Belly button surgery in Turkey

An outie you have had since you were a baby is almost always just how the cord separated, and it is nothing to treat. A bulge that appeared in adult life is a different story, because the usual reason a navel starts protruding later is that the wall behind it has given way. Pregnancy, weight gain, heavy lifting, chronic cough and fluid in the abdomen all raise the pressure that opens that gap.

The test people can do themselves is simple. Lie down flat: a hernia usually flattens or disappears and returns when you stand or strain, while a navel that is simply shaped that way does not change. That single observation is what a consultation should start from, and any clinic that quotes you for cosmetic reshaping without asking it has not examined you.

• Outie since birth, unchanged

  Ordinary anatomy. Nothing is wrong with it and nothing needs treating. If you dislike the look, that is a cosmetic question and a purely optional one.

• New bulge in adult life

  Most often an umbilical hernia. It is examined by a doctor, not quoted by a cosmetic clinic, and the repair is the operation that actually addresses it.

• A bulge that changes with straining

  Comes out when you cough, lift or stand and settles when you lie down. That pattern is a hernia until proven otherwise.

• Painful, firm or discoloured

  Sudden pain, a lump that will not go back in, discolouration, vomiting or no passage of wind is an emergency. Go to a hospital the same day.

If the whole abdominal wall is loose after pregnancy or weight loss, see tummy tuck. After major weight loss, including weight loss following gastric sleeve, the navel is usually addressed inside a larger operation such as a fleur-de-lis tummy tuck rather than on its own.

Umbilicoplasty reshapes the skin of the navel. It can turn a protruding or stretched navel into a small vertical slit, tighten a hooded upper rim, or narrow one that has widened. The scar is placed inside the rim so that it sits in shadow, and that placement is the whole craft of the operation.

What it does not do is change the abdominal wall. It does not flatten a stomach, it does not tighten loose skin above or below the navel, and it does not repair a hernia. If the wall underneath is intact and the only thing you want changed is the shape of the dimple, this is the operation. If any of the other three things is what is actually bothering you, this operation will disappoint you.

1. 1

   Examination first, quote second

   You are examined standing and lying, and asked to cough or strain. That is how the wall is checked. A quote issued from photographs is not an assessment.
2. 2

   Imaging when there is doubt

   An ultrasound or a scan is used when the examination is unclear or when there has been previous abdominal surgery.
3. 3

   Anaesthetic

   Cosmetic reshaping is often done under local anaesthetic with or without sedation. A hernia repair is usually done under general anaesthetic, and always so if a mesh is used.
4. 4

   The operation

   Either the gap is closed and reinforced, or the skin of the navel is reshaped and fixed at the depth planned. If both are needed they are usually done in the same sitting.
5. 5

   The first weeks

   No lifting, no straining and no core training. Constipation and a persistent cough both raise abdominal pressure, so both are worth managing deliberately.
6. 6

   A year for the scar

   The rim scar takes months to settle. Judge the shape at a year, and expect the navel to look tighter and deeper in the early weeks than it will end up.

• Anyone whose real complaint is the abdomen, not the navel. Loose skin, a wide gap between the abdominal muscles or a fat apron are not addressed by reshaping the dimple.
• Anyone still planning a pregnancy. Pregnancy raises abdominal pressure for months and is one of the common reasons a repair fails. Most surgeons suggest waiting.
• Anyone still losing significant weight. The abdominal wall and skin will keep changing, and it is better to operate once at the end than twice along the way.
• Anyone with an untreated cough, constipation or prostate problem. All three keep abdominal pressure high and all three raise the chance of recurrence.
• Anyone being offered cosmetic reshaping for a bulge that moves. That is a hernia in the wrong clinic, and the right response is to leave and see a general surgeon.

• Which operation it is. A cosmetic reshaping under local anaesthetic and a mesh hernia repair under general anaesthetic are not comparable products, and comparing their prices tells you nothing.
• Whether a mesh is used and which one. The implant is a real part of the cost and the brand belongs in your paperwork.
• Open or keyhole. Keyhole repair uses more disposable equipment and is usually priced differently from an open repair.
• Hospital or clinic, day case or overnight. Setting and length of stay change the price more than most people expect.
• Whether it is combined with abdominal surgery. Done alongside a tummy tuck the navel is part of a larger operation rather than a separate line.
• What aftercare is included. Dressings, garments, suture removal and how many reviews are covered before you fly home.

The clinic listing on this page shows each clinic's current price with a note of what it covers. For instalments, see payment plans. For the abdominal wall rather than the navel, see tummy tuck and fleur-de-lis tummy tuck.