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How Does a Doctor Decide if You Need a Tummy Tuck or Mini?

asked 9 months ago by CiciRider NYC in Long Beach, NY
Latest answer by Joseph Ku, MD
Question viewed 899 times
Tags: after pregnancy, excess skin, candidate, comparison

I've had two pregnancies which have left my lower abdomen all the way up to my navel with stretch marks and loose skin. I also have scaring on my navel from a piercing and laparoscopic surgery. I am fit and active, I have flat abs but I have a lot of excess skin which is noticeable when I bend over and when I lay on my side (like an empty pouch/deflated balloon) I am planning on having surgery in early 2012 and I guess my question is would I need a tummy tuck or mini tummy?

24 answers to How Does a Doctor Decide if You Need a Tummy Tuck or Mini?

Mini-tummy tuck indicated for thin patients with minimal excess skin

If you have loose skin limited to the lower half of your abdomen and do not have too much laxity of the tissues, you may qualify for a mini-tummy tuck. This procedure does not involve any surgical incisions around the belly button and limits the skin removal to the lower half of the abdomen only. A board certified plastic surgeon can evaluate you to determine which procedure is best for you. The scar for the mini-tummy tuck is not really that "mini", it's probably 2... more

William Bruno, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

www.williambrunomd.com

Full tummy tuck is needed if there is excess skin above the belly button

Hi CiciRider, The answer as to whether you need a full or mini tummy tuck is fairly straight foward. Your plastic surgeon will examine you and determine how much skin laxity you have about the belly button. If there is a significant amount of excess or lax skin above the belly button, then you a full tummy tuck will give you a better result. In some patients, and this is not the usual case, there is only excess skin below the belly button. If this excess skin is... more

Tracy Pfeifer, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Mini or full tummy tuck?

Most patients after childbirth will benefit from a full tummy tuck. If you have limited laxity that is mostly below the belly button, then a mini tummy tuck might be of benefit. The incision is a little shorter with a mini tummy tuck and there is no incision around the belly button.

Richard Dale Reynolds, MD
El Paso Plastic Surgeon

A full tummy tuck is best, a mini will not be sufficient

In order to remove the stretch marks, it is necessary to remove a larger area of skin than is possible with a mini. The muscle repair will also help give you a tighter belly button. The incision line needs to be kept down low, so you can wear a bikini. Also, it should be a gentle concave scar, not a straight line or a W. The limitation with a mini is that the belly button is not released, so that just a few inches of skin can be removed from the lower abdomen. ... more

Eric Swanson MD
Leawood Plastic Surgeon

www.swansoncenter.com

Mini or Full Tummy Tuck

The determination of whether to do a mini or a full tummy tuck depends on what issues you are trying to address. A full tummy tuck often involves tightening of the muscle, excising excess skin and transposing the belly button while a mini tummy tuck usually involves only skin removal with possibly some lower abdominal muscle tightening. It is therefore important to figure out exactly what your issues are before recommending one or the other. If you have loose skin only below the belly... more

Navinderdeep S. Nijher, MD
Ocala Plastic Surgeon

ocalaplasticsurgery.com

Full vs Mini Tummy Tuck

First: most patients wished that their abdomen looked liked yours without having surgery. Saying that your surgeon will need to examine you to determine if your have laxity or looseness of your abdominal muscles below the umbilicus only or above and below the umbilicus. If your need your muscles tightened above the umbilicus then you need a full abdominopoasty. If you only need tightening below the umbilicus then you might only need a mini or lower abdonimplasty. Concerning stretch marks, it... more

Stephen A. Chidyllo, MD
Red Bank Plastic Surgeon

How Does a Doctor Decide if You Need a Tummy Tuck or Mini?

Based upon the posted photo I would either not offer a surgery or a very minor mini mini tuck. We all might think about your realistic expectations.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Full Tummy tuck vs. Mini Tummy Tuck

Most patients who have had children and have the loose, damaged skin that you are talking about would benefit from a fully tummy tuck with muscle repair. The best way to know FOR SURE is to have an examination by a board certified plastic surgeon. Be careful when choosing your surgeon because many will try to make the patient happy with a shorter scar (mini tummy tuck) but the results will not be the best. Communicate your desires and goals to your surgeon to make sure you... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

Tummy tuck

Only by examination of your skin laxity, muscle laxity one will be able to advise you properly. From the picture posted, you do not need any thing,

Samir Shureih, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

Mini or full abdominoplasty

I would recommend you get a consultation from a board certified plastic surgeon and maybe a second opinion if the first does not sound correct to you. It is hard to tell by the photos you submitted. But I think that a mini is the most that I would recommend on you, with possibly laser treatments to help the stretch marks. Your upper abdomen looks pretty good. That is where the decision for a mini to a full gets made. The umbilical area and the upper abdomen will not be helped with a mini... more

Rick Rosen, MD
Norwalk Plastic Surgeon

Full or mini tummy tuck

It all depends on the amount of skin laxity and muscle laxity you have. Most patients do better with the full tummy tuck if laxity is significant. A select few may obtain an adequate result with the mini tummy tuck if the problem is mostly below the belly button. Donald R. Nunn MD Atlanta Plastic Surgeon.

Donald Nunn, MD, DDS
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Full tummy tuck or mini?

