Will a mini tuck or tummy tuck help back texture & loose skin? J-Plasma? (Photos)

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

Thank you for sharing your question and photographs. Nothing replaces an in-person examination but it appears that a back lift would be required to address your skin laxity as a tummy tuck only address the front abdomen. Seek out in-person consultations for the best advice.

Neither the mini tuck nor the full will make much change to your back. The Renuvion or other similar treatments can help tighten the back skin and flatten down the rolls.

An in person evaluation is best to determine which procedures are best for you. A mini tummy tuck will address loose skin and excess fat below the belly button. It does not address any laxity above it. Neither a mini nor a standard tummy tuck will improve the concerns you have for your back. For that area you can consider potentially liposuction or a bra line lift. See a board certified plastic surgeon near you to learn more.

You are one of the patients I would ask to be seen in person to give you an accurate opinion. A mini-abdominoplasty (mini-TT) would not benefit you well. It appears from the photos you have stretch marks and mild laxity of both the upper and lower abdomen. A mini-TT would not address issues above the umbilicus. A full abdominoplasty requires the upper abdominal skin to be loose enough to advance from the upper belly button down to the pubis. If not, you will have a small residual vertical scar in the lower abdomen from the old belly button hole (that gets pulled down with a full abdominoplasty).
Liposuction of your back will get rid of most of your fat, give you a nicer waist line and cause some contraction of the skin.

Your situation is complex. Having had previous surgery has changed your anatomy, and this makes assessments more difficult. Your previous provider did not do the best job at Liposuction. Leaving you with an uneven fat distribution. In regards to skin laxity there is no procedure that works other than direct skin excision which for the front of the abdomen is going to be a tummy tuck. Based on your pictures your abdominal wall bulges, which indicates you either have muscle seperation or excess visceral fat or both. If you have children, i.e. previous pregnancies, then most likely you have muscle separation. You don’t need to be able to put your fingers between your rectus muscles to have muscle separation. The diagnosis of muscle separation is determined by if you’re abdominal wall creates a straight line between your sternum and your pubic bone or not. There are generally only two variables that cause the abdominal wall to bulge. One is muscle separation and the other is excess visceral fat.
Differentiating excess visceral fat from muscle separation isn’t rocket science and most plastic surgeons should be able to help you with this. Individuals who have muscle separation should definitely have muscle tightening as part of any tummy tuck procedure.
One way to differentiate visceral fat from muscle separation is to see what your abdominal wall looks like when you lay on your back. If it gets completely flat or drops slightly below a fictitious line between your sternum and your pubic bone then visceral fat is probably not contributing. If it still has a slight bulge while you lay on your back then visceral fat is a significant component.
There are four variables that determine what the abdomen looks like. If somebody doesn’t like the way, their belly looks, it is always because of one or more of these four variables. Each variable has its own way of being treated so understanding the problem is the key to choosing the correct procedure.
The four variables are abdominal skin laxity, excess subcutaneous fat, muscle separation and excess visceral fat.
Renuvion will not create skin tightening. (First hand experience)
Your previous provider left you with an abnormal fat distribution by failing to include your back and under arm areas when they did liposuction. That is probably the main reason for why your body looks the way it does from the backside. Skin laxity on the back is difficult to treat, and there is no great treatment for it without skin excision.
To get an accurate assessment, will absolutely require an in person consultation and having access to proper before and after pictures. Having had previous surgery, your situation is now more complex than those who not had previous procedures. Do not attempt of making your own assessment, or determine what are appropriate procedures without proper training. There’s a good saying in medicine, saying “the Doctor Who treats himself has a fool for a patient”. Trying to make your own medical decisions without even having medical training, simply doubles the emphasis of that saying.
Find the most qualified providers in your community by having multiple in person, consultations and listen to what they have to recommend. Nobody has to have cosmetic surgery, so in the end, the decision will be yours, but should be based on having a clear understanding of what the underlying problems are and what each procedure option can and cannot accomplish.
In regards to your abdomen treatment options should be based and understanding which tissue is contributing and that should not be too difficult if you find a sufficiently talented and experience provider.
Individuals who are even moderately overweight, should consider weight loss as the first, safest, and most effective way of improving their bodies.
You do not appear to be a good candidate for a mini tummy tuck, and if you’re going to have a tummy tuck, it needs to include muscle tightening. The question is really whether you also have visceral fat in which case weight loss is mandatory in order to get a quality outcome.
Nobody has to have cosmetic surgery. Nobody has to have a tummy tuck. These are elective cosmetic surgical procedures.
The two single variables that determine quality cosmetic surgery outcomes are almost always based on patient candidacy and the skill of the surgeon. When things don’t go well it is almost always because of one or both of those two single variables.
Understanding your own candidacy for various surgical procedures, and choosing the best provider by having a multiple in person consultations are fundamental foundations of ensuring quality outcomes.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD

Hi. The extra tissue in the back seems to be fat. Sometimes complete liposuction of the back is difficult because the fat is very stiff and doesn't all come out with traditional liposuction. I always use VASER in this area to make sure I get all the fat out.
As for your abdomen, I get referred a lot of patients with this problem. They got lipo of abdomen somewhere else but their abdomen isn't flat and they are not happy with their results.
Even though you may not have muscle separation, your muscles and fascia may be stretched and loosened. To fix that and a get a flat abdomen your surgeon will need to plicate the muscle and fascia. The best course of action for you is to get a tummy tuck with incision from hip to hip, muscle/fascia plication, and liposuction of the back. This will get you the best results.