This week’s ACA Question of the Week comes from a viewer in West Palm Beach. The viewer asks, “I have some excess skin when I bend over that I’d like removed. I’m considering a full versus a mini tummy tuck. Which one is a better option for me?” Dr. Pane wanted to answer this one in particular because it is a very common question among people who are interested in tummy tuck procedures, and this gave him the opportunity to drill down into the differences between a mini tummy tuck and the full procedure.
Dr. Pane said that whether a full or mini tummy tuck is appropriate depends largely on how much forward bowing there is in the abdominal skin, and the skin’s overall looseness, or laxity. If there’s a relatively small amount and liposuction to sculpt the area is not needed, then a mini tummy tuck may be the better choice. However, if there is a lot of loose skin, the skin has lost its elasticity or shows a lot of stretch marks or liposuction or tightening of the underlying muscles would be necessary to properly contour the area, then a full tummy tuck is a better bet.
With regards to scarring, Dr. Pane noted that the mini tummy tuck leaves a slightly smaller scar than the full tummy tuck, although they both generally occur in the same area, so that the scar can be hidden just beneath the bikini line. A full tummy tuck makes an incision near the belly button to allow undermining and tightening of the musculature in the area. The reason Dr. Pane generally prefers to perform the full as opposed to the mini tummy tuck is because there is not much difference in the recovery time or scarring from the procedure, and patients are generally a lot happier with the overall result.
Normally, Dr. Pane observed, the best candidates for a mini tummy tuck would be people who have previously had a full tummy tuck and gained weight or had a child, and there’s just a little excess skin drooping in the area. In these cases, where a complete revision of the full tummy tuck is not necessary, he said that a mini tummy tuck would be appropriate. However, he pointed out that many patients opt for the mini due to a mistaken belief that it is a simpler or less invasive procedure, or that the recovery time will be accelerated.
Even worse, Dr. Pane said that some surgeons have difficulty with the mini tummy tuck and therefore wind up disappointing their patients with the results they achieve. This is especially true of surgeons who are not particularly skilled with the full procedure, as well as those who promise more than they can reliably deliver. As a revision for stretch marks, Dr. Pane noted that there is no way to reliably laser or otherwise revise stretch marks so that they disappear at this time other than to remove the marked skin completely, which may be another argument against a mini tummy tuck for many patients. Only clinical, in-person examination can really give enough insight into the problem area and the patient’s overall physical health and skin condition to determine which procedure would be best for a given patient.
It is important to keep in mind that the more skilled the surgeon is, the more likely it is the patient will achieve an outcome they will appreciate. Dr. Pane is a double-board-certified cosmetic and general surgeon with thousands of hours of surgical experience, which means that it is far more likely that the recovery and results will exceed patient expectations. However, even the most experienced cosmetic surgeon cannot account for every conceivable variable, so following prescribed aftercare instructions diligently can also help ameliorate the risk of postoperative complications and problems with the healing process.
If you’ve been considering cosmetic surgery and want to know more about your options, discuss concerns or just have a question about plastic surgery and aren’t sure who to ask, we at Atlantic Coast Aesthetics welcome the opportunity to talk with you! Call us at 561-422-4116., email us at https://acplasticsurg.com or visit our Facebook page to ask your question. It might become ACA’s next Question of the Week and help us inform other patients with similar interests, problems or concerns. The only bad question is the one you don’t ask, and Dr. Pane enjoys discussing the pros and cons, risks and benefits of cosmetic surgery with you, the reading and viewing audience!