A ^Retired Plastic Surgeon's Notebook

Tag: mini tummy tuck


Mini Tummy Tuck – Proceed With Caution

January 5th, 2012 — 8:47pm

Seattle plastic surgeon blogs about the lessons she has learned (the hard way, of course) about Mini Tummy Tuck.

Indications for a Mini Tummy Tuck are few and far between.

Sometimes a procedure just seems too good to be true and that is often the case for Mini Tummy Tuck.  It seems that every week I get a question about this procedure from a patient who thinks she may be the perfect candidate.

The appeal of the Mini Tummy Tuck is really easy to understand.  A short scar just above the pubis (like a C-section scar) and a quick recovery.  Sweet, huh?

The problem with this procedure is that it is often done with a dose of wishful thinking on the part of both the surgeon and the patient.  This procedure only addresses issues in the lower abdomen and cannot be expected to help upper abdominal issues of skin laxity or muscle weakness.  So it is not unusual for a Mini Tummy Tuck patient to be disappointed with the result.  The lower abdomen may end up nice and tight and smooth and then the untreated upper abdomen looks worse when compared to the lower abdomen.  Also, the longevity of the procedure may not be so great.  I have had several ladies who had a Mini Tummy Tuck come back years later for a full tummy tuck because of the toll that aging took on the upper abdomen.  Contrast that with a close to zero rate of repeating a full tummy tuck.

So if I tell a patient that she is not a good candidate for a Mini Tummy Tuck, it’s not because I want her to have a longer scar and recovery and I want  me to have a larger surgeon’s fee.  It’s because I am using my experience as my guide.  And, as I say almost every day, I learned this the hard way!

Thanks for reading!  Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

Body Contouring, Mommy Makeover, Patient Beware, Plastic Surgery, Tummy Tuck

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