Among adult women, especially mothers, tummy tuck procedure aka abdominoplasty is a popular demand. Whether you’re doing it to remove unwanted post-partum fat, or to tighten up after excessive weight-loss, the benefits are simply undeniable and affects your confidence, self-esteem, as well as your physical look. However, with every sweet thing, there’s a price to pay which is often not advertised. In this case, the small prices ranges from a slow healing process to the scars that come with the procedure.
As little as it is, the belly button is a key abdominal feature, and the bitter aspect of a tummy tuck procedure is most especially experienced around the belly button area. Because this part of the abdomen is often neglected or not given much thought, the impact on the belly button from the procedure is often a shock to most women. This has quickly made the belly button to gain an incredible amount of concern, thus, women often ask ‘How long does it take for the belly button to heal after a tummy tuck procedure?’ Not to worry, I have prepared this article with hopes of addressing tummy tuck belly button concerns.
Let’s get into it…
Right from the cutting of our umbilical cords during our births, the belly button is always the last of the abdomen to heal. So, if you recently had a tummy tuck procedure, and you’re worried or concerned about your tummy tuck belly button – don’t be! It’s all part of the healing process.
Let me shed some light on why your tummy tuck belly button needs some time to heal.
While performing a tummy tuck procedure, surgeons usually cut around the belly button so that it remains attached to the abdominal wall to allow for easy pulling and tightening of the abdominal walls. After which, they carefully reposition the belly button so that it maintains its natural positioning on the abdomen. However, in the process of doing so, much of the fat around the belly button area are removed which may affect the transport of fluids back to the bloodstream and blood vessels. Therefore, your tummy tuck belly button may experience slow healing as it can stay swollen for quite a while. There’s also the scar around your belly button but that’s okay, it’ll eventually blend in with your belly button and become less noticeable.
How your tummy tuck belly button heals depends on the surgeon that handled your case. Some women report that their belly buttons look better post-surgery while other women have reports to the contrary. A good surgeon should essentially handle the procedure in the best way that will not only benefit your healing process but also benefit the beautiful outlook of your post-surgery belly button. More so, as regards scars, many doctors opt for removing the scar surgically instead of administering steroids as such steroid injections may cause excessive skin lightening, which are permanent by the way. Basically, what you get is a belly button that has taken on a permanent pinkish color and this does not bode too well for bikini lovers.
In other words, getting a good and experienced plastic surgeon has a lot to do with the healing and appearance of your tummy tuck belly button.
Now concerning your tummy tuck belly button healing time, I’ll first like to establish that matters concerning the healing rate of the body varies depending on medical history, genetic makeup, how the procedure was carried out, by whom the procedure was carried out, and the necessary steps one takes during the healing period. It’s normal to experience unusual delay in the healing of your belly button after a tummy tuck, however, such concerns should still be reported to your surgeon and you should continue to follow up and report all the healing progress you’re making.
During the healing season, there are common reports of swelling, redness and some women report stomach protrusion around the belly button. Most times, these issues are experienced without any form of abdominal pain and sometimes women experience pain so, like I said earlier, it really depends and varies individually. If you’re experiencing any of these concerns with your tummy tuck belly button, it may also mean you have developed one of many possible conditions, such as; hematoma, seroma, umbilical hernia, or a protuberant abdomen from intra-abdominal fat. Therefore, please ensure that you mention these possibilities while you report this to your surgeon as well as your physician for proper diagnosis.
Usually, a tummy tuck procedure requires about 6 to 8 weeks to heal, however, your tummy tuck belly button will require additional several weeks to a couple of months in order to fully heal. It may also take longer time depending on the particular patient so try to give yourself some time without worrying too much.
Thank you for taking the time, I hope this article was helpful. If you have some experiences to share, kindly leave them in the comment section below.