Tummy Tuck Photos

Patient Questions: Mini Tummy Tuck vs Full Tummy Tuck?

Q: Mini Tummy Tuck vs Full Tummy Tuck?

Wave Patient: Tummy Tuck B&A

A: Sometimes A Trade-Off Is Worth The Trade

Yours is a question that we receive frequently.  Part of the answer to it is a function of your expectations. Are you willing to accept less dramatic results in exchange for having a smaller procedure?
Vishal Kapoor MD

Given your history of multiple c-sections for the delivery of 11lbs babies, I do not believe that  your “ab work” has “pushed your stomach out”.  Rather, you have a diastsis recti that prevents your abdominal wall from effectively restraining the mass of the contents of your abdomen from pushing forward through this opening , and giving your abdomen an overall convex shape.

Secondly, the issue is not whether you are “fussed” or not about your stretch marks.  The real issue is that your abdominal skin has been stretched from your pregnancies and weight gain so that it has lost a good deal of its elasticity, and is now somewhat redundant and dependent.

Rectus abdominis photo
The reason for you to do a full abdominoplasty, rather than a “mini”, is not to remove all the stretch marks on your abdomen, but to remove all of the excess skin, so that it drapes properly over your abdomen. A miniabdominoplasty will not allow your surgeon access to remove the appropriate amount of skin.  It will also not allow him to perform a complete repair of your diastasis recti.

The result will be that you will continue to have excess hanging skin, particularly laterally, and your abdomen will continue to have an overall convex shape unrelated to, and never to be improved by, your sit up regime.  You would be far better served to undergo the appropriate surgery without cutting corners, and accept the trade off of a slightly longer scar for an overall improvement in your abdominal contour and aesthetics.

Ben Lee

Ben Lee

Dr. Lee received his bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology with highest honors from the University of Colorado in Boulder. He went on to earn his M.D. with highest honors from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver, followed by his MBA from the University of Colorado Denver. He completed his surgical internship at the University of California at San Francisco. Going on to train in otolaryngology/head & neck surgery at Duke University Medical Center, working closely with the plastic surgeons during his head and neck residency inspired him to continue training in plastic and reconstructive surgery. After this specialized training, Dr. Lee went on to become Board Certified in Plastic Surgery.

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With a wide range of breast, body, and face procedures, our goal at Wave Plastic Surgery is to allow for all of our patients to achieve their ideal appearance, no matter their age or ethnicity. Our doctors all have extensive experience working with patients of all different backgrounds and have developed expertise in Asian plastic surgery procedures such as eyelid and nose surgery. We work with all sorts of men and women—both local to the Los Angeles area and from far out of town—to help find the right procedure to help them reach their goals.

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