What constitutes the perfect belly button? A recent survey by the Countess of Chester NHS Foundation showed that women of black and Asian descent would most like to have a round innie belly button, whilst Caucasian women would prefer to have a vertical oval belly button. Of all the women surveyed, all wanted an ‘innie’ rather than an ‘outie’.

If you are unhappy with the shape of your belly button it is possible to have cosmetic surgery to change its shape.

Your belly button is basically scar tissue. After birth, the umbilical cord is clamped and over the next week or so, the remaining part of the cord falls off and leaves the belly button. The umbilical cord is designed to pass through a small opening in the baby’s abdominal muscles. This opening should close before birth but if the muscles don’t grow together a weakness can form and this can cause a small hernia, creating a protruding belly button.

Quite often, ‘outies’ will turn to ‘innies’ over time therefore the majority of people have ‘innies’ by the time they reach toddler age. Very few adults will have outies as the hernia tends to get operated on as a child.

Occasionally, an innie may turn into an outie in adulthood thanks to stress on the abdominal wall – being overweight and lifting heavy objects are two factors that increase this risk. Pregnant women also sometimes find their belly button pops out but it normally pops back in again after birth.

For those who don’t like the look of their navels, there is a procedure called a ‘umbilicoplasty’ which will help to fix the issue. Most commonly the umbilicoplasty is done in conjunction with a tummy tuck however it is possible to have it done on it’s own.

Usually the umbilicoplasty is performed under local anaesthetic and normally takes between 30 minutes and 3 hours to perform. As the incisions are typically made inside the belly button itself, there is little visible scarring.

(Photo Credit: Arnout Van Scherpenzeel)