Can I pierce my belly button after a tummy tuck?

Question

What is the Worst That Can Happen if I Pierce my Navel 6 Weeks After a Tummy Tuck? I was reading around the internet a bit and most of the information I found said that you should wait at least 6 months after a tummy tuck before the piercing of the navel? What is the worst that can happen if I was to pierce my navel 6 weeks after? And also, is there any dangers in piercing your navel with a hernia?

Ozge Ergun, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question. 2-4 months is enough time to get a piercing. Then, if you talk to your surgeon and get approval, there is no obstacle to having a piercing. I wish you all the best.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

The worst that can happen is you can compromise the blood supply to the umbilcius resulting in tissue death and/or infection with subsequent loss of the piercing tract and undesireable scarring.

Scott E. Kasden, MD, FACS · Answer

I wouldn't recommend doing an invasive procedure to your tummy, as it is not yet healed enough.  If you get an infection, you could loos a lot of tissue, at least theoretically. 

	I assume you have a hernia based on you Q.  This is odd, as it should be handled at time of tummy tuck.

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

I fully agree with Dr. Placik. The Blood supply to the skin around the belly button stalk is not normal at only 6 weeks after surgery and in many women the blood supply of the belly button column itself is not as yet normal. ANY injury to either area may result in healing difficulty and or infection which may worsen and result in loss of a patch of the skin around the belly button or the belly button itself.

	Giving the area 6-8 months to heal and reform its blood supply increases the margin of safety for such procedures.

	The same holds for umbilical hernias. The hernia should have been fixed before or during your Tummy Tuck surgery. At this point, unless it bothers you or becomes a surgical emergency, I would give the tummy tuck time to heal before going in again.

Michael A. Bogdan, MD, MBA, FACS · Answer

The skin on your stomach is not quite normal yet, as the blood supply is still mostly coming from the sides (rather than from all directions).  If you get your belly button pierced and develop an infection, it could spread much faster / wider than you would normally think.  Infection / swelling interferes with blood flow, which make it easier for bacteria to take hold.  You are risking a serious infection (which rarely could be disastrous), so why not wait a while and take less risks?  As a side benefit, your scars will have already started to relax, and they can do a better job piercing your navel.

	Dr.B

Can I pierce my belly button after a tummy tuck?

Answers (7)

Answer: When to Pierce the Belly Button after a Tummy Tuck

Answer: When to Pierce the Belly Button after a Tummy Tuck

Answer: Possibility of a really bad infection

Answer: Possibility of a really bad infection

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Everything you need to know about Tummy Tuck

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Can I pierce my belly button after a tummy tuck?

Answers (7)

Answer: When to Pierce the Belly Button after a Tummy Tuck

Answer: When to Pierce the Belly Button after a Tummy Tuck

Answer: Possibility of a really bad infection

Answer: Possibility of a really bad infection

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Tummy Tuck

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.