Mini tummy tuck less painful than a full tummy tuck?

Make sure with your board certified plastic surgeon that you are a good candidate for a mini tummy tuck vs. a standard tummy tuck. Although the recovery and healing time may be less with a mini, you may not have the best results possible. A mini tummy tuck only involves work below the belly button. This... more

Mini tummy tucks are less invasive than a traditional abdominoplasty. I perform a Santa Monica Tummy Tuck which incorporates a well hidden, low lying scar across the lower abdomen. The key question is really not the level of pain post-operatively, but more importantly, the right surgery for your anatomic concerns.

It is common and safe to combine abdominoplasty with uterine surgery to remove fibroids. Adding the breast augmentation to an extended abdomenoplasty will increase the time in the OR, complicate recovery and increase the risk of complications such as blood clots in your legs. I would do the breast augmenation... more

Most of the discomfort from a tummy tuck relates to the tightening (aka plication) of the abdominal muscles. Usually with a mini-tummy tuck, the muscle is only tightened below the belly button versus a full tummy tuck, which tightens the muscle from the rib cage to the pubic bone. However, both can be painful.

The post-operative pain experienced by patients undergoing these procedures tends to be quite similar.  In fact, sometimes it appears that patients who undergo the mini-tummy tuck have more pain, likely due to the increase use of liposuction in that procedure.  Both procedures remove excess skin and... more

Both procedures are designed to remove excess skin and fatty tissue from the abdomen and to tighten muscles of the abdominal wall. The full abdominoplasty targets the upper, middle and lower part of the abdomen. Mini tummy tuck is ideal for people who have excessive fat between belly button and pubic bone.... more

In general, most of us define a mini-tummy tuck as a procedure which addresses the abdomen from the belly button down, usually with some tightening of the muscles and removal of excess skin. Some surgeons, however, will only remove skin in this procedure, leaving any bulge that you may have due to loose... more

Just because the procedure is called "mini," don't be fooled. The incision is the same length, but the results are inferior. You need to be examined by an experienced surgeon to make the determination of which procedure is best for you. The recovery is longer from a full tuck because more surgery is done... more

A mini tummy tuck deals with the lower abdominal excess below the umbilicus. In select cases, it could be a suitable procedure. There is much less dissection than the full tummy tuck. However, the effect is very different. The pain could be much less but the result is a lot less as well. Hope that helps!

Don't go for a "mini" tummy tuck if you really need the full procedure.  The scar isn't much shorter and the entire upper abdomen is left untreated in the mini so the results are not as tight and flat.  At the one month point after surgery, there wouldn't be any difference anymore in the... more