When you look at umbilicoplasty before and after photos, it’s clear the improvements that are possible with this surgery. Belly button surgery improves navel appearance and can give you back your confidence.
But as with any type of cosmetic procedure, preparation for surgery is key. Let’s take a look at how best to prepare for umbilicoplasty.
How to Get Ready for Belly Button Surgery
1. Gather essential materials for your consultation appointment.
While you can certainly show up to your consultation appointment without doing any preparation whatsoever, it’s not recommended. Instead, we suggest getting some important materials together and jotting down a few notes before this important date.
For starters, it’s important that you have a brief rundown of your general medical history with you. Specific dates, medications, and exact names for medical conditions and other things can be difficult to remember off the top of your head, so it’s best to write these things down. Your plastic surgeon will need to know the details of your medical history.
Next, be sure you have a clear idea of your goals for surgery. You might take photos with you to help show your surgeon exactly what you want to achieve with umbilicoplasty. Otherwise, simply be sure that you can clearly explain what you’re aiming for.
Lastly, jot down any questions or specific concerns you have about the surgery and recovery. Your surgeon will be happy to answer any and all questions you may have, and your consultation appointment is the perfect place to discuss them.
2. Prepare your living space for recovery, and arrange for help.
The vast majority of umbilicoplasty patients have no trouble with the recovery time after surgery. Umbilicoplasty recovery tends to be quite short, and most patients are back to work and their regular routines after just 24 hours.
Still, there are a few things you can do before surgery to make your recovery experience even easier.
First, prepare a space at home where you can sit and rest comfortably while you heal. Consider getting some movies, books, magazines, or podcasts ready to entertain you. Have a day or two of pre-made meals and snacks ready, or plan to order out.
You should also arrange for help from friends or family. Specifically, you’ll want someone to take you home after surgery.
But you also might want someone to help you out around the house immediately after your surgery. Keep in mind that those patients who opt to undergo other plastic surgery procedures in addition to umbilicoplasty will require a longer recovery time and more help at home.
3. Always follow up with your surgeon.
Especially when recovery is going well and patients do not see any issues with their results, it’s common for some to skip follow up appointments with their plastic surgeon. We certainly advise against this.
Follow up appointments are critical for ensuring your safety and optimal long-term results. Your surgeon will want to see your treatment area and make sure everything is healing well and you’re on track for a full recovery with great results.
Will You Be Combining Umbilicoplasty With Another Procedure?
Many cosmetic surgeries frequently stand alone, but umbilicoplasty is a common procedure to combine with other surgeries.
For example, if you’re looking through photo galleries of umbilicoplasty patients, you’ll notice that a lot of the umbilicoplasty belly button tightening before and after pictures you see are combined with tummy tuck surgery or liposuction. Some female patients will also choose to include umbilicoplasty with their mommy makeovers after pregnancy.
If you do plan to combine belly button surgery with another procedure, remember that your recovery experience may be more extensive.
Tummy tuck surgery, for example, requires several weeks of downtime for most patients. You’ll need to take more time off from work and plan to get some help at home — with childcare, meal planning and cooking, errands, etc. A combination surgery will also cause more discomfort, swelling, bruising, and other symptoms.
FAQ: Belly Button Surgery
What if I’m unhappy with my belly button after a tummy tuck?
The belly button is often repositioned during tummy tuck surgery. Unfortunately, some patients may end up with a belly button that does not appear natural or attractive once they’ve healed.
Scar tissue that the surgeon did not anticipate may occur, healing issues can occur, or some other issue may cause the belly button to appear differently from what the patient desired. When this happens, belly button revision surgery can improve the shape, size, and overall appearance of the belly button.
Can belly button surgery fix an umbilical hernia?
Yes. In fact, many patients who come in for a belly button surgery consultation don’t actually know that they really have a hernia, and that that is what’s causing the appearance they don’t like about their belly button.
When this occurs, a plastic surgeon can fix both the hernia and the appearance of the belly button with umbilicoplasty.
Does umbilicoplasty result in scarring?
Any time an incision is made during surgery, a scar on the skin will result. Therefore, yes, you will have at least one umbilicoplasty scar.
However, whether the resulting scar(s) are visible depends, especially when it comes to the belly button. This is because many incisions/scars can be hidden within the navel.
We encourage you to take a look at some umbilicoplasty before and after pictures to see what scars after this procedure may look like — that is, if they are visible at all.
How much is belly button surgery?
You’ll want to schedule a consultation appointment to know for sure what your final umbilicoplasty cost will be.
Call Today to Request a Consultation Appointment
When choosing a plastic surgeon for your umbilicoplasty, make sure that they are experienced performing this procedure and board certified. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Matthew Schulman performs numerous umbilicoplasty procedures every month for patients from all over the world.
To schedule your consultation appointment for umbilicoplasty with Dr. Schulman, please contact our NYC office today.
