Mini tummy tuck with floating belly button or full tummy tuck? (Photos)

Mini-abdominoplasty tightens the lower abdominal wall muscles and removes redundant skin below the umbilicus, belly button, only. The shortest scar technique leaves a scar at the pubic hair line. Liposuction may be used alone or in conjunction with a tummy tuck to benefit selected patients
‘Mini” tummy tucks can benefit patients who have a small amount of excess skin and fat or protruding of the lower abdomen. This operation may be done under local anesthesia with sedation, on an outpatient basis. Liposuction may be used alone or in conjunction with a tummy tuck to benefit selected patients.
Far more important than deciding if a mini tummy tuck is for you is the skill and experience of your plastic surgeon. Choose your surgeon rather than the technique and let him explain why one technique may be better than another and if you need a tummy tuck. Many board certified plastic surgeons provide a free first time consult and you should take advantage of that!
See the below link on some suggestions on finding the most qualified Plastic Surgeon for you!
I have also attached a video for a possible Tummy Tuck Candidate. 

Hello. Great question. A personal examination is needed to address your skin laxity. Please schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon for a detailed surgical plan to achieve your desired results.

Hello and thank-you for your question and photos.
A mini tummy-tuck is an excellent option for individuals with an abdominal bulge due to muscle weakness, fat accumulation, and mild skin laxity. Whether or not you are a candidate is best determined by an in person consultation. With this procedure, liposuction is performed, the muscles are tightened, and a small amount of skin is removed. The procedure is termed "mini" due to the fact that less skin is removed and the scar is slightly shorted than that of a full tummy-tuck. As a mini tummy-tuck removes less skin than a full tummy-tuck, there is less tightening of the abdomen compared to a full tummy tuck. A mini tummy tuck does not tighten the skin above the umbilicus. The incision of both mini and full tummy-tuck are designed low in the bikini line to be hidden by even minimal clothing. A full tummy tuck will give a better result when:
1. There is more than just a little bit of looseness due pregnancies or weight loss. 2. Significant abdominal muscle weakness due to separation (diastasis) 3. Stretch marks in the lower abdomen. 4. Distortion of the belly-button 5. Significant fatty accumulation is the abdomen requiring more liposuction
The incision for a full tummy tuck is slightly longer than that of a mini, but the abdomen is much tighter. Mini tummy tuck is an excellent option for candidates who meet these criteria. For the majority of women, a full tummy tuck is a better option. On this site, the patient satisfaction rate for a full tummy tuck is 97%. This compares to 89% for mini tummy-tucks. A mini tummy-tuck is an excellent option for an appropriate candidate. The difference in satisfaction rates most likely represents our attempts to stretch the indications and offer a mini-tummy tuck for individuals who would have done better with a full tummy tuck. I am currently using two new technologies for skin tightening that are very promising for tightening the skin of the tummy, avoiding a scar altogether.  The J-plasma (Cool Helium Plasma) and Bodytite radiofrequency are minimally invasive techniques combined with liposuction that are producing significant tightening.  I would recommend a consultation with a plastic surgeon who is board certified by the American Board of Plastic surgery and has extensive experience in body contouring.
I hope this information helps you and best of luck!
Andrew Lyos, MD, FACS

Hi. In my opinion, you need a regular tummy tuck and will be disappointed with a mini. In addition, I would suiggest lipo of your flanks, hips and uppr back to shape you into a more "hour glass" figure and accentuate your waist.Always seek out the opinion of a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery with years of experience in tummy tucks and VASER liposuction. Furthermore request to see before and after photos of previous patients by that doctor....not a clinic or surgery center. Do your homework......research and verify the doctor's credentials. Have they had problems with the Board of Medicine, disciplinary or otherwise. Any law suits? How about the center, clinic or facility? Are they accredited by a national organization or do they just have State approval. Understand that at the current time, there are three nationally recognized organizations responsible for the highest levels of patient safety, AAAASF, AAACH and JCHO. You owe it to yourself to position yourself for the best possible results but under the most stringent safety regulations, If you have kids, even more so.How about anesthesia? Will you have a medical doctor certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology or a certified nurse anesthetist (CRNA)? Understand that there is no substitute for research. Cosmetic surgery, no matter how simple it may be to the patients, are invasive procedures and as such carry certain risks and complications. You owe this to your family.In our office we use TouchMD which is a web based program in which patients have the ability to load their picture unto the program. I then evaluate them and can actually draw on the picture to show a potential patient where the incisions would be located and how the procedure is to be realized. It's all done to comply with HIPPA which is the federal law that protects the patient's medical information. Look them up.Good luck, Dr. PG
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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, I would suggest that a full abdominoplasty will likely be necessary.
As always, discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).

Hi Mom of Two!
This is something that you should discuss with your Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon! Look at their photos of patients who look similar to you and discuss mini versus full tuck. They can explain to you the limitations of mini-tuck. The photos make it look like a full tuck is what you need, but nothing beats an in-person evaluation! Good luck with your journey!
All the best, 
Dr. Meegan Gruber

Most patients do best with a full tummy tuck. A mini with umbi float works best when there is a high belly button and minimal skin laxity in the upper abdomen. You have some of these features (high belly button) but I doubt that the upper abdomen would be improved enough with that approach. It is also possible that a T-closure would be best because it would allow the horizontal scar to be low. A slightly shorter scar from the mini is not a good trade-off for maximum results.

I would absolutely go for the full tummy tuck! With the amount of irregularities and the shape of your bellybutton I think that would be best. Many women are nervous about the scar but you can always hide that under a bikini or underwear and an aggressive tummy tuck will give you the best results!

Dear momoftwokids,Its difficult to tell without examining you but from your photos you would benefit the most from a Tummy Tuck. Heres why:
Liposuction gets rid of excess fat. You have laxity of your skin based on the shadows portrayed in your photo. Liposuction alone would alone make this more lax and likely make the appearance less aesthetically pleasing.
A mini tummy tuck is great if you are just looking to flatten the skin below the belly button. It does nothing for the skin above the belly button. This may be an option for you.
A full tummy tuck address all of the skin laxity and abdominal wall laxity. It repositions your umbilicus as well. It costs more and has more downtime associated then either of the above.
I would recommend consulting with a plastic surgeon that can go over in detail these three options and spends time answering your questions.Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery  
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

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.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon