Mini Tummy Tuck, Full Tummy Tuck or Just Liposuction. Report from Morristown NJ
This has to be the most common question that I get asked in Morristown NJ. I am sure that every plastic surgeon has to answer similar questions. The difference between the full and mini tummy tuck is all about the bellybutton. If you cut around that structure, lift the skin from the deep layers, stitch the muscles together to make the belly flatter, and move the skin above the BB, down to the pubic area, we would call the procedure a full TT. If you do liposuction and remove some skin in the pubic area, it is called mini tummy tuck. One can float (separate from the deep attachment) the BB, lift the entire abdominal skin from the deep layers and repair the muscles through the lower abdominal incision, then stitch the BB back to the abdominal wall a little lower and take some skin above the pubis. This is the in-between procedure. It is done using specially lighted retractors because of the poor exposure.
This procedure is more difficult than a standard TT. With this procedure you are not getting read of all the skin excess, therefore when you sit, you will still see the looseness of the skin. The recovery would be as difficult as for a full TT. Complication rate would be higher. Your
BB may end up too low for your taste. The only benefit is that you may just have a smaller scar at the pubic area and no scar around the BB. This procedure has never caught on because of all the above concerns.
I hope I have not added to your confusion. After all, it is simple. If you are most concerned with the bulge, get a full TT with liposuction of the hips and flanks. If you are just concerned with the fat excess, then liposuction alone is the best choice. If you already have a scar above the pubis, a bit of skin could be removed in that area to give the lower abdomen a bit more tightness. You need to be seen for me to confirm any of these recommendations.
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