Disappointed in the Results of Mini Tummy Tuck - looking for Advice

Conventional wisdom is to either pull just from the belly button down for a mini tummy tuck.  OR pull the entire abdomen down, make it really tight and create a new belly button - full tummy tuck.  But there is a hybrid surgery where we float the belly button down to a lower spot without creating a new one.  We get way more tightness but still use the mini incision.

 A mini TT is just that, a mini.  Some need to have a full TT so more skin can be removed, and the tightness is greater.  In addition, the muscle can be tightened in several locations if needed.  The full TT is just more of a complete procedure.  The mini is for those with small issues, and a good muscle.

As far as I am concerned, there are very limitied indications for a mini-tummy tuck. Mini tummy tucks work only on a small subset of patients who have a flat and firm upper abdomen, a lax lower abdomen, a relatively high naturally located belly button, and a relatively small amount of redundant skin in the lower abdomen. If a patient does not meet those criteria, then a mini-tummy tuck is the incorrect procedure. In my practice, most patients fall into one of two categories:

1) Good skin but too much abdominal fat: these patients are good candidates for liposuction.

2) Lax abdominal wall musculature and loose abdominal skin: these patients are good candidates for full abdominoplasty.

Based on your photos it appears you still have some loose skin and stretch marks of your lower abdominal area.  It's too early still to have anything surgical done, but after six months or so, if you're not happy you  may want to consider a revision to remove more skin. It appears as if you may have been suited to a full tummy tuck, but this is difficult to determine without examining you in person.

Be patient for now and communicate with your plastic surgeon your concerns.

Best wishes,

Dr. Bruno

It is far to soon to be evaluating your results. Without seeing the nature of your problem before surgery it is unrealistic to suggest that a different procedure should have been performed. What is concerning is that you feel that you "did not get what you paid for". The procedure performed and you agreed to,  likely has produced the early changes that it was designed to achieve.  Only you and your surgeon can comment on what dialogue took place before surgery. Carefully reconciling your expectations with what any surgery can accomplish is an essential step before surgery. At this point, let your body heal completely and reassess if you want to consider more surgery.

From the few pictures provided, your lower abdominal skin will likely never be without wrinkles when you lean forward. This skin appears to have a large number of stretch marks and  does not have the elasticity and contraction features of younger skin. A full tummy tuck would have achieved more vertical tightening of your skin but likely still would not have removed all of the damaged skin. Leaning forward would still result in crinkling of poor quality skin.  A full tummy tuck would have been more costly,  required a scar from hip to hip, you would have a scar around your belly button, possibly a vertical scar in the midline of your lower tummy because of your relative high location of your umbilicus and a longer recovery time. If you were willing to accept all of  these trade-offs,  then a full tummy tuck may have been a better choice.

Dr. Mosher