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Introduction: Mommy Makeover to improve belly button position
The belly button position is frequently compromised following pregnancy. A mommy makeover that includes a tummy tuck can improve the belly button position. However, localizing the belly button position optimally can be challenging for surgeons.
How Pregnancy Alters Belly Button Position and Shape
The abdominal muscles consist of vertically-oriented rectus abdominis muscles separated by the linea alba connective tissue that stretches during pregnancy. By the 3rd trimester, over 60% of women develop diastasis recti, where the abdominal muscles separate away from the midline extensively. This loss of muscle integrity combined with substantial stretching of skin in the lower abdomen due to fetal growth leads to distortion of the umbilicus.
The belly button tends to drift upwards as abdominal expansion downward pulls tissues toward the pubis. Flattening commonly occurs as well, transformed from an “innie” to an “outie” navel in severe cases. Laterally, the belly button may shift off-midline toward one side by an inch or more due to uneven pressures. After delivery, some improvement happens but most women are left with lasting asymmetry or malposition of their navel.
Tummy Tuck Belly Button Restoration Techniques
During abdominoplasty, surgeons have multiple maneuvering options to restore an ideal navel site. This starts with extensive muscle and fascia repair using various suturing methods to tighten and snug the abdominal wall back to midline. Precise planning must occur regarding the best positioning for the new umbilicus, factoring in the tighter collected waistline after flank tissue removal.
Plastic surgeons may utilize proprietary tools like the Elizabeth Anterior Abdominal Wall Umbilicator System to reform the indented navel area. Once the skin flap has been elevated, the device clamps the optimal belly button location, allowing the incision line to heal into the intended shape over a week until the device is removed. The newest 3D computer imaging systems help customize the approach based on the patient’s unique anatomy for precision navel sculpting.
An umbilicator is a rounded or oval sphere-shaped device developed at SurgiSculpt that is attached to the belly button stalk near the end of surgery. This device allows your surgeon to feel and deliver the belly button accurately following abdominal skin insetting.
Our certified surgeons are experts in mommy makeover surgeries. Today, we will share the keys to creating an aesthetically pleasing and proportionate abdomen.
What is the ideal belly button position?
The belly button position can be altered during a tummy tuck surgery. That is why it is important to establish where the ideal belly button position should be located. The ideal belly button position should be located centrally on the vertical axis. Additionally, the belly button should be about 1 cm below the midway point of the inframammary crease (where your boob meets your torso) and the pubic area. Another landmark includes the upper part of your hip bone prominence, called the anterior superior iliac spine.
Once the loose skin is excised, the new belly button ring is sewn down. However, when the stalk is sewn down, it becomes fixed in place and must be made directly over the stalk. To perfect this maneuver, we have created an Umbilicator, which is secured on the umbilical stalk prior to redraping the skin and allowing us to feel the stalk in order to correctly sew the ring in the correct location. This ensures an optimally positioned belly button.
If you are curious about how we achieve aesthetically beautiful tummy tucks in mommy makeovers consistently and improve belly button position, contact us at 949-499-4147 with any questions you may have.
SurgiSculpt’s High Definition Mommy Makeover Tummy Tuck
The abdomen is the primary concern for the majority of mommy makeover patients. Fortunately, the excess fat and significant skin stretching that accompanies any pregnancy can be instantly eliminated by a full tummy tuck.
What many people do not know is that there is an ideal belly button position on the body and this is defined by your pelvic bone. However, identifying the belly button stalk during delivery and insetting can be technically challenging. We have found a way to improve belly button position that significantly enhances the harmony between the belly, torso, and breasts.
An advantage of the full tummy tuck vs a mini tuck is that a full tuck completely detaches the umbilical stalk to allow for the elimination of the middle belly skin in addition to the lower belly skin. This maneuver during your tummy tuck procedure provides us the freedom to reposition your belly button to the ideal location. This is in contrast to the mini tummy tuck where the belly button cannot be significantly altered in position. During a mini tummy tuck procedure, only excess skin limited to the lower belly can be removed. As such, the belly button will be lowered by approximately 1cm regardless of whether it is optimally located
Conclusion: Mommy Makeover Improves Belly Button Position
We hope that you appreciate how mommy makeover improves belly button position. During the repair of your muscles, the belly button position may be altered. Following the repair of the tummy tuck horizontal incision, the belly button can be delivered accurately using the Umbilicator. Accurate identification of the belly button stalk ensures optimal position and a natural-looking belly button shaped.
54-year-old female 2 months following a breast lift and implant augmentation, abdominoplasty and lower body lift surgery.