Belly button shape and positioning are the most critical considerations when gauging success following tummy tuck surgery. This is because the tummy tuck belly button is the single most visualized component of your abdomen following surgery. Whether you are in the comfort of your undergarments or wearing a two-piece bikini on the beach, surgical incisions along the lower abdomen are typically hidden and out of sight. However, the belly button is readily exposed because of its location over the center of the abdomen. This makes it prone to scrutiny by other onlookers.
Tummy Tuck Belly Button Considerations
The first consideration of the tummy tuck belly button is its positioning. Anatomic descriptions of the belly button positioning describe it as lying on a horizontal line when drawn across the top of the hip bone. We have performed an independent review of female models determining the optimal belly button position to be located between the subcostal and pubic region approximately 45% down from the ribs and 55 % up from the pubic region.
The second consideration of the ideal tummy tuck belly button shape is that it be shaped as a vertical oval. This is in contrast to the shape of a belly button that is horizontal and depicts the shape of a sad face. The sad face results when there is redundant skin that pushes the top of the belly button down creating a hood. This is exaggerated by a patient if she bends over at the mid-belly which results in the creation of horizontal belly lines.
The final consideration of an ideal tummy tuck belly button shape is the creation of an “innie” belly button. The “innie” belly button depicts a bowl-shaped button with the circumferential incision line that is downset and hidden in the shadow of the newly created umbilicus. The creation of the innie belly button is made feasible by accurate identification of the created belly button stalk using our proprietary umbilicator tool.
You can ask the SurgiSculpt staff to forward you our published paper presenting the umbilicator and its benefits to your tummy tuck outcomes.