Belly button surgery, known clinically as umbilicoplasty, reshapes the size, shape or position of the navel, most often to correct a stretched or protruding belly button left by pregnancy, weight loss or a previous hernia repair. Belly button surgery cost in the UK typically starts from around £2,500, though the real figure depends on technique, anaesthetic and whether any hernia repair is combined with it.
Prof. Sandip Hindocha is a GMC-registered plastic surgeon and a member of both BAAPS and BAPRAS. This guide walks through what the surgery actually changes, when it’s cosmetic versus medically necessary, what drives the price, and what recovery involves.
What Belly Button Surgery Actually Involves
Belly button surgery is usually performed under local anaesthetic or sedation and takes around an hour. Working through a small incision hidden inside the navel itself, the surgeon removes excess skin or fat, then repositions and re-stitches the belly button into a more natural, inward-facing shape.
Nothing about the surrounding abdomen changes unless it’s combined with another procedure. The scar sits inside the natural fold of the navel, so it’s not visible once healed.
Common Reasons People Consider It
An “outie” belly button that never sat flat, a navel stretched wide and shallow by pregnancy or significant weight loss, and visible asymmetry left behind by an old hernia repair or piercing are the reasons that come up most often. None of these are medical problems on their own, they’re appearance concerns.
It’s also common alongside a wider procedure rather than on its own. A tummy tuck repositions the navel anyway as part of tightening the abdominal skin, so belly button reshaping is often folded into that operation rather than booked separately. Where pregnancy has changed the abdomen more broadly, the combined approach covered under a mummy makeover is usually the more efficient route than treating the navel in isolation.
Cosmetic Belly Button Surgery or Umbilical Hernia Repair
These two get confused constantly, and the distinction actually matters for cost and NHS eligibility. An umbilical hernia is fatty tissue or bowel pushing through a genuine weak spot in the abdominal wall, it’s a medical condition. Cosmetic belly button surgery changes how the navel looks with no underlying structural problem.
The two can overlap. Someone with a small hernia can also want the cosmetic reshaping done at the same time, in which case the hernia repair portion is a genuine medical procedure and the reshaping on top of it is cosmetic.
| Cosmetic Belly Button Surgery | Umbilical Hernia Repair | |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Reshapes the size, shape or position of the navel | Pushes the hernia back in and strengthens the abdominal wall |
| Medically necessary | No | Usually, once diagnosed in an adult |
| NHS funded | No | Often, when symptomatic |
| Anaesthetic | Usually local anaesthetic or sedation | Usually general anaesthetic |
| Typical procedure time | About an hour | Around 20 to 30 minutes |
A detailed NHS overview of umbilical hernia repair covers how the medical version of this procedure is diagnosed and treated, useful background if you’re not sure which category you fall into before booking a consultation.
What Determines Belly Button Surgery Cost
Technique is the biggest factor. A straightforward reshaping under local anaesthetic costs less than a procedure combined with hernia mesh repair or done under general anaesthetic. Surgeon experience and clinic location, particularly central London versus elsewhere, also move the figure.
As general market context, not a quote, published UK pricing for umbilicoplasty on its own runs from roughly £2,500, rising toward £5,000 or more where hernia repair or general anaesthetic is involved. What should be included in any quote you’re given, for this or any procedure, is covered on the cost of private plastic surgery in the UK page.
Recovery Timeline
Bruising and swelling around the navel are normal for the first week and settle on their own. Most people manage showering and light daily activity within one to three days, and are back at a desk-based job within a week.
Anything strenuous, including exercise that engages the abdomen, generally needs to wait two to three weeks. Final results are usually settled by around six to eight weeks once any remaining swelling has resolved.
Risks and Possible Side Effects
Bruising, swelling and temporary numbness around the navel are common and resolve without treatment. As with any incision, there’s a small risk of infection or a visible scar, though the scar sits inside the navel’s natural fold and is rarely noticeable once healed.
A very small number of patients aren’t happy with the final shape and want a revision. Discussing the specific outcome you want, rounder, smaller, more inward, before surgery reduces that risk considerably.
Is Belly Button Surgery Available on the NHS
Cosmetic belly button surgery on its own is not funded by the NHS, since it changes appearance rather than function. If a genuine umbilical hernia is diagnosed, that repair is usually offered on the NHS, but the service stops at fixing the hernia, not reshaping the navel afterwards.
Patients sometimes end up paying privately for the cosmetic reshaping on top of an NHS hernia repair, or choosing to have both done privately together in one operation.
Belly Button Surgery With Prof Hindocha
Prof. Hindocha is a GMC-registered plastic surgeon and a member of both BAAPS and BAPRAS, and assesses at consultation whether a case is cosmetic, medical, or a genuine mix of both before recommending an approach. Where a broader change to the abdomen is also wanted, options like body contouring are discussed alongside belly button surgery rather than in isolation.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your belly button has bothered you since pregnancy, weight loss or an old hernia repair, it’s worth finding out what’s actually realistic for your case. Book a consultation with Prof. Hindocha to talk it through.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute medical advice. Individual results vary, and suitability for any procedure can only be confirmed following an in-person consultation with a qualified, registered clinician.
