Mini Tummy Tuck: Stories

I am a 30 year old mother of two (7 and 3). I am 5'8", 150 lbs. My build is very muscular and curvy, with low body fat. (My PS saw me mostly naked and said, "Where do you hide 150 lbs??") My problem area is below my BB. It has always pooched out, but after two pregnancies and losing all the weight (and then some) through nutrition and exercise, what used to be a pooch is now deflated, hangy, wrinkly, and ugly. (While I was wearing my robe in the first consultation, the PS said, "I can't imagine you have anything under that robe for me to take care of!" Then after I disrobed and leaned over, she said, "Ew, that's ugly." Lol. I appreciate the candor.) Additionally, 98% of my stretch marks are isolated to that same area. The PS recommended a skin-only TT, with no lipo being necessary.

After a great consultation, I came home and continued to research the procedure the PS had recommended. As I thought through all we had talked about, a few points bothered me and are causing me to second guess my procedure:

1. When looking through her photos to show me patient whose results were similar to what I could expect, my PS kept flipping through and saying, "That's not you, that's not you, oh! That's kind of you, except she had to also have lipo. That's not you." So, if my body does not look like any of the full TT candidates... why am I a candidate?
2. My PS commented that she wasn't sure if I had enough skin to stretch far enough so that she would be able to completely eliminate my old BB hole. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I have since researched this scenario and find the results quite unappealing. I don't think I am OK with a second BB scar. Besides, if she already thinks she might not be able to get rid of the old BB, shouldn't we be talking about a mini TT instead? Especially since I am very satisfied with all of my abdomen above my BB...
3. I spend a lot of time in Boca Raton in a bikini. I am doing this procedure so I can feel like a million bucks out there with all those tight bodied girls! I work out hard, eat clean, and take great care of my body. The last thing I want is to end up with an odd looking BB that screams "TUMMY TUCK!!" And on the topic of scars, of course I want the smallest scar that will deliver the results I desire. So would a full hip to hip scar be necessary?
4. I like my natural body (minus that isolated area, which I do NOT like), and I really think I would be satisfied with more natural looking results. I understand that the mini TT delivers only a fraction of the results, but... I think that fraction is plenty for me. I have always appreciated my proportions; that is to say, I gain and lose weight evenly, and do not have any particularly disproportional areas. If I go into a full TT and come out with a super tight abdomen, I worry that I might lose my even proportions by creating a disproportionately small abdomen.

So this is what has been on my mind since my initial consultation and I fully intend to walk into my final consultation next week and really dig into these matters with my PS. I have a lot of confidence in her and feel like we just need to be more clear on expectations and reasonable results.

In the past, my pooch has made me too self conscious to wear low rise or hipster style bikini bottoms. Well, I have two new bikinis on their way to me now- both low rise styles. These are the ones I will be taking with me to help determine scar placement. I am excited at the prospect of a more teeny bikini, since I have always worn full coverage in order to hide my pooch. As soon as they arrive, I will take my Before pictures and get them posted. I will attach the pictures I took after my initial consultation, showing the lines the PS drew for the full skin-only TT. I promise to keep pictures up to date, since that is what I loved seeing in everyone else's posts!

This forum has been extremely helpful to me during my research. It is SO valuable to hear and see real experiences with these procedures. I am excited to jump right in and join the community. I look forward to talking to anyone who wants to share their experience and advice, or accompany me on my adventure! Thanks!

I had my final consultation today!! It went amazingly well! After the initial consult and MUCH deliberation, as I shared previously, I was really doubting that a full skin only TT was right for me. In hind site, I did not really express my goals and expectations and concerns with the PS. So, emboldened by research, I walked into this appointment determined to break through my communication problems and really get it all out on the table.

So I did. I told her that I wanted to switch procedures and I told her why. AND SHE AGREED! As did the other doctor in her practice! She made sure to be very clear about what result I can expect and I was thrilled to know that her projection matched my dream result perfectly.

