Does A Mini Tummy Tuck Move The Belly Button Lower?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have loose skin around my belly button after having several children. I went to a plastic surgery consult and was given the option of a mini tummy tuck and moving the belly button lower from the ‘inside’.  I have some concern about the tummy tuck option for my belly. My only hesitation is the aesthetics of having my belly button one inch lower.  Most of my pants/jeans/swimsuits sit just below my bellybutton which, other than the puffy ring around my bellybutton, looks good (generally speaking). I attached a few pics with jeans and swimsuit bottom. I am thinking that it will look “odd” after a mini tummy tuck, such that the bellybutton will no longer be visible with these clothes on and my overall appearance will look “strange”.  Where my belly button sits is between my waist and hip; it seems that the belly button would be moved down around my hip which might appear “not quite right”. Are there any other alternatives for a better appearance of this area?

A: Unfortunately there are no other effective solutions for the excess skin around your belly button other than the mini tummy tuck approach. Unless one puts a horizontal scar across the belly button area (which would obviously be unacceptable) the only way to work out the extra skin is to translocate the belly button lower through a mini-tummy tuck approach

Like just about everything in aesthetic surgery, it is all about the tradeoffs…you usually tradeoff one problem for another. You just have to decide which problem you can live with the best…the skin the way it is around the belly button or less skin around a belly button which is positioned lower. There are no ideal solutions for your problem that don’t have their own drawbacks.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana