Why are people's belly buttons different?
John Kim
Published Apr 11, 2026
Herein, why do belly buttons look different?
The belly button outcome is random. Once the umbilical cord is cut, the cord will dry up and fall off. The most popular explanation is that the difference between innies and outies is due to where the umbilical cord is cut and that extra skin left from the umbilical cord may cause the protrusion of an outie.
Furthermore, why do humans have belly buttons but animals don t? While mammals do have belly buttons, they're a little harder to find. Since mammals are gestated inside their mothers, they are all born with umbilical cords. When they emerge, the mother chews off the cord with her teeth, leaving a flat scar that is less noticeable than a human's navel.
Keeping this in view, is it normal for your belly button to change shape?
Your belly button shape can change — under one special circumstance, pregnancy. “The expansion of the abdomen can cause some “innie” belly buttons to pop out and become outies, but most often, there is not much change in the structure itself,” says Dr. Jaffe.
Can you fix an outie belly button?
An outie belly button is a cosmetic issue and doesn't require surgery. Granulomas need to be treated to avoid infection. Hernias usually disappear on their own and those that don't can be treated with a simple surgical procedure after the age of 4 or 5.
Related Question Answers
Do guys like belly buttons?
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.Is innie or outie genetic?
"It has to do with how much baby skin leads onto the umbilical cord from the baby's body. Less skin makes an innie; more skin makes an outie." About 90 percent of people have innies, and the rest are outies.Is it bad to pick your belly button?
If you pick at any body part enough to cause an infection then it is possible for an untreated infection to be fatal.Do belly buttons smell weird?
Bacteria and other germs create the foul smell, just as they make your armpits smell when you sweat. The deeper your belly button is, the more dirt and germs can build up inside it. The result of this mix of bacteria, dirt, and sweat is an unpleasant odor.Is innie or outie more common?
Innies are much more common. Only about 10 per cent of people have an outie! But 100 per cent of people have a belly button!Are Outies unattractive?
People take their cues about you based on your belly buttonAccording to a paper in The FASEB Journal, people prefer navels that are T-shaped or oval, and vertical with a little hooding. While outies are considered unattractive, it may come of surprise that innies that are too deep are also given the cold shoulder.