Umbilicoplasty
Encyclopedia
Umbilicoplasty, sometimes referred to as "belly button surgery", is a plastic surgery
procedure to modify the appearance of one's navel
(or "belly button"). It may be performed as part of a tummy tuck or lower body lift
operation, or it may be performed alone.
An umbilicoplasty procedure may last from 30 minutes to 3 hours. It is typically performed under local anesthesia
, but the patient may be given a sedative
that is administered through an intravenous drip. When done as part of a tummy tuck or lower body lift
, general anesthesia is more commonly used. Usually there are no scars, since the incision is usually made inside the cavern of the navel.
Candidates typically choose the surgery because they dislike how their navel looks. Their navel may be as it was from birth, or it may have changed due to unrelated surgery, such as a Caesarean section
. Some may have experienced weight gain, weight loss, or pregnancy, causing changes to the shape of the navel. Others may have a protruding or inverted navel, which they may wish to change.
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
procedure to modify the appearance of one's navel
Navel
The navel is a scar on the abdomen caused when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby...
(or "belly button"). It may be performed as part of a tummy tuck or lower body lift
Lower body lift
A belt lipectomy is a surgical procedure that reshapes the patient's abdomen, hips, thighs, and buttocks....
operation, or it may be performed alone.
An umbilicoplasty procedure may last from 30 minutes to 3 hours. It is typically performed under local anesthesia
Local anesthesia
Local anesthesia is any technique to induce the absence of sensation in part of the body, generally for the aim of inducing local analgesia, that is, local insensitivity to pain, although other local senses may be affected as well. It allows patients to undergo surgical and dental procedures with...
, but the patient may be given a sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
that is administered through an intravenous drip. When done as part of a tummy tuck or lower body lift
Lower body lift
A belt lipectomy is a surgical procedure that reshapes the patient's abdomen, hips, thighs, and buttocks....
, general anesthesia is more commonly used. Usually there are no scars, since the incision is usually made inside the cavern of the navel.
Candidates typically choose the surgery because they dislike how their navel looks. Their navel may be as it was from birth, or it may have changed due to unrelated surgery, such as a Caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
. Some may have experienced weight gain, weight loss, or pregnancy, causing changes to the shape of the navel. Others may have a protruding or inverted navel, which they may wish to change.
External links
- The Year in Ideas; Umbilicoplasty? by Clive Thompson