66-year-old female three months following her tummy tuck surgery.
The tummy tuck definition describes abdominal surgery intended to eliminate abdominal skin maximally and tighten the abdominal muscles. These maneuvers performed during a tummy tuck procedure are intended to eliminate abdominal skin redundancy and narrow the waistline. The tummy tuck definition has most recently been modified with prefixes of “full” and “mini.”
Full Tummy Tuck Definition
The full tummy tuck definition continues to specify the original definition wherein maximal skin removal and muscle tightening are employed by the wide undermining of the entire abdominal skin following an incision made in the lower abdominal pubic region. The umbilical stalk must be released when undermining the abdominal skin up to the ribs.
Repairing the abdominal muscles involves two plication sutures performed much like a brassiere. The plication muscle repair is positioned both above and below the umbilicus. The independent repair of the abdominal muscles allows our providers to differentially tighten the muscles to create a dramatic yet natural aesthetic contour to create the ideal female silhouette.
Following the repair of the abdominal wall, the belly button stalk is trimmed and then fixed to the abdominal muscles strategically to create an “innie” belly button appearance once the umbilical stalk is re-sewn back up to the newly draped abdominal skin. At SurgiSculpt, the belly buttons are consistently created in an “innie” shape using the umbilicate, a proprietary tool designed by our surgeons.
As such, the patient is flexed and redundant, and loose skin and fatty tissues are trimmed before being re-draped and repaired. Before completion of closure of the skin incision line, two drains are usually positioned and secured to allow for drainage of the abdominal pocket fluid that may accumulate created from undermining. The re-draped abdominal skin is repaired in three separate layers to ensure the optimized healing of an abdominal incision line following complete abdominoplasty.
Finally, the belly stalk is found and delivered to the abdominal skin to create the neo-umbilicus. The neo-umbilicus refers to the insetting of the belly button ring that should be sewn so that the ring falls in the shadow of the belly button. The umbilical fixation performed earlier ensures that the skin of the abdomen gets pulled back down the abdominal muscle creating the hidden neo-umbilicus ring.
Mini Tummy Tuck Definition
The mini tummy tuck refers to a less invasive modification of the full tummy tuck that involves a wedge excision of a smaller area limited to the lower abdomen and pubic region.
This excision improves the abdominal skin contour when minimal to moderate skin redundancy is present, especially when redundancy is limited to the lower abdominal region. As such, this surgery is not indicated for massive weight loss patients who have extensive skin redundancy.
Since skin excision is limited, only minimal undermining well below the belly button is required. Although the mini tummy tuck has the disadvantage of not being able to tighten your abdominal muscles, it does allow you to undergo high-definition liposuction of your entire abdomen. Although you cannot benefit from tightening your muscles, you may use liposuction of your soft tissues to create natural shadows and muscle highlights. You can tolerate liposuction of your entire abdomen because wide-undermining is avoided with a mini tummy tuck. As such, liposuction can be safely administered to create contour highlights that align with high-definition body contouring outcomes.
Advances in Tummy Tuck Definition Surgery
As mentioned above, the tummy tuck definition has been modified over the years to define both a “full” and “mini” tummy tuck. So if you are considering a tummy tuck, you may choose between the abovementioned procedures.
The full tummy tuck will allow you to remove redundant skin maximally and narrow your waist maximally if you demonstrate a bloated appearance resulting from stretched-out abdominal muscles.
The mini tummy tuck will allow you to remove limited redundant skin and receive high-definition liposuction of your entire abdomen, resulting in a chiseled appearance. This surgery is ideal for patients without significant stretching or thinning of their abdominal muscles.
To determine which tummy tuck option is best for you, we recommend a consultation with one of our SurgiSculpt surgeons.
