Tummy Tuck Belly Button
Why the Belly Button Is What People See
The tummy tuck belly button is the part of the abdomen that stays on view after surgery. Belly button shape and position are the checks that decide whether the result looks right. The incision along the lower abdomen is usually covered by underwear or by a swimsuit. The belly button sits in the center, so it is the part that shows.
Photo legend
34-year-old male following specialized tummy tuck, called modified abdominal skin resection, as well as high-definition liposuction of the abdomen and flanks. Patient demonstrates Grade 5 gynecomastia repair with direct gland excision, liposuction and Helium plasma skin tightening of both the chest proper as well as the axilla and lateral chest.
A full tummy tuck requires a horizontally-oriented incision in the area between the pubic hairline and belly button. That is the line that clothing can hide. The belly button cannot be hidden the same way, because it has to remain in the middle of the abdomen. Shape and position are judged there, not along the lower scar.
Where the Tummy Tuck Belly Button Sits
Position comes first. Anatomic descriptions place the belly button on a horizontal line drawn across the top of the hip bone. An independent review of female models put the preferred belly button position between the subcostal region and the pubic region. The subcostal region is the area under the ribs. On that review, the spot sits about 45% of the way down from the ribs and 55% of the way up from the pubic region.
Those two descriptions answer different questions. The line across the top of the hip bone is the anatomic landmark. The 45% and 55% figures are the result of the model review, and they apply to that female group. They are not a measurement taken from the man in the photographs. His operation shows how the belly button is rebuilt. His photographs do not change those percentages.
A belly button that sits too high, or too close to the pubic area, looks like the wrong place even when the scar is covered. The lower incision can be excellent and the center can still look wrong. That is why position is set on purpose, using the hip-bone line and the 45% and 55% spot from the model review, instead of wherever the old opening happens to fall after the skin is pulled down.
A Vertical Oval Instead of a Hood
The shape used for the tummy tuck belly button is a vertical oval. A horizontal opening is the sad face. Extra skin pushes the top of the belly button down and forms a hood, and the opening then runs sideways instead of up and down. When a person bends forward at the mid-abdomen, those horizontal lines become easier to see.
The hood is a skin problem, not a request for a rounder opening. If the upper skin still hangs on the top of the belly button, tightening the ring will not turn a sideways hood into a vertical oval. The extra skin above the opening has to be dealt with when the abdominal skin is redraped, so the top of the belly button is not pushed down.
A vertical oval stays narrow from side to side and longer from top to bottom. It does not fold into a ledge when the person leans forward. That is the shape paired with the position above. A well-placed belly button that is still horizontal will look like a sad face. A vertical oval in the wrong place will look like it was dropped onto the abdomen.
How the Innie Is Made
The third part is an innie. An innie is a bowl. The incision line goes all the way around the opening, and it is set down into the shadow of the newly created umbilicus. The line is hidden in that shadow instead of sitting as a ring on the front of the abdomen.
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The service designations for this patient include Tummy Tuck, HD Lipo, and Renuvion. 34-year-old male following specialized tummy tuck, called modified abdominal skin resection, as well as high-definition liposuction of the abdomen and flanks.
That innie depends on finding the belly button stalk. The Umbilicator is the tool used for that identification. The stalk is the column of tissue that the belly button is built on. If the new opening misses the stalk, the bowl and the incision cannot land in the shadow where they belong. The tool exists so the opening is made where the stalk actually is.
A tummy tuck removes excess fat and skin, and the upper skin is then drawn down. A second incision around the navel may be necessary to remove excess skin in the upper abdomen. A new opening for the belly button is created. The belly button is popped through to the surface and sutured into position. The Umbilicator is what locates the stalk for that new opening, so the suture line can sit down in the shadow and the shape can be the vertical oval.
The belly button is not discarded. The skin moves. The stalk comes through the new opening and is shaped. The newly created umbilicus is that new opening and the shadow around the stalk. The stalk itself is the one that was already there.
When the Belly Button Stays Where It Is
A mini tummy tuck does not reposition the belly button. It is used when the extra skin and fat are limited to the lower abdomen and the belly button does not need a new opening. The shorter incision stays low. The stalk is left attached, so there is no new umbilicus to shape.
