beaches2961 in Dover, DE. Thank you for your question regarding the possibility of re-centering your belly button after a tummy tuck.

It’s not uncommon for the belly button to appear slightly off-center after a tummy tuck due to the natural healing process and the way skin is redraped. A quarter-inch deviation might be minor, but if it's noticeable and bothers you, there are corrective options available.

Surgical Revision: The most direct method to re-center your belly button is through a minor surgical revision. This procedure typically involves making small incisions around the belly button to detach it and then repositioning it in a more anatomically aligned spot. The surgery is generally straightforward and can often be performed under local anesthesia.

What to Consider:

Consultation: It's important to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in body contouring and revisions. They can assess your specific situation and determine if a revision is advisable based on the degree of misalignment and your overall aesthetic goals.

Timing: If your tummy tuck was recent, it's usually recommended to wait until all swelling has subsided and the healing process is complete before considering revision surgery. This waiting period allows your body to stabilize, providing a clearer picture of what adjustments are needed.

Recovery: Recovery from a belly button revision is typically less intensive than your original tummy tuck. You might experience some swelling and discomfort, but these should be manageable with over-the-counter pain medication and should resolve within a few weeks.

Expectations: It’s essential to have realistic expectations about the outcome. While a revision can certainly improve the placement of your belly button, perfect symmetry might not always be achievable due to factors like skin elasticity and individual healing patterns.

Discussing your concerns and potential solutions with your surgeon will help you understand the procedure, risks, and what results you can realistically expect. If the misalignment is slight, they might also advise on the aesthetic benefits versus the risks of undergoing another procedure.

Good luck with your decision, and I hope you achieve the results that make you feel most confident.

Sincerely,

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FASMBS, FICS
Plastic Surgeon

Numerous issues surround an off centered umbilicus and it is most likely due to an off centered umbilicus pror to surgery. Commonly this is associated with a minor scoliosis. Once it is placed, options for correction include tightening the muscle to "pull" it over to the other side or sliding it throught the skin which will leave a scar on one side.

The position of the belly button during abdominoplasty is determined by the umbilical stalk. In most cases, the position of the umbilicus on the abdominal wall is not changed during a tummy tuck procedure.
Interestingly, a study performed a few years ago determined that in most patients, the position of the umbilicus is actually off center. Discuss this study with your plastic surgeon as it was published recently in PRS journal.
In answering your question, there are several ways to mobilize the umbilicus if it is off center. These should be discussed in the context of your physical examination.

It is interesting to see that many women actually have a belly button wihich is off center prior to a tummy tuck. Many women don't realize this. In fact, I point this out to all of my tummy tuck patients because I am not always able to give a patient a perfectly centered belly button denpending on the length of their umbilical stalk. Yes, there are ways to "correct" this and make the belly button more centered after the fact. I would consult with your plastic surgeon or another to see if you are a candidate.

An interesting study was done a few years ago where the belly button position was measured prior to surgery, and a very high percentage of them were off the midline. What this means is that being off by 1/4 of an inch is actually normal, and it was probably there before. It may not have been obvious because typically a tummy tuck patient has loose skin in that area. In any case, there are a few options, the main one being sutures underneath to pull it over. This of course involves more surgery, but it may be possible to do it through the scar around the belly button that is there now.

Beaches2961,
If your belly button is off center after an abdominoplasty, it is possible to improve the alignment. However, you should wait several months after your initial surgery to let all the swelling resolve and the tissues to settle. If you provide a picture, we may be able to give more specific comments on the possible treatments.

Hi there,
It is sometimes possible to improve the position of a belly button depending on your exam. I would wait until you are completely healed and everything is soft, then talk to your surgeon and see if something can be done. Usually these types of minor revisions can be done in the office under local anesthesia and with little to no recovery period.

Although many women have an off center belly button BEFORE a Tummy Tuck, few would tolerate it after the procedure. The best way to make sure the belly button is in the midline is to actually draw the midline much like an engineer would during the surgery. I visualize and then mark the midline along a line between where the ribs meet in the center (xyphoid) and the clitoris. Then, with the tummy tuck incision temporarily stitched in the center, I visualize the belly button below the skin flap and transfer that location anteriorly along the midline line just drawn.

In the hundreds of Tummy Tucks I have done, I never had to pull a belly button to the center. To do it would require a horizontal scar from the present location to the new, midline location. This can be done as an office procedure.