Do you ever give much thought to your belly button? According to statistics, many people across the country sure do! Belly button surgery becomes a very popular cosmetic surgery before and during bikini season, as many “outies” seek to become “innies.” The official name of this procedure is umbilicoplasty.
New York City plastic surgeon Dr. Matthew Schulman explains that, “As a society we’re becoming a lot more open to plastic surgery and a lot more aware of how we look. There’s a lot of social media influence. With the popularity of Instagram and Snapchat, our images are out there in the Internet world forever and for everyone to see. It makes people more self-conscious and aware of their bodies. I think people are starting to realize that there’s actually something we can do for their belly button, that there’s a solution.”
Dr. David Song, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, also mentioned that as fitness becomes a more common lifestyle and hobby, more people are paying extra attention to their bodies and embracing the clothes styles that bare the midriff area.
In addition to women who want to transform their “outie” to an “innie,” many women seek belly button surgery to reverse the damage done by old belly button piercings. According to Shulman, “Belly button piercings look very strange later in life when you don’t have a ring in it and you’ve had a baby. The piercing is higher than the belly button. It can end up an inch or two above the belly button.”
The procedure for an umbilicoplasty isn’t too bad at all. It can cost between $2,500 to $5,000 to be done by a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons. The surgery itself is only an hour or two with local anesthetic, while those receiving an umbilicoplasty along with a tummy tuck will be in the operating room for three or four hours instead. After a few weeks of steering clear of the water, the incision is healed and a beautiful belly button is all ready to be flaunted.
