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Before Mini Tummy Tuck
Before Surgery - Frontal View

Mini Tummy Tuck

Before Mini Tummy Tuck
Before Surgery - Side View
Mini Tummy Tuck After Six Months
6 Months After Surgery - Frontal
Mini Tummy Tuck After Six Months
6 Months Following Surgery - Side View
This patient displays several of the issues for which the "scaled down" or mini tummy tuck can work. These are similar to those indicating full tummy tuck surgery, however are lesser in severity. Childbirth had left a small abdominal "pouch" that protruded below the belly button. There was also a small excess of skin and the abdominal muscular envelope could be felt beneath having been made slightly more "lax" by the increased abdominal pressure maintained during the previous pregnancies. These pregnancies had been complete over a year prior to the consultation.. 

At 6 Months following surgery, the patient's healing is about half complete. The abdominal wound in the case of a mini-abdominoplasty is completely hidden in small bikini wear. 

A major difference in this procedure is that liberal liposuction can be combined with the mini tummy tuck with minimal risk. This results in less of a tendency for these patients to return at a year for "touch up" work.

This operation does limit the improvement seen above the belly button quite a bit however. No muscular tightening above the belly button can be performed in this scaled down version of tummy tuck surgery. This limits the number of patients in whom a mini-abdominoplasty can achieve optimal correction.

LESS SURGERY = LESS SCARRING, BUT LESS CORRECTION  

OPERATIVE STATISTICS:
  • Before: Abdominal Fatty Deposits With Mild Muscular Laxity And Skin Excess Below The Belly Button 
  • After: Improved Abdominal Contour 
  • Operative Design: A Mini Abdominoplasty was performed through a small lower abdominal crescent incision. A skin excision was performed, the abdominal muscle was "tightened" below the belly button and liposuction was used to contour the sides.  

© 1998 John Di Saia MD - Orange County California