Will a Full Tummy Tuck Ruin Upper Abs Definition in a Male?

Hi there-

Considering the degree of excess skin you have, as well as the fact that the QUALITY of the skin is poor, I predict you will be very dissatisfied with any procedure that involves a limited dissection. 

ESPECIALLY in patients like yourself, it is very important to completely redistribute the skin over the entire abdomen in order to achieve a pleasing and uniform appearance.

Your concern that the upper abdominal definition would be lost is extremely unlikely, and in fact I believe the upper abdomen would only improve further.

Make sure you consult with a board certified plastic surgeon who will be able to explain the procedure, where the incision lines will be and show you photos of other patients before and afters. A well done procedure shoudl have no impact on your upper definition and will remove the excess skin below. Good luck.

From your photo alone, a mini may help you since it appears you have loose skin only below your belly button and don't need muscle plication. However, please see an experienced board certified plastic surgeon to confirm which treatment would be most suitable for you.

I would recommend a lower tummy tuck where we remove a large amount of excess skin, but do not reposition the belly button or tighten the muscles.  It will solve your problem and have a shorter recovery.

Hello - A tummy tuck can tighten loose muscles, but if you don't have any looseness you can skip this part. A side view of your abdomen helps to determine this as well as a physical examination while you're lying on an examining table. Skin below the belly button is removed with a modified tummy tuck and the scar is a lot smaller than a standard tummy tuck.

You are right, your abdominal muscle definition is great. Good work. A full tummy tuck can improve loose skin above the belly button while a mini only tightens below the belly button. As thin as you are, the upper abdominal skin will stick again to the definition of your rectus muscle, even if it is lifted for a full tummy tuck. It may take several months for the swelling to go down enough for the muscle definition to be visible again, but in my opinion, it will eventually be so. Based pn your photo alone, I cannot tell the condition of your upper abdominal skin, but it is obvious that you have alot of loose skin below. I would be surprised if all of that loose skin could be removed with a mini tummy tuck without distorting your belly button appearance. Ultimately, the decision should be made by you with a board certified plastic surgeon with experience treating this problem.

IT appears that you may be an acceptable candidate for a mini based on the picture. However, it is difficult to assess based on a single picture and I would advise obtaining a few consultation recommendations.

From your pictures, you look like a great candidate for tummy tuck. I would recommend a full abdominoplasty to get the best result. It is not true that you will loose the definition in your abdomen. Quite to the contrary, you will have great definition once all the swelling resolves after surgery. You do not look like you need rectus fascia plication since you do not have an apparent rectus diastasis. Good luck with your surgery.

Looking at your picture it does not appear you have any problem in your upper abdomen area, all the loose skin is located in the lower abdomen. It is my opinion that you only need excision of this extra skin, without having to do anything to your belly button or the area above the belly button.
However, If you have laxity of the skin in the upper abdomen on physical examination, then a full abdominoplasty will be required and you should not be concerned about your upper muscles definition, during surgery only a limited disection will be needed and your muscle definition will not change.
good luck

I recommend an extended mini tummy tuck ONLY so I would not be touching the muscular skin attachment to the upper muscles.
From MIAMI Dr. B