Protruding belly buttons are often called “outies.” An estimated 10 percent of the population has an outie belly button with the remainder having an “innie,” according to a chapter in the eBook Umbilicus and Umbilical Cord.
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The majority of people have “innies,” the very scientific term for belly buttons that dip inward. Protruding “outies” can be found on approximately 10 percent of the population. They’re about as common as left-handedness.
An outie is normal and not usually a medical concern, only a cosmetic one for some. For some infants, the cause of an outie belly button may be an umbilical hernia or granuloma.
Most people who have an “outie” fall into one of two categories: either they were born with a tiny umbilical hernia, which is most likely, or had a small infection at the base of the umbilical cord that went unnoticed. This will cause unusual tissue called granulation tissue to form.
Innie or outie: Whether you have an innie or an outie bellybutton has nothing to do with whether your mother had one or your father or your grandfather. In other words, it has nothing to do with genetics. And it has nothing to do with how the doctor cut your umbilical cord.
Can I change my outie to an innie?
Umbilicoplasty is the plastic surgery procedure that can reshape both the innie and outie belly button, although it also can be reshaped during a tummy tuck. Outie-to-innie surgery often allows people to be more comfortable with their bodies and boosts a patient’s self-confidence and self-esteem.
An umbilical hernia occurs when part of your intestine bulges through the opening in your abdominal muscles near your bellybutton (navel). Umbilical hernias are common and typically harmless. Umbilical hernias are most common in infants, but they can affect adults as well.
An “outie” is typically a belly button with a small umbilical hernia. Umbilical hernias are more common in infants and in certain populations, including premature infants and blacks. Most umbilical hernias in infants are small and close spontaneously, usually within a couple of years.
An umbilical hernia looks like a lump in the navel. It might become more obvious when the infant is laughing, crying, going to the toilet, or coughing. When the child is lying down or relaxed, the lump may shrink or go away completely.
About 20 percent of all newborns have an “outie,” also called an umbilical hernia. This is a bulge caused by the umbilical cord as it enters the baby’s abdomen. After birth, as the umbilical cord heals and falls off, the opening to the abdomen usually closes spontaneously.
When should I worry about my umbilical hernia in adults?
A bulge in the belly button or surrounding region (often most visible when coughing or straining) Pain at the hernia site. Constipation. Sharp abdominal pain and vomiting can mean the hernia is strangulated (note: if you are experiencing these symptoms please seek immediate medical attention as surgery may be required)
Keep the area dry by giving sponge baths in the first few weeks after birth rather than submerging the belly button in a bath.
But it’s really mostly random, as the umbilical cord is always clamped well away from the navel and doesn’t usually affect innie or outie status. The shape of the belly button a person ends up with, however, is determined by how the umbilical cord was attached, not where it was cut.
The shape of your baby’s belly button, by the way, has nothing to do with how the cord was cut or anything else you or your doctor did. It’s simply a result of how your baby’s umbilical cord met her belly, and there’s nothing you can or should do to change it.
According to a study at the University of Missouri, small, T-shaped belly buttons are the most attractive. Researchers showed pictures of innies, outies, and belly buttons of all shapes and sizes to a group of men and women who rated them on a scale of 1 to 10 from least to most attractive.
Can you live with a hernia for years?
The absolute answer is that it is “unpredictable.” Some can live with a hernia for their whole life while others will develop a hernia related emergency within months of the development of their hernia.
Can you fix an umbilical hernia without surgery?
In many children, umbilical hernias can often be resolved with simple exercises instead of surgery. For adults, however, surgery is often required, and gentle exercise helps during recovery. Umbilical hernias in adults are generally caused by high amounts of pressure in the abdomen.
What are the symptoms of an umbilical hernia in adults?
Symptoms in adults with umbilical hernias include:
Bulge in or near the bellybutton that usually gets bigger when straining, lifting or coughing. Pressure or pain at the hernia site. Constipation. Sharp abdominal pain with vomiting — this can be a sign of a strangulated hernia and is a medical emergency.
What can be mistaken for a hernia?
What else can be mistaken for a hernia? While a hernia is the cause for most people who experience lumps in their abdomen, there are several other possibilities such as a hematoma, lipoma, a gynecological issue in women, or an undescended testicle in newborn boys. In rare cases, a lump may indicate a tumor.
If your baby has a bulge around the bellybutton, they may have an umbilical hernia. Before the umbilical cord falls off, you may notice that the area seems to stick out a little more when the baby cries. Or maybe, once the cord is gone, you see that their navel sticks out (an “outie,” as it’s commonly called).