The great news about umbilicoplasty recovery is that it is nearly always fast and easy.
The surgery itself is typically simple and straightforward (often, only local anesthesia is needed). And this means that patients are frequently able to get up from their belly button procedure and head right back to their normal everyday lives with few (if any) side effects.
What Is Umbilicoplasty?
The truth is, many people do not even know that umbilicoplasty (belly button surgery) exists!
Simply put, it is a cosmetic procedure designed to change the appearance of the belly button. Most commonly, belly button plastic surgery is performed to correct umbilical hernias or “outie” belly buttons, which many patients do not like.
Umbilicoplasty Recovery Period: What to Expect
Every patient’s umbilicoplasty recovery time will be different. But for the most part, this procedure has a relatively easy healing process.
Overall, slight swelling and bruising along with some light discomfort is common. As healing progresses, patients should take time off work, generally take it easy, and get plenty of rest.
Do not exercise or physically exert yourself for the predetermined amount of time outlined in your post-surgical instructions. Eat healthy meals, do not smoke, relax, and get an adequate amount of sleep each night.
Always follow all of your plastic surgeon’s recovery instructions closely.
How Long Is the Umbilicoplasty Recovery Time?
Typically, the initial belly button surgery recovery time lasts for about 24 hours. However, do keep in mind that for some patients, this initial recovery period may take a bit longer — sometimes, up to one to two weeks before you feel like yourself again.
Notably, recovery may be slightly longer when additional procedures are performed at the same time as umbilicoplasty. For example, some patients may be interested in having their belly button redone while getting a tummy tuck, liposuction, or even a mommy makeover.
Reasons for Umbilicoplasty
Fixing an “Outie” Belly Button
Some people simply have outie belly buttons from birth. Once the umbilical cord is tied, it can sometimes take weeks or months for parents to see whether the tie creates an outie or an innie. Experts don’t fully know why some people end up with an innie and others end up with an outie.
The bottom line, however, is that many people don’t like having outie belly buttons. Therefore, these individuals are often quite interested in plastic surgery procedures that can fix the issue for them. For nearly all such patients, the umbilicoplasty procedure is the best solution.
Fixing an Umbilical Hernia
A hernia, or umbilical hernia, is the protrusion of a piece of intestine or fat that has been pushed or poked out through the abdominal wall. Many people actually have hernias and need hernia surgery but don’t know it.
For example, you may have heard of the famous John Stamos belly button. Stamos has what appears to be an outie belly button.
But really, Stamos says his outie is the result of a childhood surgery to repair an umbilical hernia. Although Stamos does not likely have a hernia anymore, the surgeon who performed his surgery may have unfortunately not removed fat or excess navel skin that was trapped outside the hernia opening.
Fortunately, Dr. Schulman is highly skilled and experienced at performing umbilical hernia repair. He can not only fix the physical hernia itself (by repairing the hole in the abdominal wall), but also the appearance of the belly button.
Repair After Abdominal Surgery
Some patients choose cosmetic surgery to repair their belly button because the area changed after undergoing a tummy tuck (or other previous abdominal surgeries that required an incision in or around the belly button). Incisions near this area may change the appearance of the belly button in ways that you didn’t expect or like.
Repair Alongside Tummy Tuck Surgery
Patients may also seek belly button surgery alongside a tummy tuck to remove excess skin.
If you have a fold of excess skin on your abdominal area that you would like to get rid of, you can undergo a tummy tuck. And if you also have excess skin and fat surrounding your navel, you can get an umbilicoplasty for loose skin as well.
Repair After Pregnancy
Finally, some women may find that with pregnancy, their belly button (which was once an innie) suddenly turned into an outie. This is actually quite common and can happen with weight gain and significant weight loss as well.
The trouble is that the belly button can sometimes stay an outie even after the woman gives birth or weight loss occurs. Fortunately, umbilicoplasty is a straightforward plastic surgery procedure that can almost always be performed to fix the issue.
FAQ: Umbilicoplasty Surgical Procedure
Is umbilicoplasty painful?
The umbilicoplasty procedure itself is not painful, and we often use only local anesthetic and no other sedations. General anesthesia is frequently unnecessary. After surgery, most patients experience only a small amount of discomfort for up to a few days.
How much does belly button surgery cost?
It can be difficult to estimate the cost of any plastic surgery as prices vary throughout the country and from surgeon to surgeon. Fortunately, umbilicoplasty surgery is not an extensive surgery requiring heavy general anesthesia, so costs tend to be lower than with more serious surgeries like abdominoplasty or breast augmentation.
Ultimately, the umbilicoplasty cost you are quoted at your consultation appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon will be the most accurate.
Call to Request a Consultation Appointment
Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Matthew Schulman routinely performs belly button surgery at his NYC practice. His experience and expertise has gained him huge recognition, and he often sees patients from all around the world for this surgery.
Please call our office today if you are interested in umbilicoplasty and would like to book a consultation appointment.
