Difference Between Liposuction and Liposculpture
Body confidence isn’t based on any specific body part. Some people are self-conscious about their chests. Some are self conscious about their buttocks. And some people are self-conscious about other areas of the body that you may never have even considered.
One of these areas is navel (aka umbilicus) shape after a tummy tuck. Many patients undergoing tummy tucks are often concerned about whether or not their belly button is going to be positioned and shaped in a way that is ideal to their form and to common beauty standards.
What is Umbilical Beauty?
The definition of a beautiful belly button has always been a bit subjective. Researchers in Singapore used computer image modeling on 37 Playboy Playmates to try to determine the “ideal belly button.” Their results indicated that the ideal belly button:
- Has a ratio of 46:54
- Is in the midline horizontal position.
- Has an oval shape (which most agree is not ideal – more on that later)
- Is 5% of the length from the chest bone to the lower genitalia.
- Has either no “hood” or a “superior hood.”
But is this the ideal umbilical? Maybe, maybe not. Beauty itself is partially subjective, and being a Playboy Playmate and having a beautiful belly button are not necessarily related. Similarly, everyone has different tastes.
Another study, conducted by researchers in Italy, looked at 81 bikini models and used a Facebook.com survey to determine the most attractive navels. They found that navel position was more variable than previously anticipated, and the most popular naval shape was a vertical oval with superior hooding. It is widely regarded in the plastic surgery world that this is as close to the objective ideal navel as possible.
Though there are standards to beauty that plastic surgeons try to emulate, the key is to use a careful assessment of the human body and an understanding of anatomy and beauty to craft a beautiful belly button.
Why This Matters – Tummy Tucks and Umbilical Positioning
Although most people believe that the belly button is connected to an organ, the truth is that the belly button is nothing more than a scar of where your umbilical cord used to connect with the fetus. It looks different from normal scars because it is incapable of gaining weight and it is connected to the abdominal wall, but it is still a scar.
During the tummy tuck, an incision is made around the navel to detach the navel from the abdominal skin while the navel is still attached to the abdominal muscles and its stalk. Next, the abdominal skin and tissue are then lifted away from the abdominal wall and the muscles are tightened. When the skin is placed back on the abdomen and the excess skin is removed, the navel then needs to be reattached through a new navel opening. It is at this point that Dr. Agha’s goal is to mimic the ideal navel shape. Dr. Agha creates a vertically oriented oval navel opening and then sutures the navel to this new opening. The new navel opening should be symmetrical, small, and with a superior hood to maximize the umbilical beauty, and enhance the look of your new, flatter belly.
The Importance of a Beautiful Belly Button
Belly buttons are a center point of the human body, which is one of the main reasons they are considered such a crucial component in human beauty. If you’d like to learn more about umbilical beauty, umbilical positioning, or belly button plastic surgery options in Orange County (Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Irvine) and Los Angeles, call Dr. Agha today at .
