Should I get a floating tummy tuck procedure?

Floating abdominoplasty uses a small incision in the lower abdomen to allow for the tummy to be tightened and shaped. No incision around the belly button is needed. Through the incision, excess skin is removed and muscles can be tightened. The belly button is temporarily detached during the surgery to allow for this. You experience muscle tightening from sternum to pubic area. After the belly button is reattached (and moved down if necessary) the incisions are sutured. Liposuction can be performed if necessary to eliminate excess fat. Please see an experienced board certified plastic surgeon for a physical examination to determine which treatment would be most suitable. A floating abdominoplasty may help you. Good luck.

Hello, and thank you for your question about whether you should consider a floating tummy tuck, especially after two C-sections. First, congratulations on maintaining a healthy weight — you’ve done a great job getting to this point!

A floating tummy tuck (also called an umbilical float tummy tuck or mini tummy tuck with umbilical release) is a less invasive version of a full abdominoplasty. It’s designed for patients who:

Have most of their loose skin and bulging below the belly button

Don’t have significant loose skin or muscle separation above the belly button

Want a smaller scar and faster recovery compared to a full tummy tuck

During a floating tummy tuck, the belly button is temporarily detached from the muscle underneath, but not from the overlying skin. This allows the surgeon to tighten the muscles and remove excess skin below the belly button without having to make a new opening for the belly button (like in a full tummy tuck). Instead, the belly button is "floated" slightly downward — usually about 1–2 centimeters — and reattached without creating a new scar around it.

Based on your description — healthy BMI, small lower abdominal overhang from C-sections, little to no loose skin above the belly button — a floating tummy tuck could be a very appropriate option for you. It would allow you to:

Tighten the area below your belly button

Flatten the lower abdomen

Avoid a full-length, hip-to-hip scar and major disruption to the upper abdominal area

Important things to consider:

If you have significant muscle separation above the belly button, a floating tummy tuck may not be enough, and a full tummy tuck would be better.

If you’re okay with your belly button being slightly lower (a subtle shift), you’ll likely be very happy with the trade-off.

The recovery is generally easier and quicker than with a full tummy tuck, but you still need to take it seriously — about 2–4 weeks off from heavy lifting or strenuous exercise is typical.

Floating tummy tucks aren’t as commonly talked about because they are suited to a very specific group of patients, but when you’re a good candidate, they can offer beautiful, natural-looking results with fewer scars and downtime.

Wishing you the best as you move forward!

Sincerely,
Dr. J. Timothy Katzen, MD, MBA, FASMBS, FICS
(Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons; Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, International College of Surgery, and American Board of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery; Member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, and RealSelf Hall of Fame)

Before committing to any tummy tuck technique, be sure to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon who has significant experience with mini tummy tucks and floating umbilical techniques. Review their before-and-after photos carefully, and make sure they explain all your options clearly during your consultation.

Thank you for your question. To provide a valid medical opinion I will need to see pictures of you body from different angles. I would suggest to be treated by board certified plastic surgeon with experience in this procedure, to get the best desired results.
Respectfully,Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

I'll continue the conversation further by adding a definition differentiating the two surgeries. The difference between an umbilical float abdominoplasty and a mini tummy tuck is that the minitummy tuck is a smaller incision (just longer than a c-section) and just skin removal usually. The umbilical float is done to release the skin underneath the belly button and muscle tightening followed by fairly minor skin removal.
Your belly button should be slightly high or you need to have a long torso, otherwise your result will be somewhat unaesthetic. It'll depend on the artistic eye of the board certified plastic surgeon that you go to (this the ultimate US qualification for a plastic surgeon).

While it may be nice to avoid the circular scar around your belly button, you will be left with too much excess skin above the belly button area.  As wisely stated by the other doctors, having the success of the surgery depend on the extent of the scars virtually ensures a limited result. 

Wobbly,This is a great question, and points out the importance of choosing the right operation for the right patient.Since you have lost over 8 stone (122 lbs), no doubt that you have significant vertical and horizontal abdominal skin laxity below you belly button (as you describe). You probably have significant abdominal wall muscle/fascia laxity as well (massive weight loss, and pregnant twice)...A 'floating tummy tuck' will result in a belly button that is too low on your abdominal wall- you've got too much extra skin to pull down and remove. Very few people are good candidates for a mini-tummy tuck, and especially so for the 'floater' version.Please reconsider your options and choose a surgeon that will offer you a full abdominoplasty with umbilical transposition and myofascial repair. This is really the gold-standard operation for a patient that has lost the amount of weight that you have (8 stone, congrats on that!) and has delivered two babies.The result will be long-lasting without any compromises.

Dear Wobbly (no more),
Ideal weight / stretch marks and overhang suggest BOTH loose skin and a muscle separation. In these cases a good muscle repair and removal of skin laxity are the key to a good flat tummy.
All Plastic surgeons see women in their offices who are unhappy with work done by their first surgeons. Many of us scratch our heads, think to ourselves "what was he/she thinking" and proceed to see how can we best improve matters.
A LOT of these not so lifted, still-sagging face lifts and not so flat tummies are the results of "Mini" procedures. When women demand "mini" operations so they can attend functions a week later etc - they may get one along with the mini-RESULTS they did NOT want. The adage : "If you want a Mini-Result - Get a Mini-Procedure" often holds true.
There are a variety of ways to perform a "mini" tummy tuck. All of them produce acceptable results in women who do NOT have your description; IE minimal muscle separation minimal skin laxity with no real overhang.
I THINK you may be referring to a floating umbilicus procedure - a rather descriptive definition of mini tummy tuck in which the visible umbilicus is left unmolested in the skin (no scar around the umbilicus but is umbilical stalk is divided and pulled down with the skin.
Wobbly, a mini-abdominoplasty is NOT the procedure for you. I would suggest a consultation with another fully trained Plastic surgeon to see what he/she thinks. It may well be worth it.
Good Luck.

Hi!
In Manhattan, we use the "floating" belly button tummy tuck only rarely because few patients are good candidates.
If you have very little loose skin above the belly button, then this can be a good operation. The belly button "floats" slightly down, and ends up about one half inch under where it is now. This procedure does treat the whole abdomen, and is not a mini tummy tuck.
Unfortunately, most women do have loose skin above the belly button, and they need the more conventional abdominoplasty. Here, the belly button is left in its original position, and the abdominal skin is slid down around it.