Then we talked thighs, because I had previously been on the fence about it. Again, this time I was very specific about my expectations and goals and she made me feel VERY confident that we are truly on the same page now. Funny how communication works that way! :)

So it is official! I am scheduled for a mini skin only abdonimoplasty with some minor Lipo to the inner thighs. And I could not be more comfortable and confident with my decision. Before pictures were taken in the PS's office. I have not seen them, but will post them if I can get them to email me copies.

There is not a great deal out there on mini TTs, and far less on skin only mini TTs! So I thought I should mention what she had to say about the recovery of this procedure, as it differs from other versions of the TT:
- I will only have to take antibiotics for 5 days
- I will not need to wear a compression garment after the procedure. (However, since I am doing inner thigh Lipo, I will need to wear a biker-short type garment- but this is only because of the Lipo, not the TT) This is because my procedure is skin only- my muscles will not be tightened and therefore do not need to be severely stabilized by the compression garment.
- I asked her if I could expect to be in class on Thursday, following my Monday procedure. She said absolutely.
- She said I will probably not even need to take the Vicodin.
- No sex for 3 weeks. I was shocked by how short that time frame is, given the location of the procedure! I am thrilled to know that the heeling is expected to be that fast!
- I will be able to sleep in bed right away, with only a pillow under my knees and under my head. A lounge chair type posture is what was described.
- Possibly 2 drains, but likely just 1 drain.

Oh! One more thing- price! The cost of mini skin only TT and inner thigh Lipo comes in approximately $1300 less than the price of a full skin only TT. Bonus!

I am more excited than ever! I will definitely post updates. If anyone is reading this that did a skin only mini, I would love to hear about your experience!

My mini TT and inner thigh lipo is in the morning!!! I have to be at the hospital at 9 am!! My mom is in from out of town, I am leaving my youngest with a friend, dropping my oldest off at school, and heading straight there!! I had a eulogy today for my pooch. It went a little something like this: "........SAYONARA, POOCH!!!" Haha! Eeeeek!!!!! I can't believe it is finally here!!!!!!!

I am out of surgery and in recovery. I feel good. Tired. A bit sore. I feel some sharp pains and some general soreness in the area of the TT incision. I don't feel anything on my tight. The PS said it went exactly as planned. I am so eager to see what it all looks like! I looked down there before putting on the bike shorts and saw my tummy went straight down under my belly button. They gave me a 5 mg Vicadin. I'm so excited... And sleepy.

End of day two. I still haven't seen anything because I am wearing biker short style compression garment. These darn shorts hurt more than the incision site!! Well, maybe not, but it is close. I am managing the pain with 5mg Vicodin, or 10 mg if I want to totally kill the pain and take a long nap. :) My followup appointment is tomorrow and hopefully I can take a look at what's going on in these shorts. I will try to get a pic. I haven't had any problems with nausea and my appetite is fine. Not much to report so far-- which is a good thing! :)

Today is day 4 post op. I feel good! I have been sleeping a lot and taking my Vicodin occasionally to help take the edge off. But really, it isn't bad! The drain and the compression shorts is the worst of it for me!! I took my first shower this morning and this was the first time I got to see it all! I am thrilled with the result so far!! If I ended up looking like this, minus the ink and drain, I would be satisfied. But knowing that there is so much swelling and that the result will be even better makes me SO excited! Here are a few pics of day 4 post op. Thanks so much for all the well wishes and company!!

