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

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).