Why is my belly button flat after my tummy tuck? How can it be corrected? (photos)

Question

After my tummy tuck my belly button is completely flat actually slightly an outtie now why is this? It was an innie prior to surgery is there any way to correct this?

Randal Haworth, MD, FACS · Answer

During a tummy tuck, the excess skin and fat are removed. Depending on the technique, it can affect the shape and position of the belly button and it may appear flatter or slightly protruded after the procedure. An umbilicoplasty can be performed to fix this issue.

I hope this helps,
best of luck !

I hope this helps,
best of luck !

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you, kayb11ugg, for your question regarding why your belly button is flat after a tummy tuck and how it can be corrected.

Thank you for sharing your history and pictures. The flattening and slight protrusion of your belly button after a tummy tuck could be due to the technique used during your surgery. Often, the incision made around the belly button can be too wide, leading to a flat or slightly protruding appearance, commonly referred to as an "outtie."

To correct this, you would need an umbilicoplasty, which is a surgical procedure on the belly button. This procedure typically involves using a "purse-string" suture to tighten the perimeter of the belly button, restoring its original shape. If the protrusion is due to excess fat behind the belly button, removing this fat can also help. However, if the outtie is caused by an umbilical hernia, the repair would require a different approach, usually involving the repair of the hernia.

To determine if a hernia is the cause, an umbilical ultrasound would be necessary. The good news is that an umbilicoplasty can usually be performed in the office under local anesthesia.

Good luck with your decision, and I hope this information helps to clarify the next steps for correcting your belly button after a tummy tuck.

Sincerely,

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FASMBS, FICS

Bora Ok, MD · Answer

Hello from Istanbul, thanks for this question. Your belly button actually is a little larger and flatter than one might expect, this may in part be due to swelling. You may benefit from a revision procedure. It's best to assess the situation after the site has completely healed. Best of luck to you!

Leila Kasrai, MD, FRCSC · Answer

Your belly button can be reshaped with revision surgery. Please wait for at least 6 months before proceeding.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear kayb11ugg,
I understand your concern. However, without a proper assessment, it would be difficult to determine what went wrong. It is best that you visit your plastic surgeon for further assessment or ask for a second opinion. Only after a thorough examination, you can get proper recommendations and advice.
Daniel Barrett, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

After about 6-9 months from surgery, your surgeon can try to make your umbilicus a little less flat and everted. However, the tissue around will need to be well healed and all the swelling gone. Please discuss this with your surgeon.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

The belly button can change in appearance due to the technique of the surgeon as well as amount of skin removed.  Initially the belly button can appear this way due to swelling, but if you are several months from surgery that is not likely the cause.  You can consider a revision to the belly button to improve the way it looks.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Getting consistent, natural looking belly buttons is probably one of the hardest parts of doing tummy tuck surgery. Surgeons have different skills and approaches to this part of the procedure. Likewise patients vary in their candidacy for getting a quality outcome. From my experience patients who have very deep belly buttons tend to have an advantage in getting a more natural looking outcome. If the belly button is fairly shallow, then it’s more difficult to get a pulled in appearance. Plastic surgeons will sometimes place sutures, pulling the belly button in towards the abdominal wall facia to create an pulled in appearance especially on individuals who do not have a deep belly button. 
I suppose in a perfect world this should’ve been discussed during an in person consultation. 
I generally recommended patients Judge tummy tuck results first and foremost by doctors will get the most natural looking belly button consistently followed by those who designed a very low set scar that follows an atomic contours naturally, and even in both sides. The torso should look balanced, attractive, and proportionate from all angles, including from behind.
I generally encourage patients to have multiple in person, consultations before scheduling, permanent, irreversible body contouring procedures. During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients with similar body characteristics to your own. An experienced provider should have no difficulty showing you the before, and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients. Being shown a handful of pre-selected images, representing the best results of the providers career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider or how many of these procedures they have actually performed.
Ones done. It’s difficult to improve the outcome of the procedure. Belly button revision work is difficult and often is inherently limited in what it can do in comparison to what possible during the primary procedure.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD