Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesMedical CausesReshaping an Outie
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Medical Causes
Reshaping an Outie
Outie belly buttons are usually the result of normal variations in how the umbilical cord heals. The belly button is essentially a scar; some people have an inward scar (an “innie”) and others develop a slight outward bulge (an “outie”).
A couple of medical conditions can lead to an outie belly button. These include umbilical hernia (in which the intestines push through a weakened abdominal wall and into the umbilicus) and umbilical granuloma (in which inflamed tissue forms around the belly button during the newborn stage).
Cavan Images / Getty Images.
Are Outie Belly Buttons Rare?An estimated 10% of people have an outie belly button.
Are Outie Belly Buttons Rare?
An estimated 10% of people have an outie belly button.
Why Some People Have Outie Belly Buttons
There is nothing you can do to make an innie or an outie more likely. Outies do not develop because of how well a parent cleans the stump or how a healthcare provider clamps or cuts the cord.
Outie MisconceptionsSome believe an outie belly button results from how a healthcare provider cut or clamped the umbilical cord at birth or how caregivers took care of the umbilical stump. However, outie belly buttons are usually the result of the scar’s shape after the umbilical stump falls off.
Outie Misconceptions
Some believe an outie belly button results from how a healthcare provider cut or clamped the umbilical cord at birth or how caregivers took care of the umbilical stump. However, outie belly buttons are usually the result of the scar’s shape after the umbilical stump falls off.
Why Does My Belly Button Hurt? 13 Possible Reasons
When Outies Have a Medical Cause
Umbilical Hernias
Signs of an umbilical hernia include a bulge near the belly button with the following characteristics:
About 90% of the time, umbilical hernias close independently and do not require intervention.However, sometimeshernia repair surgeryis warranted.
How Being Pregnant Affects Your Belly Button
Umbilical Granuloma
Anumbilical granulomais the most common cause of an umbilical mass.It occurs in newborns after the umbilical stumps fall off.
It is unclear why it happens, but researchers believe it may be due toinflammationaround the base of the umbilical cord, likely due to infection.
An umbilical granuloma looks like a bright piece of red flesh where normal healing should have occurred after the umbilical stump falls off.
Treatment options include:
Umbilical granulomas occur in about one in 500 births.
Can You Fix an Outie Belly Button?
Some people who are unhappy with the appearance of their belly button choose cosmetic surgery to reshape their navel. This type ofplastic surgeryis calledumbilicoplasty. It can turn your outie into an innie if that is your goal.
This type of surgery is most commonly used during anabdominoplasty(tummy tuck). Some people may choose this procedure post-pregnancy to reshape their navel closer to its pre-pregnancy shape, while others may get a tummy tuck to resolve a belly button piercing scar.
Summary
Outie belly buttons are not as common as innie belly buttons, but, most often, they are just another normal variation. How a belly button looks depends on how your skin healed after the umbilical stump fell off.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kim DH, Lee HJ, Kim JY, Jung HR.Differential diagnosis of umbilical polyps and granulomas in children: sonographic and pathologic correlations.Ultrasonography.2021 Apr;40(2):248-255. doi:10.14366/usg.20020Fahmy M.Chapter: Umbilicus Types and Shapes.Umbilicus and Umbilical Cord.Springer eBooks. Published online January 1, 2018:105-108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62383-2_22Mount Sinai.Umbilical cord care in newborns.American Academy of Pediatrics.Umbilical hernia in babies and children.Haftu H, Gebremichael TG, Kebedom AG.Salt treatment for umbilical granuloma - An effective, cheap, and available alternative treatment option: Case report.Pediatric Health Med Ther. 2020;11:393-397. doi:10.2147/PHMT.S269114Gardani M, Palli D, Simonacci F, Grieco MP, Bertozzi N, Raposio E.Umbilical reconstruction: different techniques, a single aim.Acta Biomed.2019 Dec 23;90(4):504-509. doi:10.23750/abm.v90i4.7539American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What is a tummy tuck?
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kim DH, Lee HJ, Kim JY, Jung HR.Differential diagnosis of umbilical polyps and granulomas in children: sonographic and pathologic correlations.Ultrasonography.2021 Apr;40(2):248-255. doi:10.14366/usg.20020Fahmy M.Chapter: Umbilicus Types and Shapes.Umbilicus and Umbilical Cord.Springer eBooks. Published online January 1, 2018:105-108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62383-2_22Mount Sinai.Umbilical cord care in newborns.American Academy of Pediatrics.Umbilical hernia in babies and children.Haftu H, Gebremichael TG, Kebedom AG.Salt treatment for umbilical granuloma - An effective, cheap, and available alternative treatment option: Case report.Pediatric Health Med Ther. 2020;11:393-397. doi:10.2147/PHMT.S269114Gardani M, Palli D, Simonacci F, Grieco MP, Bertozzi N, Raposio E.Umbilical reconstruction: different techniques, a single aim.Acta Biomed.2019 Dec 23;90(4):504-509. doi:10.23750/abm.v90i4.7539American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What is a tummy tuck?
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kim DH, Lee HJ, Kim JY, Jung HR.Differential diagnosis of umbilical polyps and granulomas in children: sonographic and pathologic correlations.Ultrasonography.2021 Apr;40(2):248-255. doi:10.14366/usg.20020Fahmy M.Chapter: Umbilicus Types and Shapes.Umbilicus and Umbilical Cord.Springer eBooks. Published online January 1, 2018:105-108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62383-2_22Mount Sinai.Umbilical cord care in newborns.American Academy of Pediatrics.Umbilical hernia in babies and children.Haftu H, Gebremichael TG, Kebedom AG.Salt treatment for umbilical granuloma - An effective, cheap, and available alternative treatment option: Case report.Pediatric Health Med Ther. 2020;11:393-397. doi:10.2147/PHMT.S269114Gardani M, Palli D, Simonacci F, Grieco MP, Bertozzi N, Raposio E.Umbilical reconstruction: different techniques, a single aim.Acta Biomed.2019 Dec 23;90(4):504-509. doi:10.23750/abm.v90i4.7539American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What is a tummy tuck?
Kim DH, Lee HJ, Kim JY, Jung HR.Differential diagnosis of umbilical polyps and granulomas in children: sonographic and pathologic correlations.Ultrasonography.2021 Apr;40(2):248-255. doi:10.14366/usg.20020
Fahmy M.Chapter: Umbilicus Types and Shapes.Umbilicus and Umbilical Cord.Springer eBooks. Published online January 1, 2018:105-108. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62383-2_22
Mount Sinai.Umbilical cord care in newborns.
American Academy of Pediatrics.Umbilical hernia in babies and children.
Haftu H, Gebremichael TG, Kebedom AG.Salt treatment for umbilical granuloma - An effective, cheap, and available alternative treatment option: Case report.Pediatric Health Med Ther. 2020;11:393-397. doi:10.2147/PHMT.S269114
Gardani M, Palli D, Simonacci F, Grieco MP, Bertozzi N, Raposio E.Umbilical reconstruction: different techniques, a single aim.Acta Biomed.2019 Dec 23;90(4):504-509. doi:10.23750/abm.v90i4.7539
American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What is a tummy tuck?
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