Should I have a mini or full tummy tuck? (Photos)

Question

I intend to have a few more consultations- but the first (board certified) surgeon I met with said I may not have enough loose skin on my upper abdomen to pull down and that he would recommend a mini tummy tuck. I was also told that I don’t have diastasis issues. So in terms of recovery time and cost- this is fantastic news. But I’m concerned what my belly button will look like- he mentioned doing an umbilical float. And it may end up lower. Im worried if it looked weird, it would be very challenging to fix after the float procedure. I love the idea of the mini- but don’t want to end up regretting it.

John LoMonaco, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi !  I only do breast and body plastic for the past 25 years, and I personally have not been happy with the "minis" I did early in my career.  They just don't give the abdomen a trim and sculpted look.

I think you DO have a bit of diastasis and also skin excess off to the sides that would make a full TT worthwhile.  Your belly button is a bit high, so a 1" vertical scar above or touching the TT scar may be necessary to keep the main TT scar low and easily concealed.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

I don’t like the umbilical float procedure.
Once you cut the umbilical stalk there’s no way to fix the problem if the belly button sits too low.
I personally would do a full tummy tuck because of amount of skin laxity that you have.
You may end up with a small vertical scar representing this cut around the belly button because youmay not have enough skin laxity to clear the belly button opening.
That happens all the time when we put the incision very low on people with moderate skin laxity.
I recommend you bring pictures yourself to use as a reference.
Ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures ofprevious patients went similar body characteristics.
 Haily experienced surgeons should have no difficulty showing you previous examples of patience to look just like you.
Seeing multiple previous outcomes is the way to understand what your results are likely to look like and will also tell you how much experience the surgeon has.
When surgeons are reluctant toshow you anything but their best results.
 Your goal is to understand what average results look like on patient with your candidacy for the procedure being recommended.
A mini tummy tuck will only treat laxity of your lower abdomen, and that may be a reasonable procedure for you.
I would not do the umbilical float, but other doctors have differentopinions.
Again, ask them to show you lots of before and after pictures so you know what it’s going to look like when you’re done.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD

Should I have a mini or full tummy tuck? (Photos)

Answers (2)

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