How Painfull is a Minni Tummy Tuck Under Local Anesthesia?

Thank you for your question.  I do a lot of mini tummy tucks under local anesthesia.  Most patients have no or minimal pain.  My patients that have had both mini tummy tucks and liposuction all tell me that they had less post operative pain with the mini tummy tuck.

My full tummy tucks with muscle repair I still do under general anesthesia.

If it is a short scar mini TT than local OK. But in most cases the incisions is longer and lower muscle work or tightening is needed, so light general + local better. 

Thank you for the question.

Although tummy tuck surgery is one of the most common operations I perform  I have never done any type of tummy tuck under local anesthesia nor do I plan to. In this day and age of very safe general anesthesia is no reason to potentially jeopardize patient comfort during this major surgery.

Also, a few words of caution for patients contemplating mini tummy tuck surgery may be in order:  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  for patients seeking abdominal contouring surgery to work with a well experienced board-certified plastic surgeon to obtain advice (based on good ethics and judgment) to  improve  their chances of a successful outcome and minimize the need for further surgery.


I hope this helps.

A better question would be: will a mini tummy tuck (regardless of the type of anesthesia) give me the result that will make me happy? In my 20 years of experience, I would have to say that mini-tucks almost always result in mini results! Get at least two or three opinions from experienced board-certified plastic surgeon. Good luck!

Results for a mini tummy tuck are going to be better if you are fully asleep for the procedure.  I like to get as much from the procedure for you as I can and will try to dissect along the wistline and hips to improve contour there.  If I am worrried about your being uncomfortable during surgery I might not be able to maximize your outcome.  Local anesthesia may sound like a good idea but it is not worth the compromise for this procedure.  I think it is unwise.