Oh dear Lord day 5 is a good one!! I am tired and my appetite is totally back. I have been starving constantly. My PS redressed the incision and took out my drain this morning. Pulling out the drain was more painful than any other part of the process so far! It was a horrible, weird, sharp feeling... Goodness, I am just glad it is out now! That site was causing me more pain/discomfort than the incision site! Now that it is gone I feel SO much better! Also, pardon the TMI, but today I had my first bowel movement since the surgery. Since I didn't use much Vicodin, I decided to play with fire. I hadn't used any stool softener yet. I was trying to use nutrition to do the trick. Lots of fruit, veggies, lean proteins, whole grains, and water. Granted, I did not have muscle repair, which I would imagine would make it much harder, but everything was A-OK and now I feel like a million bucks! I am feeling a bit of tenderness on my thighs and an oddly swollen and numb tummy. Slight pain here or there, particularly at the ends of the incision, on my hip, but really nothing terrible. I expected SO much worse. I have had to do some running around with/for my kids and to my doctor- OK, maybe I should say slow shuffling around, but otherwise I am laid up on the couch. I am not going to bother posting new pictures because I pretty much still look the same. Thank you guys for your comments! It makes a big difference to have you guys here in this process!

Day 8 post op. I'm trying to document my recovery pretty thoroughly since, as we know , there's not a lot out there about minis and even less without muscle repair. So just a quick update to say... Not much noticeable changesince last update. My incision does not hurt. It is still covered in steristrip. My belly is more uncomfortable than it has been. I think that's because the feeling is coming back a little bit. It had been totally numb. And as they say, or should say, numbness is bliss! But I'm feeling some general discomfort and pain, although not really bad, on my tummy. I have been sitting or laying down as often as I can. I've been tired, but not unbearably so. The best feeling is waking up after a long night sleep mien I haven't moved yet and my body feels rejuvenated. You ladies sure do know what you're talking about when you keep advising me to get lots of rest! I am driving fine, eating regularly, and walking slowly! My thighs are still swollen and slightly bruised, but nothing major. I hope all is well with you ladies!

OK so last time I updated was day 8, and I mentioned the numbness was subsiding and being replaced by a bit of pain and discomfort. That was true for day 8 and 9. They were *relatively* rough. Granted, I don't think any of it has been too bad; my guess is that any of the other similar procedures are probably much worse. But still, day 8 and 9 were the roughest days because I could feel it for the first time!

BUT, good news! Day 10 was drastically better and day 11 was great! I feel like some significant healing occurred while I sleep between day 9 and 10. Then when I woke up day 11, I really felt back in business. On day 11, I found myself walking at my normal (quick) pace for the first time since the surgery. I also found myself standing up totally straight, without being tempted to hunch forward at all. I also felt completely energized for the first time since the surgery; not sluggish at all.

On day 11, I had a followup appointment with my PS. She took out the four individual stitches on my thighs. My thighs are still swollen and lightly bruised. The skin is firming up nicely though thanks to the Spanx leggings and snug yoga pants that have become my uniform.

OK, about the tummy: It is a bit swollen, especially at the end of the day. My PS explained to me that this is a drainage/circulation issue that will persist until the internal connections are reestablished across the incision site. So in the mean time, the upper skin tends to hang over the incision, especially in the evenings. It's NOTHING like the old pooch used to be, so it doesn't bother me one bit! I had expected my steristrip to be changes in this appointment, but it wasn't. The PS said it doesn't get changed anymore. I was instructed to leave it on until it falls off naturally. At that time, it will be ready to be treated with scar cream and remain uncovered. I asked my PS what scar cream she personally recommended. She didn't endorse those silicon sheets like I thought she would. She said Maderma works, but that she personally likes Scar Guard, which works like a clear nail polish. I will definitely be buying that based on her recommendation.

Also, she told me that at the two week point (Monday), I am free to slowly get back to working out. She advised me to shy away from bouncy activities like jogging. But I am even allowed to do situps! (Remember, I did NOT have muscle repair, so the situp situation might be different if I had.) I can't WAIT to get my muscles going again!

