Can a tummy tuck be done where the skin under the belly button isn't cut? (Photos)

Seek the advice of more than one surgeon who is very experienced in body contouring surgery. You might be a candidate for diet and exercise, lipocontouring, and a tummy tuck to deal with relaxed muscles and excess skin. You could very well be a candidate for a “reverse” tummy tuck. Don't be hasty. Do your homework to increase your odds in being happy with the result.

Thank you for your question. There is a procedure called a reverse tummy tuck that lifts the skin with incisions under the breast. However, this procedure does not yield as powerful of a result as a traditional tummy tuck And it’s done for people with very slight excess skin above their belly button. The best option for you would be a traditional tummy tuck. Different non-invasive procedures such as laser may reduce the stretch marks. Good luck.

Dear Dirk99608,
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, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

A good option for you is a mini tuck where no incision is made around the belly button. With your old gall bladder scar, this will be safer for you. Removing skin with the reverse tummy tuck is not a good option for you because of limited circulation of the skin from your old scar. I would consider doing liposuction first.

Hello, thank you for your question and pictures.
After evaluating your case you seem to be a great candidate for a Tummy Tuck to remove the skin excess on the abdomen combined whit 360 liposusuction to reshape your body.
The belly button needs to be changed of place because all the skin under and upper it will be removed.
The BMI neet to be under 33 for surgery. By combining these procedures we can achieve goog results.

Make sure to approach to a certified surgeon to help your clear all your doubts.
Best wishes!

From your photo it appears the standard incisions will give you the best results. That will involve removing the skin from level of the belly button down. The skin that is above the belly button will be moved down to meet the low incision. There is not a tummy tuck approach that would remove the skin above the belly button to preserve the area below it.

The short answer to your question is yes, a reverse tummy tuck is when the abdominal skin is pulled up towards the chest with the incision placed under the breast/chest and only the upper abdominal skin is removed. This procedure is not routinely performed as the indications for this are rather narrow (mild upper abdominal skin laxity), and the resulting scars can be pretty visible and wide. I would recommend seeing a plastic surgeon to discuss options that are right for you. Hope this helps!

Hi! You are asking for a reverse lipectomy. Where the skin remains attached in the lower abdomen and is cut in the upper. This would make sense in order to remove most of the stretch marks, but it would produce a very long scar under the chest.
Then, you should ask yourself if you would accept a very noticeable scar under the chest, but no stretch marks; or a hidden scar but with stretch marks. On the other hand, it is yet to see if right now you are a candidate for any of these procedures. It all depend on the amount of skin and its laxity. That would be only possible with a consultation.I hope the information was clear enough. Good luck!

Yes. There is a procedure called reverse TT but it is NOT indicated on you. you need a FTT.You would likely benefit from a high definition tummy tuck using high definition VASER liposuction. The tummy tuck procedure would comprehensively remove excess skin and fat in the abdominal region. The abdominal muscle would also be 'tightened' to create the appearance of a flatter stomach. A Skype or FaceTime consultation with a tummy tuck specialist will help you get an accurate recommendation and pricing.

There are basically four versions of a tummy tuck. versionsThe traditional tummy tuck leaves a scar from hip to hip creates a tight flat abdomen by removing excess skin and tightening muscle separation from previous pregnancies. It leaves a scar around the belly button and the belly button may have a slight unnatural appearance. A mini tummy tuck is the same scar but often slightly shorter and without a scar around the belly button. The procedure only treat skin laxity below the belly button and does typically not include muscle tightening. The third version is a wraparound or extended tummy tuck a.k.a. body lift. This can sometimes also include a vertical scar called the fleur-de-lis pattern. this procedure is generally reserved for individuals will have extensive skin laxicity that is not just on their abdomen but also on the backside.
The fourth version is called the reverse tummy tuck and it makes the incisions under each breast across the midline and pulls the skin upwards removing skin from the upper abdomen. The procedure may or may not include repositioning of the belly button but typically does not. in many ways it would accomplish what you are looking for but technically it is an inferior approach and typically does not give the same quality results. It would be very difficult to get your entire lower abdomen to look correct doing a reverse tummy tuck. despite the position of your stretch marks your best option is a regular full tummy tuck or extended tummy tuck if you have skin laxiate that goes onto your sides or backside. It will not accomplish your goal of removing upper abdominal skin but simply leaves a far superior final outcome in regards to shape and contour.
Obviously this is just my opinion and each plastic surgeon will have their own version. Likewise taking an accurate assessment requires an examination. In the end the choice of procedures should be based first and foremost and a clear understanding of what the primary problem or ideology is. In other words make an accurate diagnosis of why your body looks the way it does in comparison to what you’re trying to achieve and apply the procedure that best treats the primary and secondary problems.
Patients also need to take into consideration what they are trying to achieve and what they’re willing to go through. At tummy tuck of any kind it’s not for everyone and each one of the procedures has potential dropbacks and advantages.
To get a more accurate assessment and a better understanding of treatment options I recommend having multiple in person consultations with local board-certified plastic surgeons in your community. Whenever possible I recommend avoiding virtual consultations.
During each consultation ask each provider to shower their entire collection of before and after pictures for the procedure you’re interested in. For a typical for tummy tuck an experienced surgeon should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 sats of before and after pictures for this commonly performed procedure. For a procedure like a reverse tummy tuck you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who can show you that many before and after pictures but there may be some who are big fans of the procedure and has done them routinely.
When judging plastic surgeons in regards to the outcome of a tummy tuck look carefully at who gets the most natural looking belly button. That is one of the more difficult parts of the procedure and plastic surgeons who get consistent natural looking belly buttons tend to be detail oriented and know how to do it every aspect of the procedure. other characteristics of quality work include a very low set scar that follows an atomic contour naturally. The torso should look good from all angles including from behind. A talented plastic surgeon well designed the operation including doing an extended tummy tuck when indicated so that the torso has good shape and contour from all angles.
Finally I recommend reading all reviews on various physician review websites avoiding providers with any significant number of justified negative reviews. The absence of justified negative reviews is more important and more telling than having an abundance of positive reviews.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD