Age, gravity, and general wear and tear of life all cause things to change, just like all structures on the body do. This is more obvious on a woman’s abdomen than anywhere else. The smooth, flat abdomen that the majority of women have when they are young can be negatively impacted by puberty, pregnancy, and weight change. The biggest offender in this situation is pregnancy, which stretches the skin through expansion and contraction and leaves c-section scars.

The c-section scar contracts and pulls in, causing the loose skin to hang over the scar and causing a lower abdominal bulge. Stretch marks frequently surround the belly button and rise up from the scar. Unfortunately, no amount of exercise or dieting will reduce this excess of skin, as many women can attest to. Abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck, will solve this issue, but a traditional or full tummy tuck may be more extensive than many women would like to have done. Given the reduced amount of skin overhang, a full tummy tuck may not be warranted with its lengthy hip to hip scar. The belly button must also be moved at the skin’s level during a full tummy tuck, leaving a scar. Despite my best efforts, I have trouble making belly button scars because most of them are visible to some extent and don’t look entirely natural.

The Bikini Line Tummy Tuck is an additional option if you want a smaller version of the procedure. The scar that results from this method is shorter, but more importantly, it stays at a very low level. (therefore the name (Bikini Line) Because less skin was removed than would be necessary for a full tummy tuck, the scar was placed very low and the cutout was made below the belly button. Because there is less tension on the final skin closure, which could cause it to be pulled up higher, the initial incision of the cut out can be placed as low as possible. (as occurs in a full tummy tuck) Furthermore, since the belly button is moved lower from beneath the skin before the final skin closure, no scar is left around it.

Not all women with excess skin and fat on their abdomen qualify for the Bikini Line Tummy Tuck, but about half of the women I see do. She may be the perfect candidate if she is not overweight and has a small lower belly pouch, either with or without a c-section scar. The end result is a scar that is small enough to fit inside the bikini line while still allowing for a flat belly and a belly button without any scars.