Am I a candidate for a mini or FAB tummy tuck? (photos)

An abdominoplasty is performed to
improve the contour of the belly by removing excess skin and fat and by
tightening lax abdominal muscles. There are two main types of abdominoplasties
– the mini and full.



A mini abdominoplasty is a
fine-tuning procedure performed for a small subset of patients who have no
abdominal wall laxity, no excess skin above the belly button, and a small pouch
of excess skin and fat below the belly button. This procedure results in a
short bikini line scar from thigh to thigh and no belly button scar. A mini
does not, however, allow tightening of the belly muscles and it does not remove
many of the stretch marks of pregnancy.



In contrast, a typical full
abdominoplasty is often performed after bearing children or after moderate
weight loss. It can be a powerful procedure that can flatten and remove excess
skin and fat from both above and below the belly button and tighten the
abdominal muscles. The trade off is a scar in the bikini line that extends hip
to hip and a scar around the belly button.



There are slight variations to the full abdominoplasty based on
the anatomy of the patient. One of these variations is a floating
abdominoplasty – FAB. This is a full abdominoplasty in which the belly button
is cut at the base and “floated” down with the belly skin. This technique does
not require a belly button scar, however, the amount of skin tightening is
limited by the position of the bellybutton. This procedure is for patients with
high belly buttons, minimal excess tissue above and below the belly button, and
few stretch marks, who need a little overall skin tightening but would benefit
from a full belly muscle plication.



A
detailed examination will help delineate the best surgical treatment.
Consultation with a plastic surgeon would be the next best step.

    The tummy tuck may be reasonable, but I would have to examine you to make a determination.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

please add pictures to your question as it's impossible to give you an answer without seeing your abdomen.  

From the submitted photos it appears you are a better candidate for a standard tummy tuck with liposuction for contouring. This would address excess subcutaneous fat and skin as well as correct abdominal wall laxity. I've included a video I hope you find helpful.

Thank you for the question and pictures. In my practice, I would only offer you the full tummy tuck operation; any lesser operation would not end up with an outcome that you or I would be pleased with. Generally speaking, the “ideal” patient for tummy tuck surgery is one who has completed pregnancies, is psycho socially/emotionally/financially stable, has an excellent social support system surrounding him/her, is capable of arranging enough recovery time, does not smoke and who has reached a long-term stable weight.
 In my opinion, the mini tummy tuck is an operation that produces very limited results and is very rarely indicated. It involves a shorter incision but does not address the majority of the abdominal wall issues present for most patients who present consultation. For example, the area of skin excised is quite small. The abdominal wall musculature is addressed below the umbilicus leaving the upper number wall potentially lax. The appearance of the umbilicus is not necessarily addressed sufficiently.
For the vast majority of patients who have had pregnancies and/or weight loss a full abdominoplasty is necessary to achieve the desired results.   When the time is right, seek consultation with board-certified plastic surgeons who can demonstrate significant experience helping patients achieve the types of outcomes you would be pleased with.   You may find the attached link, dedicated to tummy tuck surgery concerns, helpful to you as you learn more. Best wishes.