Risks if Umbilical Hernia Not Fixed?

Thank you for your question regarding your umbilical hernia and the picture you attached. Yes, there are risks involved if you do not get your umbilical hernia fixed. An umbilical hernia is a small hole in the peritoneal wall. This allows a small piece of intestine or intestinal fat to leak through the hole. The problem is that a piece of fat, or small intestine can get trapped in this hole. If the fat or intestine gets trapped, it can become strangulated and even die. If a piece of small bowel dies, you can get extremely sick and can even die. I do not mean to scare you, but hernias should be fixed. Hernias like this should be fixed on an elective basis. I would suggest you get this fixed within the next six months while you are young and healthy. It is not a good idea to let these things go with time. In regards to training your belly button to go “in”, this is not possible. You cannot train your belly button to go in. I hope this answers your questions regarding an umbilical hernia. When considering an umbilical hernia, please seek an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon who has performed hundreds of umbilical hernia repairs. If you have any more questions regarding umbilical hernias or plastic surgery, call my office.

Sincerely, Dr. Katzen

There is no exercise or anything you can do to help your belly button to go back in, other than to have the hernia fixed.Your hernia may not cause any problems now, but it may become an issue or even an emergency if left alone.The incision used can be very small and made around the lower or upper portion of the belly button.  In most cases there is not a need to place any mesh if the hernia is small enough.  If you wait and the hernia gets bigger over time, then a mesh would likely be required.Hope that helps.

Thank you for your pictures and questions. The only significant risk of this type of hernia is if the intestinal contents can herniate out into the defect and get stuck there, this can cause strangulation and is a surgical emergency. Luckily this is a fairly rare occurrence with a hernia like yours. You can always go see a surgeon in your area to discuss your options for elective repair. Good luck!