Oh! One more thing! Puckering! I have a little bit of puckering on my left side. I was worried that the puckering was going to be permanent. My PS assured me that it would go away. In fac, I said "I want to ask you about this puckering" and showed her, she immediately exclaimed, "Oh! That looks good! It was much worse on the operating table and BOTH sides were puckered!" First, I was very impressed by how specific her memories and knowledge of my case is. But secondly, her reaction was very reassuring and I feel confident in her words: that the puckering has and will continue to improve until it completely disappears. I will post a close up of the puckering. I apologize in advance because the close up is UGLY. Lol. Again, very sorry. :)

Today is day 12 and I really feel great. I am moving almost normally, only feeling a teeny bit of discomfort now and then, and my energy is back to normal. Also, I slept completely comfortably on my side for the first time last night.

Alright, one last thing. I am going to change my rating here on real self to "worth it". I was going to wait until I was totally through the healing, but yesterday morning something happened. I got out of the shower and decided to lay back down for a few minutes before getting dressed. I laid down (naked) and looked down at my tummy. And I was SO happy. SO very happy. I snapped a picture because my lower tummy looks better than I could have hoped for. Of course, still gross and healing, but the shape is already EXACTLY what I wanted. I feel SO on track to exactly meeting my original goal: rocking a bikini in Boca.

Oh! One more thing! My next appointment with my PS is in about a month, which will be about 6 week post op. That is when she wants me to come back for my official After pics. I suppose that means I will have something pretty close to my final results at that time. If she wants to put her name on the result at 6 weeks, that must mean it'll be as good as it will be getting. Other than scar fading, of course. :)

Day 15 Post Op. Not much to report. I think the swelling is going down a bit on my tummy. I feel just fine. Healing is uneventful. I have the green light to slowly resume exercise. However, I learned that carrying a 40 pound sleeping kid is pushing it a bit- I felt a pulling-like pain until I put her back down. I still haven't seen my actual incision but the steristrip is showing signs that it should be falling off sooner or later.

Thighs still feel bruised, although it isn't really apparent. I think they are still swollen, too, but it is hard to tell. Lol. I only had 100cc taken out of one specific spot on each inner thigh, so it really wasn't very traumatic, yet that one specific difference IS apparent. She took the edge off of the fatty area at the very top of my inner thighs, and I can tell the difference in shape, even though they are still swollen overall.

Wow, this has to be the most uninformative updates ever. Lol. But I figured it was worth mentioning that there really isn't much to mention here at the end of Day 15 post op for me. :)

Day 17 post op. I woke up feeling and looking pretty good. Since my PS gave me the green light to resume exercise at my 14 day point, I decided to start some light crunches this afternoon. I did 150 VERY timid, VERY shallow crunches, and 50 oblique crunches on each side. Upper abs and obliques felt normal, but the pulling on the lower abdomen felt... off. It didn't hurt, so I kept going and made sure to cautiously isolate my lower body to minimize the pulling on my lower belly. As soon as I stood up I can feel my lower tummy is more swollen. It feels kinda like fluid collection, I am speculating. I guess I'll wait a few more days before I try that again. And now I am laying down on the couch to promote draining of that fluid. Little bit of seroma, maybe?? That was a weird little experiment. I learned that for me, on Day 17, I am not quite ready for even tiny crunches. I am glad I tried, though! :)

Week 3. Time flies! I don't have much to report. I am not pain free, but it isn't bad at all. I still feel slight pain when I stand up, for the first few steps. I am not sure why, but I am not too worried about it.

I have the green light to have sex again now at week 3. My bf comes to town Thursday and, honestly, I don't think I'll be up to it. Well, let's just say I'll have to figure out how to take it easy and not get too much pressure on my tummy. Sorry if this is TMI... Haha. Has anyone else noted when you felt up for it, without restrictions?? Goodness, I can't believe I am writing this. But, hey, we're all friends here, right?? ;)

I posted new pictures. I am very pleased with my results and can't imagine how it will look in another month or two. I hope you are all well!

XO!

