Belly Buttons and Tummy Tucks
As a Patient Care Coordinator at Neinstein Plastic Surgery the majority of my day is spent on calls with potential patients inquiring about all things plastic surgery related. Phones are continuously ringing with questions from financial estimates to the more commonly asked question, “will I get a new belly button after my tummy tuck?”
Our performing surgeons have taken social media by storm posting and sharing the most astonishing transformations of both men and women, snippets of live surgery, and you’ve all seen it and love it- the iconic Manhattan office. Every day I greet patients who visit for their consultations and again six-months later for their post operative milestone appointment, only this time strutting a smaller, leaner frame with doubled confidence. That being said, everyone wants to know what we do and how we do it.
Who Gets Tummy Tucks?
People have a common desire to look their best which will help them feel their best. Our most common procedure “the modern tummy tuck” solves the problem of unforgiving stretched skin and budging muscles for mothers in two main phases of life. The first age peak is the immediate post baby time which is on average 33-44 years old in our practice. The second wave is the menopause age bracket as the psychological changes from menopause exacerbate the changes that occurred post babies causing an inflection point for women to decide to make a change.
We are also interestingly not geographically restricted. Approximately 30% of our patients fly from around the country and around the world. Positive like-minded people from around the world are attracted to our team, facilities and New York enlightened hospitality for these services.
Desired Surgical Results
So, you’ve decided to get a tummy tuck! While scrolling through social media accounts and plastic surgeons’ websites of before and after photos of tummy tucks, you’ll easily be able to find photos of what you desire and what you do not. Dr. Ryan Neinstein, Dr. Christopher Funderburk and Dr. Anna Steve have refined the tummy tuck operating with the most innovative and up to date technology devoting thousands of hours performing surgery with extreme focus and attention to detail to deliver natural results.
A common question asked by many is, “will my belly button remain natural after a tummy tuck?” The answer is yes, your belly button will look completely natural by the time you have healed from your abdominoplasty. The belly button is the last part of the tummy tuck but by no means the least important. Our surgeons take pride in making natural elegant belly buttons with personality with one goal (nobody should notice on your next bikini wearing vacation). The belly button is your belly button, it is not a new one, it is just brought out a new opening as the skin is being redraped.
I Think I Need Only A Mini-Tuck.. No, Maybe A Full
It is a daily occurrence where I answer a phone call at the office and a woman on the other end is frustrated beyond belief with her current physique. We speak about an impressive six-day fitness regimen packed with Pilates and Tracey Anderson classes now that her schedule has cleared up since sending her kids to college. I ask, what procedure exactly are you interested in, and with exasperation she responds, I don’t know. Perhaps a mini tuck only, as she did describe a small “pooch” along her waistline that is always visible in a dress. She did mention a feeling of muscle separation in her abdomen that has been there for years, perhaps she needs diastasis recti repair? **A professional assessment hosted by one of our Board-Certified Surgeons can answer all of these questions. **
QUICK AT HOME GUIDE
- If you have loose skin above and below the belly button you need a full tuck
- If when you sit you have a pinchable pooch you need a full tuck
- Mini are really limited to one baby moms with almost zero loose skin
Anytime an individual decides to have a procedure, fear creeps in. What is most special about this practice is time and time again we make something scary and uncomfortable, fun and enjoyable. Most often patients express concerns about the navel post abdominoplasty surgery. Always, they say they wish they did it sooner.
Belly Button Fundamentals
First, it is important to understand a navel or belly button is the remnant of your umbilical cord, your very first scar. It is one of the many attributes that make you, you. There is a variety of appearances when discussing belly buttons; outie, innie, horizontal, vertical, deep hollow to name a few.
Protruding belly buttons are called “outies,” as a result of where the remaining portion of the umbilical stump goes out instead of in. An “innie” is just the opposite. A deep hollow navel is common in those with excess fat. Typically, there is a shadow underneath the belly buttons top fold.
Interestingly enough, belly buttons do not change over time based on overall height and weight. A larger person may have a very small belly button while a smaller person can have a relatively large one. Not everyone is keen on their shape and size, which makes belly button concerns so relevant while undergoing a tummy tuck procedure.
What Happens to my Belly Button Ring?
This photo shows what happened to a belly button ring a year after tummy tuck- the little hole above the incision was removed in a quick in office procedure once the tummy tuck healed for a fast result.
You can see in this picture of a belly button after a tummy tuck there is almost no visible scar and it does not look too long or too vertical or like a coin slot. It has personality!
An unnatural result from a poorly done tummy tuck is due to skin through the lower abdomen being removed and the rest being pulled down. The natural belly button is then misplaced and now permanently at a lower location. A misplaced belly button will make it apparent the patient had a cosmetic surgery.
A study performed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons examined the preferred appearance of the three most commonly used incisions for umbilical reconstruction. This study confirmed the reconstruction with an oval incision result in the best aesthetic outcome, and is the first choice by the general population. Aesthetic outcomes are in naturally difficult to evaluate because of their subjective nature. This study is not inclusive of patient- reported results, instead the opinion of the general population was used.
The highly skilled team of surgeons at Neinstein Plastic Surgery strive to deliver long, lean results while ensuring not to misplace the navel disrupting the symmetry of the torso. A common goal shared by the surgeons at Neinstein Plastic Surgery is to put as many patients back into a two-piece bathing suit, restore lost confidence and hopefully have no one know they were even there.
Van Veldhuisen, Charlotte L., et al. “Prospective, Double-Blind Evaluation of UMBILICOPLASTY Techniques Using Conventional and Crowdsourcing Methods.” Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, vol. 140, no. 6, 2017, pp. 1151–1162., https://doi.org/10.1097/prs.0000000000003839.