Bulging Upper Abs After Mini Tummy Tuck

Liposuction will not likely solve your problem.
More likely is the fact that a mini tummy tuck only repairs the muscle below the belly button whereas the full tummy tuck repairs the muscle above and below the umbilicus.
The bulging you experience after a meal is due to the unrepaired muscles allowing the upper abdomen to distend whereas the lower abdomen remains restrained by the muscle repair.
It is possible that the lower abdominal repair may loosen and ease the difference. Alternatively, you may require tightening of the upper abodminal muscle separation. Liposuction will do little to relieve your symptoms.

When patients have redundant
abdominal wall tissue following pregnancy, they will usually require a full
abdominoplasty to correct the problem. 
Although most patients would prefer a lesser procedure very few are good
candidates for mini abdominoplasty.

Although you have recently had a
mini abdominoplasty your current problems suggest that a full abdominoplasty
may have been a better option for you. 
The fact that your lower abdomen is tight and there is an upper
abdominal bulge suggest that you have excess upper abdominal skin and weak
upper abdominal muscles.

These problems would have been
addressed with a full abdominoplasty. 
This procedure would remove any excess skin and tighten the muscles of
the upper abdomen.  Liposuction
would most likely have no impact on your current problems.

It’s important that you discuss
this issue with your plastic surgeon. 
Correction of your problem will most likely require conversion of your
mini abdominoplasty to a full abdominoplasty with umbilical
transposition. 

deborahT,

Sorry to hear about your upper abdomen.  A few things are important here.  While you are not ecstatic about your upper abdomen, it is still early in the post-operative period.  It is prudent to wait at least 6 months before being critical of the outcome.  Nevertheless, it may be true that the muscle plication of your upper abdomen was lax.  That is, your fascia (layer enclosing the muscle) was tightened more below the navel than above.  However, most plastic surgeons either liposuction conservatively or not at all in the region beteen the ribs and the navel.  This is the area that supplies blood to the rest of your abdomen as it heals.  I would keep close follow up with your physician.  Voice your concerns, and give it some time.   Depending on the degree of bulging, further liposuction or possibly muscle plication may be required.

Hi DeborahThanks for your question and sorry you have this concern.Since it's been just 2 months, I would recommend massage and compression garment use for the next few months then reassess at least 6 months after your surgery. If by that time there are still concerns, any post-op edema should have resolved and allow a proper assessment of the issue: if it is residual fat then additional liposuction would address this, but if it is from fascial and skin laxity, a full abdominoplasty may be required.I hope this helps.....

That effect is likely because only the lower half was tightened with surgery. Its important for the surgeon to create the balance and its unlikely that the upper portion  will "settle", although the lower abdomen will relax and create a better visual balance balance.

Excess upper abdominal fat after a mini tummy tuck is sometimes due to the need for additional liposuction at the time of the mimi tummy tuck.  

However this can result in excess skin above the belly button, and may have been the reason your surgeon did not originally do more liposuction in this area.

In retrospect, you may have needed a full tummy tuck or as you suggested may have been more even if less liposuction of your lower abdominal fat had been done.

I suggest that you seek a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who can examine you and discuss your treatment options accordingly. 

Thank you for the question.

What you are describing is one of the problems they can be seen after the mini tummy tuck procedure is performed.

In my opinion, the mini tummy talk is an  operation that  produces very limited results and is very rarely indicated. It involves a shorter incision but does not address the majority of the abdominal wall issues present for most patients who present consultation. For example, the area of skin excised is quite small. The abdominal wall musculature is addressed below the umbilicus leaving the upper number wall potentially lax. The appearance of the umbilicus is not necessarily addressed sufficiently.
For most patients who have had pregnancies and/or weight loss a full abdominoplasty is necessary to achieve the desired results. Of course, there are downsides (including a longer scar and probably a longer recovery time) but for most patients the benefits outweigh the downsides. It is not unusual to see patients who've had mini tummy tuck  surgery present for  revisionary surgery.
It is important to work with a well experienced board-certified plastic surgeon to obtain advice (based on good ethics and judgment) to  improve your chances of a successful outcome and minimize the need for further surgery.
I hope this helps.

The upper abdominal bulge is most likely due to the weak muscles above the umbilicus that I assume were not plicated during the mini-tummy tuck. Repairing this will possibly get rid of your bulge.  An  exam would give me answers.

Upper abdominal bulging is usually the result of inadequate plication (tightening) of the abdominal musculature during the mini tummy tuck.  In cases where the umbilicus (belly button) is not being repositioned, as when the focus of the procedure is the lower abdominal wall, it is difficult to reach the upper abdominal wall and sufficiently tighten the muscles.  In such cases, the muscles have been tightened below the umbilicus but not above it.  This, in effect, accentuates the upper fullness by juxtaposition of the untightened upper muscles with the tightened lower muscles.   When upper tightening is also necessary, a full abdominoplasty is often required, including elevation of the abdominal wall to the level of the rib cage and proper tightening of the muscles (plication) in the midline beginning at the xiphoid process (tip of the rib cage in the midline) to the mons pubis (pubic bone).

When performing a mini tummy tuck it is crucial to establish a good balance between the upper and lower abdomen. When examining a healthy young woman, it is common to see a flatter stomach in the upper abdomen than the lower abdomen. This must be kept in mind when performing a mini tummy tuck. If the lower abdomen is tightened excessively, this may create too much flattening in the area below the belly button and excess fullness about the belly button. Your best bet is to work with a board-certified plastic surgeon who will assess you and determine if you require suture plication to the area above your belly button.