A navel or belly button is the remnant of your former umbilical cord.
There are a lot of different anatomical variations of the belly button that go beyond the simple “innie” and “outie” classifications.
Check out the different appearances below and find out what you can do if you don’t like what your button looks like.
Your belly button is one of the unique attributes that makes you, you. While the following are some common variations in appearance, there are lots of different belly button shapes.
Protruding (outie)
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.
An outie occurs when the remaining portion of the umbilical stump, where your umbilical cord was attached, goes out instead of in.
Deep hollow
A deep hollow belly button will typically appear if there’s a shadow underneath the belly button’s top fold.
This belly button type resembles a slightly open mouth. Some people in this category may have a “funnel” belly button, which is common with excess abdominal fat.
Vertical (typically narrow)
Some doctors call a vertical belly button a “split” belly button because it looks like the portion of the stomach makes a slight up-and-down split.
A vertical belly button typically has very little hooding over its top, instead looking much like an “I” imprinted in the skin. A vertical belly button is the most common belly button type, according to an article from 2010.
