Belly Button Shapes and Belly Button Surgery: A Surgeon’s Guide

The belly button (umbilicus) is the scar left where the umbilical cord was attached before birth. Everyone’s is slightly different, and almost every shape is completely normal. What brings most people to a plastic surgeon is not the shape they were born with but a change: loose skin after pregnancy, a stretched piercing, weight loss, or a bulge that wasn’t there before.

This guide explains the common belly button shapes, what changes them over time, when a change needs a GP rather than a surgeon, and the procedures that can restore a neater, more youthful belly button.

Quick answer

• Most belly buttons are “innies”. Outies, horizontal, vertical, round, T-shaped and spiral belly buttons are all normal variations.
• Shape changes with life events: pregnancy, weight change, piercings, hernias and ageing are the usual causes.
• A new bulge, pain or discharge is a medical question, not a cosmetic one. See your GP first.
• Surgical options range from a small umbilical lift under local anaesthetic to reshaping the belly button as part of a tummy tuck.

The common belly button shapes

1. Innie

The most common type: an inward fold or dip in the abdominal wall. Innies range from shallow to deep, and depth usually increases with more abdominal fat.

2. Outie

An outie protrudes outwards. In most people it is simply extra scar tissue or skin from how the cord stump healed, and it is harmless. An outie that appears in adulthood, or one that gets bigger when you cough or strain, can be an umbilical hernia and should be checked.

3. Horizontal

A wider-than-tall belly button, often with a fold of skin across the top. It is common after pregnancy or weight gain, when the skin above the navel becomes looser and “hoods” over it.

4. Vertical

A narrow, taller belly button, often seen in slimmer people with good skin tone. A short vertical oval is the shape surgeons usually aim for when they recreate a belly button, because it tends to look natural and youthful.

5. Round

A circular opening, sometimes with a visible rim. It can look larger when the surrounding skin has been stretched.

6. T-shaped

A small horizontal fold across the top of a vertical opening, giving a T appearance. The top fold is often loose skin that has settled over the navel.

7. Swirled or spiral

Folds of skin that twist inwards. This is simply how the scar healed and is a normal variation.

What changes the shape of your belly button?

• Pregnancy. The skin and abdominal wall stretch around the navel. Afterwards the skin above it can stay loose and droop, turning a neat vertical belly button into a horizontal or hooded one. Separation of the stomach muscles (diastasis recti) can also change how the area looks. Read more in our guide to tummy changes after a caesarean section.
• Weight gain and weight loss. Fat deepens the belly button; significant weight loss can leave loose skin that folds over it.
• Piercings. A piercing through the top rim is very common. After pregnancy or weight change the hole often stretches, and the skin above the navel becomes lax. This is one of the most frequent reasons people ask about an umbilical lift.
• Umbilical hernias. A weakness in the abdominal wall lets tissue push through at the navel, turning an innie into an outie or creating a bulge.
• Previous surgery. Keyhole (laparoscopic) operations often use the belly button as an entry point, which can leave a scar or distort its shape.
• Ageing. Skin loses elasticity over time and the tissues around the navel descend.

When to see your GP first

See your GP, rather than a cosmetic surgeon, if you notice any of the following. They are usually straightforward to treat but need a medical assessment:

• a new lump or bulge at or near the belly button, especially one that gets bigger when you cough, lift or strain
• pain, redness, swelling or warmth around the navel
• discharge, bleeding or an unpleasant smell
• a bulge that becomes hard, painful and cannot be pushed back in — this needs urgent medical attention

Surgical options for changing your belly button

Umbilical lift (belly button lift)

An umbilical lift removes the loose, hooding skin above the belly button through a small incision placed just above the navel, opening it back up into a neater, more vertical shape. Mr Nassab’s technique has been published in the peer-reviewed journal PRS Global Open.

• Performed under local anaesthetic as a day case
• Most people are back at work the next day
• Best for: a stretched piercing, or loose skin above the navel after pregnancy or weight change, where there is no significant overhang lower down

Umbilicoplasty

Umbilicoplasty reshapes the belly button itself — for example reducing a large or stretched opening, improving an old scar, or turning an outie into an innie once any hernia has been ruled out or repaired. It is usually a short procedure under local anaesthetic.

Umbilical hernia repair

If a hernia is the cause of the change, it needs repairing first, and the belly button can be reshaped at the same time. Hernia repair is often carried out by a general surgeon; where appropriate it can be combined with cosmetic reshaping.

Tummy tuck, mini tummy tuck and mummy makeover

If there is loose skin across the whole lower abdomen, reshaping the belly button alone will not give a good result. In a full tummy tuck the excess skin is removed, the muscles can be repaired, and the belly button is brought out through the tightened skin and reshaped. After pregnancy this is often part of a mummy makeover.

Which option suits you?

Your concern	Usually considered
Stretched piercing or hooding skin above the navel	Umbilical lift
Large, misshapen or scarred belly button	Umbilicoplasty
New outie or bulge	GP assessment, then hernia repair ± reshaping
Loose skin and overhang across the lower tummy	Tummy tuck or mini tummy tuck
Tummy and breast changes after children	Mummy makeover

This is a guide only. The right option depends on your skin quality, the tissue above and below the navel, whether the muscles have separated and what you want to achieve, which is assessed at a one-to-one consultation.

What to expect

Consultation. Mr Nassab examines the belly button and surrounding skin, checks for a hernia or muscle separation, and explains which procedure would help and what result is realistic.

The procedure. An umbilical lift or umbilicoplasty is usually done under local anaesthetic, so you are awake but the area is numb, and you go home the same day. Dissolvable stitches are normally used.

Recovery. Most people return to desk work the next day. Dressings are typically reviewed at 7–10 days, and strenuous exercise is avoided for around six weeks. The shape is visible straight away, but the scar takes several months to fade.

Risks. As with any surgery, risks include infection, bleeding, delayed healing, visible or thickened scarring, asymmetry and the need for further treatment. These are discussed fully before you decide.

For current costs, see our price list.

Frequently asked questions

Is an outie belly button normal?

Yes. Most outies are simply extra skin or scar tissue from how the cord healed. An outie that develops in adulthood, grows when you strain or is painful should be checked by your GP, as it may be an umbilical hernia.

Can you change the shape of your belly button without surgery?

Not permanently. Losing weight can make a belly button look shallower, and exercise tones the muscles underneath, but neither removes loose skin or reshapes the scar.

Does a tummy tuck change your belly button?

Yes. In a full tummy tuck the belly button stays attached to its stalk, but the skin around it is tightened and a new opening is made and shaped, so it usually looks neater and more vertical afterwards.

Can I have my belly button pierced again after surgery?

Wait until you are fully healed and the scar has settled, and discuss it at your follow-up appointment, as a new piercing through the healing area can affect the result.

How long does an umbilical lift take to heal?

Most people are back at work the next day, with dressings reviewed at 7–10 days and strenuous exercise avoided for about six weeks. The scar continues to improve over several months.

To discuss your belly button with Mr Nassab, book a consultation in Manchester, Cheshire or London.