Young children often want to know why we have a belly button. In fact, who doesn’t like to do a little navel gazing, comparing their own navels to their friends’? It’s when we feel deficient in the navel department, whether it’s because ours is too small, too big, or even non-existent, that our navel gazing becomes neurotic.
So, it’s a good thing that a procedure like navel surgery exists. It is a plastic surgery to reshape the navel to a more desirable or aesthetically pleasing appearance, and can be performed in about an hour using only local anesthesia. The beautiful part is that it leaves virtually no scars, is relatively inexpensive, and almost always has permanent results. What’s not to like?
Some people, however, seem to have no navel, with Czech supermodel and underwear model Karolina Kurkova being perhaps the most famous contemporary example.
What is a navel?
A navel is the scar that humans, and all mammals, have left after spending around nine months in our mother’s womb. The scar defines the place where the umbilical cord joined us to the placenta, which nourished us while we were in the womb. The depression (hole) in our stomachs signifies where the cord was attached to the underlying fascia.
When we’re in the womb, we don’t breathe air or enjoy gourmet three-course meals. In fact, we don’t even drink our mother’s milk. Instead, all the nutrients we need, as well as oxygen, are delivered through the umbilical cord, which is attached to the placenta.
This organ, unique to mammals, attaches the baby to the uterine wall. In addition to nourishing us, the placenta also allows waste to be eliminated, through it and eventually from the mother’s kidneys. After the baby is finally delivered, the placenta is also delivered. Goodbye, placenta. Hi babe! Hello navel!
Innie vs. Outie vs. alien appearance
Sometimes, when a baby’s umbilical stump falls off and heals, little Junior is left with an unsightly belly button, often referred to as an “outie.” The innies vs outies debate is ongoing, and most humans prefer the former.
We usually have exits due to excess skin left over from the umbilical cord, although sometimes they are the result of an umbilical hernia. This occurs when part of the intestine protrudes through a part of the intestinal wall that is weak and is a harmless condition that can be easily corrected.
Some people, however, appear to have no navel at all, with Czech supermodel and underwear model Karolina Kurkova perhaps the most famous contemporary example. Ms. Kurkova, for all intents and purposes, appears to have a slight, smooth notch instead of a belly button. She will not comment on how this happened, but her agent has assured inquisitive members of the press that she is not an alien.
Most people who appear to have no belly button had surgery to correct problems such as an umbilical hernia or were born with a condition where the intestines and stomach protrude through a hole in the abdominal wall, which needs to be corrected. usually shortly after birth. Other people lose their navel as adults, after skin grafts or other types of stomach surgery. Many decide to undergo a navel plasty to rectify the situation, and they give them a new navel or give them back the exterior. Others, like Kurkova, prefer to keep the Martian look.
Umbilicoplasty: basic concepts
In most cases, navel surgery is a very simple procedure. Excess skin is removed from the navel area to reshape the navel. The clever thing is that the scars are carefully hidden, so that the operation is not obvious to the naked eye (unless you look very, very closely).
Some people choose navel surgery for the reasons mentioned above; another fairly common reason is due to dramatic weight loss or pregnancy, which can change the shape of a navel. Please note that if you become pregnant after the operation or gain a lot of weight, the results may not be as expected.
If you do not have a belly button, or if you have had a tummy tuck that requires a new belly button to be formed, then your plastic surgeon can easily create a new one. A new outer hole for the navel is cut, then the navel stem is brought forward and sewn into place. Some people choose to have the stem short so that the outer skin pulls it down, creating a more youthful looking navel. Discuss your requirements with your surgeon beforehand.
If you choose to have belly button surgery, be sure to use only a Board Certified surgeon, or the equivalent. The operation is fairly minor with few side effects, and most people can even go back to work the same or next day. Because the sutures are dissolvable, very little follow-up care is needed.
marvelous diaphragms
As bare midriffs become more fashionable, along with navel piercings, cosmetic surgeons are seeing an increase in the number of people opting for navel surgery. In fact, many offer to pierce the navel at the same time. Some people opt for a tummy tuck or tummy tuck as well to make the entire area look slimmer and more elegant.
According to the New York Times, the rise in umbilicoplasty surgeries shows the “cultural triumph” of the diaphragm. “Hidden for decades, the belly button is now the center of what’s considered sexy, flaunted in a wave of midriff-baring outfits and news articles about Britney Spears’ belly button,” she said in an article about belly button surgery. . She said “about a third of college women” have chosen to get their navel pierced.
Navel organ removal
These days, navels aren’t just for nurturing babies or looking good pierced. A London surgeon has pioneered surgery to remove organs through this tiny hole, leaving virtually no scar.
Mr. Barry Paraskeva uses laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery to remove organs such as the appendix and gallbladder through the navel. Based at Imperial College London Healthcare NHS Trust, he claims to be able to remove an appendix in just 20 minutes using his procedure and enable his patients to go home the same day.
“Having a single access port minimizes patient discomfort, reduces the risk of infection and because the incision is through the navel, the surgery leaves no scars,” he said recently in an interview with the BBC. Similar techniques are now being worked on to harvest organs through other body openings considered more “natural,” such as the rectum.
The information in the article is not intended to be a substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate health care provider.