As a highly sought-after plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, Dr. A.J. Khalil performs many tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) procedures. Tummy tuck has an extremely high patient satisfaction rate because it creates a beautifully smooth, toned abdomen.
One of the most common questions tummy tuck candidates ask is, “What happens to my belly button during surgery?” Read on as Dr. Khalil addresses the answer here.
Full or Traditional Tummy Tuck
Most of the time, the belly button does not move or get removed. What happens is the skin around the belly button moves.
During the surgery, Dr. Khalil creates an incision on the lower abdomen and carefully separates the skin from the underlying tissue and muscle. He also creates an incision around the edge of the belly button to separate it from the surrounding skin; however, he leaves the belly button attached to its underlying “stalk” in the abdominal wall.
After repairing weakened or stretched-out abdominal muscles and removing unwanted fat pockets and excess folds of skin, Dr. Khalil re-drapes the abdominal skin more smoothly over the stomach. The skin ends up covering the belly button, so Dr. Khalil must create a new opening for it. He brings the belly button through the new opening in the skin, sort of like pulling a button through a buttonhole. Finally, he stitches the edges of the belly button into place.
A very detail-oriented surgeon, Dr. Khalil focuses on creating a belly button with a beautiful elliptical shape and natural-looking shadows. How natural the shape and contour of the belly button look is important to the overall appearance of the abdomen after tummy tuck.
Mini Tummy Tuck
Mini tummy tuck is a less-common version of full tummy tuck designed for individuals with a minimal amount of muscle and skin laxity and excess fat. With mini tummy tuck, Dr. Khalil focuses his attention on improving the lower abdomen, below the belly button. Therefore, the belly button does not have to be moved or altered at all.
Do You Have Other Questions about Tummy Tuck?
If you are considering tummy tuck to improve the appearance of your abdomen and you have additional questions about the surgery, Dr. Khalil welcomes you to call or email our plastic surgery practice today.
