Can I get away with a mini tuck? Help please (Photo)

Your picture show a moderate amount of skin laxity that is located on your entire abdominal wall. A tummy tuck is really an operation that is specific for lower abdominal skin laxity, it is not addressed the upper abdomen. If you were to have a mini tummy tuck, the results would not be very good. Additionally, if you lowered the umbrella blanket, which many times you have to do a tummy tuck it would end up abnormally low and look odd. I would recommend a full tummy tuck with muscle repair to obtain an excellent result.

Thank you for your inquiry! By your photos, it looks like you would be a great candidate for an abdominoplasty to get rid of excess skin. The only difference in a mini vs a full abdominoplasty is how long the incision is. A mini tummy tuck is going to have a smaller incision than a full tummy tuck. Muscle repair, removal of excess skin, and liposuction are all included with both a mini and a full tummy tuck. Both procedures would be done under general anesthesia. I recommend scheduling a consult appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon like myself so we can create a surgical plan that is best for you and your goals!

There appears to be loose skin above your belly button. For this reason, a full tummy tuck is recommended.

A standard tummy tuck would provide better results based on your photos, but I do recommend consulting with a plastic surgeon for a thorough examination in order to get more information.

If fact, there is a good option to maximally rejuvenate your entire tummy. Given the lack of muscle laxtiy and diastasis, a full tummy tuck is not necessary. There is an alternative to the full tummy tuck. Skin excision with umbilical transposition is a good option. This is similar to the skin aspect of a tummy tuck, only managing the superficial skin and no muscle involvement. This is done with local tumescent anesthesia and an oral cocktail of pills so you do not have to go asleep, no drains and a very reasonable recovery with return to work in 3-5 days. This is an excellent option for you. Thank you.

Dear Josiesa76,
based on your photos, you look like a good candidate for a TT. Full tummy tuck should tighten your abdominal muscles and remove the excess skin. Flanks liposuction would give you a better shape. I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon because 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

Hello and thank you for your question! your photos show notable skin laxity above, around and below the level of the belly button. Due to this, I would personally recommend a standard/full abdominoplasty which will address these issues. While the mini tummy tuck does have a shorter scar, it is limited in the amount of skin that can be removed, but in your case, I do not think the mini tummy tuck will correct the amount of skin tightening you need to have the best results. The next best step is an in person consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. Good luck on your journey!

A min-tummy tuck could be performed but it will only address the loose skin by the underwear line. If changing the look of the belly button or skin in the mid and upper abdomen is important to you then you would need a full tummy tuck. Mini tummy tucks can be performed under local anesthesia where full tummy tuck are generally done with general anesthesia.

A traditional abdominoplasty is going to give you a much better outcome, based on your photos. You appear to have laxity up to/above the level of the belly button. Patients well suited for a mini tummy tuck have mild skin laxity isolated to the lower abdomen, those patients who do not have a diastasis (some degree of laxity is very common after childbirth), or in patients who do require a diastasis repair and are otherwise a candidate- a high belly button and minimal skin laxity allowing for a belly button "float". Based on your photos, a traditional hip to hip incision and incision round the belly button is the only way to remove all of the excess skin.
Sean Fisher Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon Seattle, WA

Hello, thank you for your question and the pics. In short, no, in order to fix your abdomen, you need a full tummy tuck with muscle repair. going for a mini will only get the small excess of skin in your lower abdomen, but you do have extra skin on top of your navel, and the slightly bloated appearance of your abdomen comes from the diastases and loose muscle tone, so doing a mini wil only cause a slight improvement, atop leaving you a scar. PD Anesthesia is rarely a problem in surgery, in my 12 years of plastic surgery, I have never seen a patient in trouble because of the anesthesia. Whoever you choose to be your surgeon, ask to have a sit down with the anesthesiologist, I'm sure you'll find good clarification to your anesthetic doubts