If the belly button dies after tummy tuck surgery, can they make a fake one?

Yes, a belly button can be created, but I have not found this necessary due to preservation of surrounding blood flow during dissection.  Seek out a plastic surgeon who has performed these procedures hundreds of times and has a great number of reviews and before and after pictures.Kenneth Hughes, MDBeverly Hills, CA

Thank you for your question.  It is possible to recreate a belly button and a traditional tummy tuck may compromise the circulation of your belly button when an umbilical hernia is present, but there are ways to try and lower the risk of issues.  You can decide to have your belly button removed and reconstructed at a later point in time once you have healed from surgery, or you can have it done at the same time as surgery. If you were a patient in my practice I would recommend that you pursue laparoscopic repair of your umbilical hernia and then have the tummy tuck performed in the same setting. Hope that this helps. 

Thank you for your question. There is a chance your belly button may lose its blood supply and ultimately necrose following umbilical hernia repair and tummy tuck. Fortunately, this does not commonly occur. If it does happen following your procedure, several techniques may be used to recreate the appearance of a new one. Make sure your "cosmetic surgeon" is actually a board certified plastic surgeon who has the proper training and experience to handle this situation. Ask to see a lot of before and after pictures of his work. Hope this helps and good luck! 

If you have a floating umbilicus, due to a hernia, you are at risk for umbilical loss when you combine a tummy tuck with a hernia repair.  In cases where the umbilicus can't be saved, there are very good techniques for creating a "fake" umbilicus, using your own tissues. Not all surgeons know how to do this, so be sure that your surgeon knows a technique which has been successful in his hands.

and my patients are considering a tummy tuck, my recommendation is to sacrifice the belly button so I can repair the hernia at the same time.  If the belly button can be pulled down to the transverse incision, there is no vertical scar and 3-4 months later, a new dimple/belly button is reconstructed where you want it.  If you belly button is not very pretty, the reconstructed one is always better.  Its shallower so no 'shots' but has a very nice appearance when standing.