There's no longer any need to suffer from an "outie" belly button when you'd really rather have an "innie". Plastic surgeons today are offering a variety of innovative umbilicoplasty procedures, all of which are designed to change the shape of your navel.
Umbilicoplasty, which derives from the word "umbilicus", or belly button, seeks to make that small indentation in your tummy more aesthetically pleasing. A relatively simple procedure, belly button surgery almost always has great results. And best of all, you can wear that bikini with confidence again!
What is a Navel?
A belly button is really just a large scar; in this case, a scar from the umbilical cord which attached you to your mother whilst you were in the womb. The small indentation is just covering the muscles underneath your skin.
There are many reasons why your belly button may be the shape it is, as several factors play a role in determining the appearance of your navel. Your navel could be the way it is simply because the scar was formed that way (either innie or outie), or because you have excess fat under the skin, or because you have loose skin. The belly button you were born with may not be the one you have now.
If you have ever had an umbilical hernia that can change the way your belly button looks too, as well as if you have or once had a pierced naval. When women get pregnant, often their belly button tends to pop out, as there is increased pressure on the abdominal wall. Usually, this is not permanent!
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An umbilicoplasty is a simple operation that often requires only local anaesthesia, although sometimes general anaesthesia is uSed. Sometimes, women in particular choose to combine this operation with abdominoplasty, or a tummy tuck, to create the stomach they have always dreamt of having.
Your plastic surgeon will remove skin around the navel to slightly change its position, or take away some skin to change the shape. This is usually done when changing an innie to an outie, or when there is scarring that needs to be corrected because of a tummy piercing that went wrong.
The good news is that most of the incisions are made within the navel itself, so that they will not be visible. In fact, there are virtually no scars after an umbilicoplasty, as all scars are cleverly hidden away.
When finished, your surgeon will then pull the remaining skin back together and sew things up, if skin has been cut away. Be aware that although umbilicoplasty is one plastic surgery that has permanent results, if you get pregnant or gain a lot of weight, this may not be the case.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Play it Safe
No matter what happens, you should always follow your surgeon's after-care instructions as carefully as possible. Side effects of an umbilicoplasty should only be temporary bruising and swelling, although infection is always possible.
In rare cases, the end result is far from perfect, in which case additional surgery would be required. You can reduce the risk of this happening from using a physician who is a member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) or the equivalent.
Umbilicoplasty is a simple procedure that can change the shape of your belly button forever, and make you feel more than happy to bare it all in a bikini, or wear crop tops showing your bare midriff. As far as plastic surgery goes, this is one operation that virtually everyone is happy they had done!
I was hoping you might be able to give me some information regarding a procedure I was interested in. I had an abdominoplasty done in the USA about a year and a half ago, and I got a little bit of skin necrosis after. My belly button had been repositioned during the surgery and that actually went necrotic. Everything has healed up now and all is well, but I don't have a proper belly button and I'm looking to get an umbilicoplasty/belly button reconstruction done. I am based in the north of Scotland, and I was hoping you might be able to tell me if this is a procedure you could do, and if so what a rough idea of the cost might be? Thank you so much, look forward to hearing from you,
Adrian
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