Do I need a mini tummy tuck or will exercising improve it?

This is a common question. You obviously do not have a weight problem, and exercise will help to keep you fit and healthy. It will strengthen your abdominal wall muscles as well. I encourage you to continue with exercise. Unfortunately, it will not tighten the loose skin that has lost some elasticity, nor will it correct any separation or stretching of the abdominal wall muscles and fascia. This is just an anatomical reality. Your best results will be with a full tummy tuck. You seem to have skin laxity in the upper abdomen, so a mini tummy tuck is not a good option if you want that improved. The abdominal wall muscles will be assessed during a direct examination, and the benefit of muscle repair can be predicted at that time. Only a full tummy tuck can effectively address a significant muscle component. Consult with a board certified plastic surgeon and discuss your goals and expectations in detail. Best wishes!

Exercise may improve your muscular tone but it will not substantially reduce the loose excess skin. Any recommendation on the appropriate type of tummy tuck would require a consultation and physical examination. Your surgeon can then guide you through your options. 

Thanks for the photos.  It appears that there is some skin laxity, and this typically won't be improved with exercise.  That stated, there is no harm in seeing how much improvement can be achieved with a healthy diet and regular exercise, possibly combined with nonsurgical modalities that can improve skin tone.  Ultimately if you decide to have the mini tummy tuck, being in excellent physical health could help with your recovery.

Exercise is for muscle strength but has not measurable effect on skin that has been stretched from pregnancy or weight gain/loss. We would never recommend surgery for something that could be accomplished with exercise and diet! Exercise is also not effective for spot reduction of localized fat.

Given the pictures, you are likely a good candidate for tummy tuck as the skin will not correct itself with exercise or weight loss.  A short scar tummy tuck would remove loose skin, tighten the muscles, and remove the stretchmarks below the navel with a short scar.  The shorter scar it leaves is the same length as that of the mini tummy tuck. Ideal patients have to be in general good health and somewhere close to their ideal body weight. A healthy lifestyle is a must, both before and after the procedure. 
Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Los Angeles, CA

Hello and thank your for the question. I believe you are a good candidate for a tummy tuck. Given the high position of you belly button and limited skin excess, you can probably have an umbilical float. I would see consultation with a qualified plastic surgeon for a complete evaluation. Best,Pejman Aflaki, M.D.Johns Hopkins-trained plastic surgeon

Concerns about the appearance of the abdomen are very common among patients consulting with a plastic surgeon. Just like every patient is different…so too is every abdomen. Different problems require different solutions. Your board certified plastic surgeon is uniquely trained to identify the problems as well as the appropriate solution.
The abdomen is commonly addressed via liposuction or abdominoplasty (“tummy – tuck”). Which procedure is best is dependent upon the source of the problem. 
Excess fat deposits underneath the skin can be addressed via liposuction. Liposuction will not address any other issues and may worsen the situation if there are other factors at play (such as skin excess and muscle laxity, see below)
Commonly patients concerns are centered around issues of excess skin as well as fat. A third factor, which is often overlooked by most patients is abdominal wall muscle laxity (typically seen in post partum mommies).  The tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure designed to eliminate excess skin and fat and tighten the muscles in the abdominal wall to create a smoother and slimmer contour. The tummy tuck is designed to target areas of the abdomen that have not responded to diet and exercise, making it particularly popular among people that have a lot of loose or sagging skin around the abdominal area due to significant weight loss, as well as women with excess skin and stretched abdominal muscles following pregnancy and childbirth. 
Candidates for tummy tuck should be already at or near their ideal weight for optimal results. It is recommended to women that are planning on becoming pregnant to postpone the procedure until they are finished having children.
A mini-abdominoplasty is a short scar abdominoplasty. Optimal candidates have minimal skin excess localized below the level of the umbilicus (belly button). The major benefit of the procedure is the shorter scar burden. Alternatively, the drawback to the procedure is it's minimal access nature. The shorter scar and the upper limit of dissection (belly button) limits the opportunity to tighten the muscle as you only have access to the lower 1/3 of the muscle in the midline for plication (unless you float/detach the umbilicus which can only be performed in cases of minimal infraumbilical skin excess). 
Based upon your photos alone, you would benefit a formal abdominoplasty to address laxity above and below the umbilicus. A mini-tummy tuck would be inadequate to address both upper and lower excess. Additionally, any muscle laxity could be addressed as well. Alternatively and RF skin tightening procedure like BodyTite combined with a non-invasive muscle tightening treatment like EMSculpt might be a reasonable alternative if you are trying to avoid a scar.
As always discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).

Thank you for your question and photos. Weight training is good to increase your core strength. Based in these photos, it will not correct the loose skin and bulging abdominal profile. you would do best with VASER Hi Def Lipo 360 degrees of your torso and a modified full tummy tuck with a low pubic bone level short incision.See a board certified plastic surgeon for an in person consultation/evaluation. Good luck.

Hello and thank you for your
question. Based on your photograph, you are a better candidate for a full tummy tuck
with liposuction.  This can be done
through a low and short incision, all completely below the bikini line.  The belly button can be designed to look
natural and have no scars on the exterior.  
Your muscles can also be plicated resulting in a flat abdomen.  Make sure you specifically look
at before and after pictures of real patients who have had this surgery
performed by your surgeon and evaluate their results.  The most important
aspect is to find a surgeon you are comfortable with. I recommend that you seek
consultation with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate
you in person.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D. FACS
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Thank you for the photos and you kind of have that in between tell me. You don’t have loose skin hanging over your waist line but there is loose skin both above and below the belly button. Usually in those cases patients do benefit from a full tummy tuck to get the tight look that they want in a bikini. These are the patients I see that hate it most when they bend over to pick up a beach bag (they will actually squat down rather than bend over!!!!)  and even if you end up with a small vertical scar where your old belly button was, it should be down fairly low. 

Dear KitCat18,it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery