Why Is My Belly Button Black After a Tummy Tuck?

After going through the process to have a tummy tuck, you want your belly to look sleek and sexy. But, as with all medical procedures, abdominoplasty has potential complications, including a belly button that turns black.

See your doctor if your belly button turns black post-surgery. "Belly girl" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Robert McDon. (Robert McDonald) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.

Identification

Some pain and bruising is to be expected after a tummy tuck operation. However, if your belly button is severely darkened (beyond a bruised appearance), it may be the sign of a rare complication called umbilical necrosis.

Definition

Umbilical necrosis is a condition caused by a damaged blood supply to the belly button during the surgery. The lack of blood supply causes tissue death.

Theories

A uncommon complication, umbilical necrosis is seen more often in smokers. A University of Texas study showed that the risk of umbilical necrosis in abdominoplasty patients was 27.5 percent for smokers compared to 11.8 percent in non-smokers.

Considerations

Umbilical necrosis is a likely explanation for a black belly button after a tummy tuck. However, there are other possibilities including scarring and hyperpigmentation. See your doctor for an official diagnosis.

Treatment

Your doctor will determine the treatment plan after diagnosing the complication with your belly button. Umbilical necrosis often requires additional surgery.

References

• Consultant Plastic Surgeon
• NCBI - PubMed
• A Board Certified Plastic Surgeon