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  • Differences Between a Tummy Tuck and a Mini Tummy Tuck
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Hi, it's Dr. Lowenstein here in Santa Barbara. Yesterday, I saw several tummy tuck patients, and I want to go over real quickly what a mini tummy tuck is and what it does. A mini tummy tuck has a smaller incision than a regular tummy tuck, and the dissection is significantly less. We basically make an incision as low as we can, and dissect the tissue underneath the belly button. So, when I say underneath, I mean below the belly button. Then, that tissue is redistributed, and the extra tissue is cut out. And so, if you have skin and fat, or fat, that is localized just below the belly button, a mini tummy tuck is a great operation.

However, most women have excess tissue both below and above the belly button. Once you are trying to treat tissue above the belly button, you really need to do a full tummy tuck, which includes a release of the belly button with an incision around the belly button, dissection all the way up to the rib cage; and when we do that we also fix what's called a diastasis, or the muscle separation that often happens with childbirth. It's a much more significant operation, and it's a much more uncomfortable operation because we're really dealing with the muscles underneath the tissue. But again, for women who have a primary concern regarding tissue below the belly button, mini tummy tuck is a fantastic way to go. Hope that helps. Thanks. Take care.

Differences Between a Tummy Tuck and a Mini Tummy Tuck

According to Dr. Adam Lowenstein, whether your doctor recommends a regular tummy tuck or a mini tuck depends on the location of the excess tissue in need of surgical intervention.