Mini or full tummy tuck or Laser Lipo? (Photo)

Full tummy tuck would give the flattest, tightest results.

If you may be having another child, laser or ultrasound liposuction will remove stubborn fat and tighten skin to a degree. A good result would be expected, however you will still have some lax skin and muscle with stretch marks. This would avoid the larger procedure and allow further pregnancy easier.

An exam and consultation with a plastic surgeon is recommended to discuss your best options and expectations.

Hello Guinevere2021. Thank you for your question regarding the best procedure for your abdomen.

Based on your photos, stretch marks, and history of pregnancy, a full tummy tuck with muscle plication will be your best option. Here’s why:

Muscle Repair: Pregnancy often causes the rectus abdominis muscles to separate, a condition known as diastasis recti. A full tummy tuck includes muscle plication, which involves stitching these muscles back together. This not only flattens your abdomen but also strengthens your core, providing better overall support and posture.

Excess Skin Removal: A full tummy tuck removes a significant amount of excess skin, particularly beneficial if you have stretch marks and loose skin, which are common after pregnancy. A mini tummy tuck wouldn't address the upper abdomen or provide as much skin tightening.

Comprehensive Contouring: A full tummy tuck allows for more comprehensive contouring of the abdomen. It includes repositioning the belly button and tightening the entire abdominal wall, resulting in a smoother and more toned appearance.

Long-term Results: While non-invasive procedures like laser lipo can be appealing due to minimal downtime, they often don't provide the dramatic and long-lasting results of a surgical procedure. For significant changes and muscle repair, surgery is usually more effective.

Future Pregnancy: Since you mentioned the possibility of having another child in about five years, it's worth considering that another pregnancy could affect the results of your tummy tuck. However, many women still choose to undergo the procedure now to improve their quality of life and self-esteem. If you decide to go through with the surgery now, you can always plan for minor revisions if needed after future pregnancies.

In conclusion, based on your current condition and goals, a full tummy tuck with muscle plication will provide the most comprehensive and lasting results. This procedure will effectively address both the excess skin and muscle separation caused by pregnancy.

Good luck with your decision and future procedures!

Sincerely,

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FASMBS, FICS

Addressing excess skin and stretch marks can only be corrected through an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck. If you do non-invasive lipo or liposuction it will leave the skin and will have a less than ideal appearance. A full abdominoplasty can help address the stretch marks and excess tissue and correct diastasis. A quality consult is important

Thank you for your questions and photos. From your photos, you would be a good candidate for a tummy tuck with liposuction. A tummy tuck will address excess skin & repair of the abdominal muscle. The abdominal wall can be weakened after pregnancy and (or) significant weight gain & loss. By repairing the muscle, not only does the appearance of your abdominal area improve, but your core strength as well. The repair of the muscle will cinch your waist like an inner corset, lift your pubic mons area and accentuate your curves. Liposuction will remove excess fat from unwanted areas with some skin retraction. Your expectations and health will dictate the best procedure(s) for you. I suggest a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to go over the options that best address your goals. Best of luck!

Dhaval Patel MD
Double Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

South Barrington
Oakbrook Terrace
Orland Park

Hello, I am Dr. Salvador Garcia from Guadalajara, Mexico, looking at your photos, my recommendation is to perform a complete tummy tuck, you would gain many things, 1. A more marked and smaller waist, 2. Remove the excess skin you have below the navel and 3. Remove stretch marks, if you combine this with liposculpture, it would be a great result that you would have.

Hello and thank you for your question. From the pictures you have provided, you have a significant amount of striae (stretchmarks) present throughout your lower to mid abdomen and extending to your sides into your flanks. You also have a moderate/severe amount of excess subcutaneous fat and skin in these regions. There is some flank adiposity (excess skin/fat) and asymmetry, and minimal/moderate upper abdomen adiposity- but evaluation is a little limited from these pictures. Based on all this, you would benefit from a traditional abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) with liposuction of your flanks to best help improve your abdominal/trunk contour.
Regarding the transverse lower abdominal scar, it should be well hidden within your bikini or underwear, and if you adhere to proper scar care and sun avoidance after surgery, it should eventually heal to be minimally noticeable.
Regarding a "mini-abdominoplasty," it is important to realize that just because it has the word "mini" in the name, does NOT mean that the scar is any smaller. It can be the same size scar as a "full abdominoplasty." The difference is that in a "mini," the tissue below the belly button is resected, but the belly button itself is not relocated to a new position. This is generally only an option in patients that have less tissue to be resected, a notably long torso, and a belly button which is positioned higher than normal (since the procedure brings down the belly button)- otherwise in a patient with a normally located belly button or normal torso, these operations make the belly button look too low which looks VERY weird.
Liposuction is a great adjunct which would definitely provide some additional benefit, particularly to the contour and symmetry of your flanks, and would be done at the same time as your tummy tuck procedure for the best possible single operation results. Liposuction without the tummy tuck though, would NOT be a good option, as it would leave you with a ton of excess poor quality deflated appearing skin throughout your abdomen and flanks, which would ultimately look worse and require another surgery to remove.
With all that said, it is always difficult to provide tentative surgical recommendations, as there is only so much information to be gained from any photos and descriptions provided. I recommend for you to come see me or another plastic surgeon for a formal consultation to thoroughly discuss your surgical goals, undergo a formal examination, evaluate all your options (surgical and nonsurgical), and decide on the best procedure(s) for your specific case. I hope this helps!
Best wishes,
Dr. Donald Groves
Plastic Surgeon

If you are planning future pregnancies, I do not recommend a tummy tuck because the pregnancy will undo all the work. However, you will eventually need a tummy tuck because of the amount of excess skin and weaken abdominal wall from pregnancy. You can undergo liposuction but the skin will hang.
Once you are done having children, I recommend abdominoplasty with mesh reinforcement. The mesh creates a more hourglass figure by compressing the abdominal wall resulting in early satiety and helps maintain a reduced weight.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Liposuction alone will not give you a smooth abdomen based on your stretch marks on your abdomen. An Abdominoplasty is recommended to give you a smoother, tighter look with the liposuction. As to if it’s worth it to do it now or in 5 years that’s a personal question only you can answer. Is quality of life, and your stomach being smooth a priority now, or will it be a priority after your next child? How likely are you to have another child. You don’t want to put off something for a 20% you’ll want another child in the future. If the percentage that you want another child is more than that, it’s prob best to wait. Some women are able to have an Abdominoplasty and then birth another child and their stomach bounces back, others, not so lucky and they end up with new stretch marks and loose skin all over again. For the mean time while you are deciding, get yourself a gritty exfoliating scrub. Use it one your abdomen and your flanks when you shower to help smooth your existing stretch marks and stimulate collagen production. When you decide to move forward with an Abdominoplasty, feel free to make a consultation appointment at Smith Plastic Surgery. We’d love to meet you and go over how we can help you reach your aesthetic goals!

It looks like you have loose skin and excess fat in the area above your belly button as well as below. An inperson assessment can also confirm if any abdominal muscle separation is present. For these reasons, a full tummy tuck would be more suitable for you. Liposuction, invasive or noninvasive, will most likely not be sufficient. This is because you appear to have loose skin, and liposuction alone will not tighten this loose skin enough. Please note that pregnancy following a tummy tuck can negatively impact your results.

Based on your photos I believe a full tummy tuck would be your best option. Because you have some stretch marks your skin would not contract as much as you would like from liposuction alone and would leave you with loose skin. You also have a diastasis that you would not be able to fully correct with a "mini". A "mini" would also lower your umbilicus to an unnaturally low position.
It is possible to have an uncomplicated pregnancy after a tummy tuck with muscular plication but it may result in a recurrent diastasis that would need to be addressed with another tummy tuck/muscular plication. If you were actively trying for another child in the next 1-2 years I would recommend holding off on the surgery until after. If another child is only a remote possibility a few years down the road I would say go for the surgery if it is going to make you feel better about your body. Wishing you the best of luck!