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Tummy Tuck
Do belly button scars show much or are they hidden under the folds after Tummy tuck?
You shouldn't have any folds after a tummy tuck. The scar around a belly button can be noticeable if not done well. In our Bay Area practice our tummy tucks get incisions and plications designed to leave patients with a cosmetically attractive "inny" belly button. There are many thoughts about the ideal way to create a cosmetic umbilicus. The technique we use most frequently involves a vertical scar with plicating the stalk of the umbilicus down to the abdominal fascia as necessary. Be sure to ask your surgeon about what the belly buttons look like. Ask if they can use techniques to keep your belly button from looking too "target like" (round with a prominent scar around it). And be sure to ask for post-op pictures that show the new umbilicus.
Clinical Context
The umbilicus is typically detached and reinset during abdominoplasty, creating a separate circular scar rather than the main hip-to-hip incision. How visible this scar becomes depends on technique (natural versus hidden-suture methods), individual healing patterns, and the depth of the new umbilical opening. Scars often appear pink and slightly raised for several months before flattening and fading, a process that can take a year or longer. Skin tone, sun exposure, and personal scarring tendency all influence final appearance, which is why results vary between patients even with similar surgical approaches.
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