A full tummy tuck is needed if there is excess skin above the belly button as well as below it. If there is excess skin only below the belly button, a lower or "mini" tummy tuck is usually sufficient. If there is a loose skin below the belly button and only a VERY MILD amount of skin excess above it, AND if the belly button is relatively high and could stand to be lowered a centimeter or two, then a modified "mini" with an umbilical float (lower the belly... more

Robert M. Grenley, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Patient Should Decide On Mini vs Full Tummy Tuck

You should seek one or more consultations with board-certified plastic surgeons (who preferably are members of ASAPS). During these consultations you will hopefully be presented with the benefits and risks of both a full and a mini tummy tuck. Following this you should be able to make the choice for which procedure si better suited for you. I will say that from your photo it appears that, if you elect to have a full tummy tuck, you have little enough excess skin that a... more

John Whitt, MD
Louisville Plastic Surgeon

Full Tummy Tuck or Mini?

The decision of whether to do a full tummy tuck or mini-abdominoplasty is based on how much extra skin you have on you abdomen that needs to be removed. Most people with extra skin and stretch marks can benefit from a standard abdominoplasty but there some people who just don't have that much loose skin to be removed and pulled down. The location of your belly button on your abdomen is also important. A mini-tuck will often pull down the belly button about an inch, so... more

Adam Hamawy, MD
Westchester Plastic Surgeon

You needa tummy tuck

If the picture associated with your question is you as you look now, I might not recommend any surgery. The best measure of permanently damaged skin are stretch marks. If the skin is damaged all the way to the navel, you need a tummy tuck. Rolls of loose skin across the lower abdomen can also be an indicator for permanently damaged skin. However they also occur temporarily early after everyones pregnancy and can resolve over a 6-12 month period. Rolls also occur with... more

Raymond A. Capone, Jr., MD
Pittsburgh Plastic Surgeon

Mini vs Full Tummy tuck...... NO ONE CAN ANSWER THIS WITHOUT A PROPER EXAM

Based on your description and photo, it sounds very tempting to say that you can get away with a mini tummy tuck, but the fact is that you may still be a candidate for a full tummy tuck. If I can pull the skin just above your belly buttom down to your pubic bone area and if you have abdominal wall laxity or diastasis, I would not feel right offering you a mini tummy tuck.

Joseph Ku, MD
Riverside Plastic Surgeon

Options for abdominal tightening

It is difficult to tell without personally evaluating you, but people who have especially slack skin in their midsection need more than what liposuction alone can offer. Typical candidates for a full tummy tuck are women with drooping abdomens after pregnancy, women and men who've lost a great deal of weight, menopausal women, or older people with loose skin due to age. In the tummy tuck, the skin from the rib cage down to the pelvic area is tightened, and the navel is moved up and... more

Michelle Copeland, MD, DMD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Tummy Tuck or Mini, What are the Criteria?

The choice of doing a tummy tuck (full dissection up to the upper mid-abdomen) is based on the degree of loose skin and stretch marks and how important it is to the patient to have the optimal treatment of those problems. The condition you described is typical of a patient who receives a tummy tuck in my practice. Only with a tummy tuck can all these issues be corrected: removal of skin excess, removal of all stretch marks in the lower abdomen (but not above the umbilicus), a sleek,... more

Robert M. Lowen, MD
Bay Area Plastic Surgeon

www.enhanced-you.com

Deciding between mini and full tummy tuck

Looking at your picture you have already done great job of getting back into shape. The decision as to whether you need a mini or full tummy tuck depends on how tight you want your skin to be afterward and how much loose skin you have above your belly button. If the skin above your belly button is not too loose I would recommend a mini. This would have the advantage of a shorter scar and be able to tighten the skin of your lower tummy. If your lower muscles are weak they can be tightened at... more

Ronald Schuster, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

www.drschuster.com

Mini tummy tuck for lower abdomen only

A tummy tuck is done to tighten loose skin, repair a muscle separation if any, and remove localized fat if necessary. These are of course the things that can't be accomplished with diet and exercise alone. If the skin laxity is limited to the lower part of the abdomen only, then a mini could work but in general it has no effect on the upper abdomen, at least as far as skin tightening goes. Most patients do best with the standard abdominoplasty but only a surgeon examining you can make... more

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

You need a consultation

No one can tell you for sure what you need over the internet. That is why I offer a complimentary consultation, I have been doing tummy tucks for years and will tell you what you need. After that it is your choice.

William B. Rosenblatt, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Mini vs. full tummy tuck

The laxity and excess amount of your abdominal skin will determine which type of tummy tuck you will be best served with. From your photograph, you appear to have a modest excess of skin. You may be a reasonable candidate for a (modified) mini tummy tuck which moves your navel downward 1-2 inches and precludes any scar around it also, but tightens your entire abdomen by removeing some, but not all, of the skin below your navel. However, this will not remove all your... more

Ricardo Izquierdo, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Mini Tummy Tuck or Full Tummy Tuck

Your Plastic Surgeon will evaluate the following in determining which is the best procedure for you Skin quality and elasticity Location and amount of excess skin and fat Muscle laxity and location Patients with good skin quality , few stretch marks, excess skin and muscle laxity confined to the area below the belly button are good candidates for a mini tummy tuck the muscles are tightened from the pubic region up to belly button. The incision is shorter... more

Richard Linderman, MD
Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon

How do I know if I need a mini tummy-tuck or a full

A mini-tummy tuck tightens the lower abdomen. The muscles can be repaired bellow the ubilicus. The amount of skin and stretch marks that can be removed and tightened is limited to less than half of the skin between the pubic area and umbilicus. Stretch marks above the skin that is removed would still remain. Loose skin and muscle separation above the umbilicus are not treated. Based on the picutures, you may not have enough excess skin to recommend a... more