Tummy tucks are still one of the most popular types of plastic surgery throughout the world but there are different operations aiming for different effects and if you don’t understand the difference between them it is hopeless to try to begin to understand these operations. There is the abdominoplasty, meaning the operation called the tummy tuck and then the newer scaled down version dubbed the mini tummy tuck – and these two operations really are quite different in nature.
This article aims to explain what a mini tummy tuck is, what benefits it aims to give patients, the way it generally performed and the ways in which it differs from the full tummy tuck operation. This can help you very quickly understand the essential differences between these two very different procedures.
The mini tummy tuck is likely to be advised only for patients looking to remove excess tissues between their belly button and the top of their bikini line (generally at the level of the pubic bone). A typical surgical candidate might be a lady who has had two or three pregnancies and finds it now impossible to regain tight abdominal muscles by using dieting and exercise that used to work for her. Patients of mature years also sometimes choose the operation as their abdominal muscles may naturally become less firm with time. Or it may be chosen by someone who has ongoing but mild fluctuations with their weight. Whatever the reason, everyone wants the same thing – a flatter, toned looking tummy again.
Plastic surgeons generally use an incision on average between 10 and 15 centimetres long, horizontally in the area above the bikini line. With the incision performed, the surgeon has access to trim away excessive skin, and sometimes excess adipose (fatty) tissues. This may be combined with liposuction where a surgical cannula is manoeuvered to loosen adipose tissue before it is removed by vacuum forces through the cannula for disposal. Patients with damaged abdominal muscles, for example, those women with stretching due to multiple pregnancies, can have those muscles strengthened by a suturing process before the wounds are sealed with dissolvable stitches. The whole operation differs from the full tummy tuck in a number of ways.
The operation takes much less time on average then the full tummy tuck. It may last an hour or so, whereas the tummy tuck tends to push more over the two hours marker. The navel is generally not repositioned, whereas this is more often needed during the full tummy tuck and accounts for some of the reason why the time on the operating table is quite different. The incisions used also tend to be smaller than those for the full tummy tuck.
There is something about the name mini tummy tuck that makes it sound a little less invasive than the full tummy tuck but in reality they are both really quite major surgical operations requiring a very skilled team and a good recovery plan. No surgery is ever guaranteed free from risk and this raises the education the surgical team offer to patients before surgery – it really should explain all the risks to allow them to make their informed choice. You can now understand the effects of the mini tummy tuck on the lower abdomen, the general principles of the operation, the basic differences between it and full tummy tucks and the fact it is unfortunately, a little shorter but never entirely risk free. For full details and medical advice patients must of course consult their doctors and/or surgical teams.
RS Brown is one of a dedicated team writing about plastic surgery people choose in the hope they will look younger and feel better about their bodies. The team examine the mini tummy tucks against the full tucks and provide timely information for those considering a clinic abroad.
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