Week 3.5. My tummy hurts. I am having some more general pain that is coming from... I don't know, somewhere under the skin but above the muscle? Nothing horrible, just more than I have had. It is particularly noticeable when I go from sitting to standing. Those first several steps are pretty rough down there. I am having a hard time imagining what the cause could be other than more nerve awakening. I will call my PS in the morning to see what she has to say. A lot of you are a few days or weeks behind me. Keep your eye out- I'd be interested to know how you feel around this time.

My tape is finally *starting* to fall off in some spots. I saw my scar for the first time. It looks good! I confirmed with my PS that she doesn't want me applying any scar treatment until after the 4 week point.

Date night tomorrow! He hasn't seen me in person since the week before the surgery! I don't want to be in any pain!

IT DIDN'T HURT MY TUMMY!!!!!!!!! Granted, we weren't swinging from chandeliers, so to speak, but all was quite well! :-D

Week 4. For much of week 3, I was experiencing some pain on my tummy. It felt like surface pain- not deep internal pain, not a sharp specific pain, and not pain at the incision. It is really hard to explain. It was almost as if my skin or nerves is waking back up- and is not happy with me! It wasn't disabling pain, but it was enough to make me pop a few extra strength Tylenol a few times. (That didn't help much, though!) I tried wearing a tighter CG, but that made it worse. Since I am still supposed to be wearing a CG, I just switched to a less tight option- some Spanx leggings that cover tummy and thighs. I woke up today and do not feel that pain anymore! Which is a relief, because it was really getting old!

OK, so even while dealing with that pain, I survived a visit with my raging bull of a boyfriend (solid 250 lbs of muscle), and lived to tell the tale! He was really impressed with the difference and even liked the scar. He kept saying I look really thin, and I think that a lot of it has to do with my thighs not really touching anymore. I could be making that up, but it's my story and I'm sticking to it! ;)

I am posting pictures and you will see that most of the steristrip has fallen off, the incision is healing nicely, but I am still quite swollen. My lower tummy is firm (not in a muscular way!!) and quite round.

I am continuing to take it easy, but I have starting walking and using free weights lightly to get back into activity and see how it goes. I am just very glad the pain of week 3 is over! I will be very interested to see if any of you girls experience anything similar. I hope you all are well! XO!

Week 4.5. I just realized I can pick up and toss around my 40 lb daughter without any discomfort whatsoever. I'm not sure exactly when that happened, but it was recent. Just thought I'd pass that along.

I feel really good but GOODNESS I need to work out! I think I can. I've gained about 3 pounds since surgery and all of my muscles are lax. I'm used to being sore and tight all the time.

My lower tummy is still round, but fine. Oh, I started using Scar Guard this week.

Pretty uneventful here. I hope you all are well. XO

Week 5. Woohoo, I feel good! Within the last few days, I realized I felt pretty much normal. The surface pain of a week or two ago is gone, I move freely, I do not feel aware that I have a swollen tummy. I started exercising a teeeeeny bit. Walking, LIGHT jog, LIGHT elliptical, and push ups. It's not bad at all. In the late evening, I do feel a LITTLE sore or physically tired, but not like I had been. And by the next morning, I am back to normal. So I guess I am saying that the recovery from physical exertion is getting easier and shorter.

My tummy still feels firm and a bit swollen, but significantly less than this time last week. As you will see in the picture, my tummy isn't totally flat down there. I am not really sure how much of that is swelling and how much is my fat. I don't expect to be flat as a board, because that is just not what a mini TT will do for you.

I am treating my scar with Scar Guard, per my PS's recommendation. It is like a little bottle of nail polish, with a little brush applicator. It goes on clear and dries looking like Elmer's glue. No problems with that.

Over all, I feel good, I am happy with how I look. WOW do pants fit so much better without all that extra junk in there!!

