Having a baby is the source of much joy and much consternation, especially if you’re Kim Kardashian.
After the birth of her second son, Saint, she noticed with dismay that the appearance of her stomach and her belly button had changed, and not for the better. That was simply unacceptable to the photo-obsessed celebrity. When you’re a Kardashian, however, there’s nothing a little cosmetic procedure can’t fix. Today, Kim is once again proud to show off her belly thanks to a simple cosmetic procedure. Was it a good choice? Are there better alternatives?
Costhetics, Australia’s leading source for news and information about cosmetic surgery and aesthetic enhancement, believes that everyone, if they want to, should be a Kardashian. In this article, we look at the belly button-beautifying procedure that Kim chose and other options that exist, even if you’re not a Kardashian.
Kim & Experts Agree on Belly Buttons
“Anyone that’s had babies understands,” Kim wrote to her SnapChat followers regarding her changed body. Was it just her vanity speaking? No. Kim may not be a doctor, but there is plenty of scientific evidence that supports her position that having a baby is hell on your belly button. In the covered-up Victorian Era, this might not have mattered. Today, however, crop tops, bikini’s, and hip-hugging trousers, encourage women to show off their navels with pride. That can be tough when you’ve had a baby.
Pregnancy distorts the skin and ‘architecture’ of a woman’s abdominal area. Muscle layers and skin stretch to accommodate the growing foetus. Most pregnant women watch with fascination as their bellies change, and innie belly buttons turn into outies during the second or third trimester. When baby arrives, however, the subsequent weight loss may cause the belly button to become wider, looser, and stretched to a long, horizontal skin fold.
Cosmetic Surgery: How to Have a Beautiful Belly Button
Kim chose a resurfacing laser treatment to rejuvenate her post-pregnancy belly. Her goal was to “Tighten it up,” she said, “…so it looks normal.” While the procedure certainly improves skin tone and texture, doctors agree that it does not truly address the problem of a misshapen navel. Instead, they recommend umbilicoplasty (belly button reshaping surgery).
A number of different techniques are used to reshape the belly button. A surgeon will make the selection based upon the patient’s physiology, the doctor’s skills and preferences, and the type of change required.
The procedure costs between $2000 and $4000 (AUD). This includes
- Surgeon’s and assistant surgeon’s fees
- Anaesthetist’s fee
- Hospital facilities and services fees
- The cost of follow up visits
Belly Button Perfection: Surgical Science Meets Playboy Magazine
We were surprised to learn that software has been created to help doctors determine the attributes of a beautiful belly button. A study conducted by the National University of Singapore entitled ‘Computer-Aided Analysis of the ‘Beautiful’ Umbilicus’ used the software to assess images of the belly buttons of 37 Playboy playmates. They determined that a beautiful belly button:
- Has a vertical ratio of 46:54 between xiphoid process and lower limit of vulvar cleft
- A midline horizontal position
- A length 5% of the length of the xiphoid process to the lower limit of vulvar cleft
- An oval shape with no hooding or superior hooding
Got it?
As always, Costhetics thinks you’re fabulous just the way you are. Innie or outie, surgically enhanced or the way Mother Nature made it, we think all belly buttons are the bomb.