A full tummy tuck is the operation that does move the skin past the belly button. Extra skin above the navel is the reason for the second incision and for the new opening. If that upper skin is not a problem, moving the belly button adds a scar in the center for no gain. If that upper skin is the problem, leaving the belly button unmoved leaves the hood in place.
What the Photographs Show
The photographs are a 34-year-old man after a high tummy tuck and high-definition liposuction, using a modified abdominal skin resection and VASER liposuction. They show the abdomen after that combination, including the belly button in the center. The 45% and 55% figures remain the review of female models. They are not a height measured on him.
VASER liposuction is the fat removal named in that caption. It does not set the belly button position or turn a horizontal hood into a vertical oval. Those are the tummy tuck steps: where the new opening is made, and how the stalk is shaped once it is through the skin. The liposuction and the skin resection are the rest of his operation. The position, the vertical oval, and the innie are the belly button result those photographs are there to show.
The Tummy Tuck Belly Button in Brief
Photo legend
From this angle, the Renuvion result is easier to follow. 34-year-old male following specialized tummy tuck, called modified abdominal skin resection, as well as high-definition liposuction of the abdomen and flanks.
A tummy tuck belly button is judged in the center, because the lower incision can be covered and the belly button cannot. Position follows the line across the top of the hip bone, and, from the review of female models, a spot about 45% down from the ribs and 55% up from the pubic region. The shape is a vertical oval, not a horizontal hood. The innie is a bowl whose incision sits in the shadow of the new umbilicus, after the Umbilicator has identified the stalk. A mini tummy tuck leaves the belly button where it is.
Frequently Asked Questions
It should be a vertical oval and an innie. The opening is longer from top to bottom than from side to side, and the incision around it sits in the shadow of the umbilicus rather than as a ring on the skin. A horizontal opening with a hood of skin over the top is the sad face to avoid.
Anatomic descriptions put it on a horizontal line across the top of the hip bone. The review of female models places it about 45% of the way down from the ribs and 55% of the way up from the pubic region, between the subcostal area and the pubic area. That percentage is from the model review, not from the man in the photographs.
The stalk is not discarded. A new opening for the belly button is created in the tightened skin, and the belly button is brought through that opening and sutured. The new umbilicus is the new opening and the shadow around it. A mini tummy tuck does not make that new opening, because it does not reposition the belly button.
It identifies the belly button stalk so the new opening is made where the stalk actually is. That identification is what lets the incision sit down in the shadow and lets the opening be shaped as a vertical innie. It does not choose the 45% and 55% position. The position is set from the landmarks above, and the tool finds the stalk at that spot.
It does not. A mini tummy tuck is for extra skin and fat limited to the lower abdomen. The belly button stays attached. A full tummy tuck is the operation that uses an incision around the navel when extra skin in the upper abdomen has to come out, and then brings the belly button through a new opening.
Tummy TuckBefore & After
Tummy Tuck Before & After
Recent Tummy Tuck results from SurgiSculpt® patients. Every case is unique — your consult will map the approach that fits your anatomy and goals.
Tummy Tuck
Age: 55
#SS051
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Tummy Tuck
Age: 49
#SS052
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HD Lipo 360
Age: 31
#SS014
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Tummy Tuck
Age: 27
#SS053
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Tummy Tuck
Age: 31
#SS054
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Body Contouring
Age: 58
#SS055
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Renuvion
Age: 36
#SS020
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Tummy Tuck + HD Liposuction
Age: 34
#SS056
View DetailsRelated reading
Continue with guides on this topic, or jump to a procedure, cost, or location page.
- Creating the Best Belly Button for a Tummy TuckTummy Tuck
- Does Mini Tummy Tuck Lower The Belly ButtonTummy Tuck
- Ideal Belly Button Shape With Tummy TuckTummy Tuck
- How to Get an Innie Belly Button with a Tummy TuckTummy Tuck
- Eliminating A Bulging Belly With A Tummy TuckTummy Tuck
- Eliminating Lower Belly Stretch Marks With Tummy TuckTummy Tuck
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