I hope you all are well! XO

Week 6. Uneventful. I made a discovery about working out. You might recall that my CG was a nightmare and my PS told me to stop wearing it. (It didn't come high enough on my abdomen and wasn't long enough on my legs. It caused problems with my thigh lipo area.) Instead, I have been wearing the tightest normal shaping type garments I can find. Mostly, Spanx leggings and a Flexees tank top. Anyway, I decided to try my original CG on and it felt goooooood on my belly. Still terrible on my thighs, though. So, wearing my super tight CG, I was able to kill my workout! It felt AMAZING. I'm back, baby!!!! I posted a pic in my new workout clothes that my boyfriend got me for my birthday. Check out those non-touching thighs!! :-D

I am still using Scar Guard. Oh, check out how round my lower tummy is in the pictures. Again, I don't know how much is fat and how much is swelling. It is very firm, so I am thinking/hoping that it is still a good bit of swelling. What do you guys think? Either way, I can lose fat. That skin is GONE. I sat down in front of the mirror to see how my tummy looks at different angles. I am SO ready for my beach chair!! :-D

I hope you all have a great week!

Week 7. I have a question for all of you that have resumed exercising... Are you feeling any pain or discomfort afterward?? And increased swelling or anything?? I have gained 5 pounds and I am frustrated because I can't work out without swelling up for two days afterward. I am at the point now where I am choosing to workout anyway, but I don't like it.

What kind of exercises are you girls doing and how do you feel during and afterward?? Thanks!!

Week 9! Whew! OK, so last week, week 8, marked the first time I was able to exercise totally normally. No discomfort whatsoever, no swelling, no pain. I have been running for 60 minutes per day and doing a very thorough Beach Body ab routine every other day, and some leg training every other day. I feel fantastic. I was really getting worried, but now all is well! I have nothing else worth mentioning! I will be in sunny Ft. Lauderdale later this week for some much needed R&R and I can't wait! I hope you are all doing well! New pic posted. :) :)

See my latest picture! Ahhhhhh.... Notice there is no giant flop of skin and fat tucked down into a tragically large bikini bottom? Nope, a nice, sexy bottom, a pretty flat tummy, and the sun, sand, and ocean. And I owe a huge thank you to my PS for her masterful scar placement! Can't see a thing! I am one VEEEEEEERY happy person.

Week 11. I feel fine, working out is no problem, my scar is healing nicely, and I am now using Maderma. I switched from Scar Guard to Maderma because Scar Guard was not invisible (it looked like dried school glue) and it didn't contain sunscreen. I got the Maderma with and without sunscreen, to use as appropriate. It is interesting because I feel a tingling sensation when I apply Maderma that I never felt with Scar Guard. I wonder if it is doing something different or better?

I finally had my 6 week post op with my PS... in week 11 (oops). My PS was impressed with herself for how low she had made the scar. She explained that I traded some flatness for that lowness, since there is more (fatty) skin ABOVE the incision and less (flat, pubic) skin below the incision. I am A-OK with that. I am SO happy with my low incision and natural belly button. I wouldn't trade that for any extra flatness!

Also, I wasn't sure if I was still swollen, or if I was looking at my final results. So for all of my fellow impatient mini TT ladies, hear this! We are still seeing swelling for up to 6 months! That means I am not even halfway there yet. That is pretty cool to think that it will get even better!

My PS wasn't surprised that it took me 8 weeks to comfortably work out. I thought I was WAY behind the curve with that, but apparently not. So for all of us exercisers, don't beat yourself up, and don't try to rush back into the gym at the expense of your recovery.

Oh! One more thing. I pointed out to my PS how much more pronounced my stretch marks are now. They are from pregnancies, and they are between my belly button and incision. I was pleasantly surprised when she assured me that they, too, would fade in time! I didn't realize they would change at all, but I guess they will! Maybe I will try out Maderma's stretch mark treatment cream... Has anyone ever tried that??

I asked to have my official before and after photos to be emailed to me. When I get them, I will post. Here is what I am working with now.

P.S. Thanks for reading, friends. I hope you are all well! XO!