#umbilectomy

[insipid-drivel]

Trans and getting surgery soon here: Plastic surgeons also help a lot with other issues that a regular doctor or surgeon may not be comfortable handling, like umbilectomies (surgically sealing up and permanently removing bellybuttons). My surgeon is going to be working in the same operating room as my OBGYN doing my hysterectomy at the same time.

The reason I'm having my bellybutton paved over is because I've always had a very narrow, deep one, and as I've gotten older, I keep getting skin infections like cellulitis in and around it regardless of how clean I keep myself and avoid getting dirt and debris in there (my plastic surgeon informed me this is surprisingly common and it's not a big deal or an unusual surgery for her, especially with bellybuttons, because they tend to be bacterial breeding grounds for everyone). So, to spare me more pain, medications, and risking drug-resistant infections, it's time to just go full Kyle XY.

For anyone curious: Your bellybutton is literally just a scar from where your umbilical cord used to connect you to your mother in the womb, and serves no real functional purpose whatsoever after birth. It's just normal to see them on everyone because most people don't have problems with theirs that require medical attention on the level of surgery.

Surgeons really, really, really don't want to give you surgery if they don't have to and that you don't want. Plastic surgeons may have a bad reputation in the USA and other countries, but it's well to remember that plastic surgery can sometimes be the best and most effective preventative care you can hope for.

Plastic surgeons are commonly called in to remove excess skin if patients who have lost a lot of weight (either intentionally or not) come to them with recurring fungal/bacterial skin infections, as well as affirming care for body dysmorphia caused by weight loss. Especially for fat and trans people, plastic surgeons often provide some of the best and most life-improving care you could ask for. If you have anything topical that is beyond the skills of a dermatologist, but still requires a surgeon's expertise and care, then you'll probably first get referred either to a general surgeon (especially if you need work done in your abdominal area), or a plastic surgeon by default.

"If they're so good, why can't my plastic surgeon do my hysterectomy?" I'm going to explain more nitty-gritty specifics that may squick or trigger some people, so I'll put a readmore here:

Because it's a more specialized surgery taught primarily to OBGYNs and any organ removal - even a routine appendectomy for appendicitis - is not considered a plastic surgery due to the nature of the risks involved, as our internal organs in our core abdomens are usually separated and protected from the rest of our bodies by layers of muscle, fat, connective tissue, and bones like ribs (many doctors refer to the protective layers around your organs as an "abdominal sheath"). If infectious bacteria, like MRSA, E. Coli, Staph, or Strep - which exist on surfaces like our skin naturally and only sometimes cause problems with infection - were to be introduced into the plural (between) spaces of our internal organs, it's pretty much guaranteed that the patient will develop a serious and potentially life-threatening case of sepsis (blood poisoning), and suffer major organ damage as a result, including to the heart and brain.

NO you absolutely WANT your PLASTIC SURGERY procedures to be done by a PLASTIC SURGEON.

As in someone who is specifically trained in it and does it every day.

Someone who is not specifically trained in pleasing cosmetic results and not actively practicing pleasing cosmetic results is how you get horrifying cosmetic results

I cannot tell you how many episodes of Botched I've seen where someone with a mangled nose job says some shit like "My dentist did 2 for 1 rhinoplasty...."

[marinafishiie]

Today I had my 15th surgery. My bellybutton had to be removed because I'd had so many surgeries through it that it had become very deformed and it was getting a lot of serious infections. The irony is hilarious to me. I feel pretty good as of now (ask me again tomorrow 😂). It has to be covered and secured until my post op appointment next Friday (I also have to where a binder for my poor abdominal muscles.) Overall I'm happy that it's done and I don't have to worry about getting another crazy infection. #surgery #umbilectomy #nobellybutton (at Clovis Community Medical Center)