The popularity of cosmetic umbilicoplasty, otherwise known as belly button surgery, has skyrocketed in the past few years. Most of the patients who undergo a belly button surgery are women (over 92% of the total in 2003), but men also use the procedure to sculpt a more aesthetically pleasing belly button. Belly button surgery can be performed at the same time as a tummy tuck or other cosmetic procedure, and is sometimes done in conjunction with hernia repair.

Belly button surgery can turn almost any shape or size of navel into almost any other shape/size, and in many cases, belly button surgery patients are attempting to create a more youthful looking midriff, hoping that their belly button surgery will either result in an entirely different navel from the one they had growing up, or are using the belly button surgery to reverse changes brought on by weight gain, pregnancy, or age. In most belly button surgery cases, the patient wants to correct a protruding bellybutton, or turn their "outtie" into an "innie". For most patients, the belly button surgery results would be a vertically-oriented belly button or one that is T-shaped, with a tiny flap of skin overhanging the belly button.

If belly button surgery is the only procedure being performed, it usually requires only local anesthesia. In some cases, a belly button surgery patient may receive a sedative via an intravenous drip. Surgeons can perform belly button surgery in their offices or in a surgical center, and the entire process takes between 30 and 90 minutes from start to finish. The scar resulting from a belly button surgery is concealed inside the navel, and there is little if any swelling, bruising or discomfort, and results of a belly button surgery are immediately visible. Patients may return to work or other daily activities the same day as their belly button surgery and the sutures are usually dissolvable, eliminating the need to return to the doctor to have stitches removed. Usually, the belly button surgery results will be permanent, unless patients gain significant amounts of weight or become pregnant following surgery.

Patients who decide to undergo belly button surgery may appear to be making only the slightest adjustment, but this small change can create a greater sense of poise and pride in appearance. In a society that has become admittedly obsessed with midriff baring styles, belly button surgery gives patients confidence in their appearance and allows them to enjoy a full range of fashions without feeling self-conscious. Belly button surgery is safe, quick, inexpensive, and provides immediate results with little risk of complications or side effects.