A mini-tummy tuck, also known as mini-abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure to remove excess fat and skin from the lower abdomen and waist, rewarding the patient with a toned and more youthful looking tummy area. In a mini-tummy tuck, removal of fat takes place between the incision line and the navel only. This means that there is no need to re-position the navel after surgery.
In a mini tummy tuck a long incision is made across the waistline in a broad U-shape. The skin is then lifted and separated from the underlying tissue and muscle of the abdominal wall. Excess fat is removed, sometimes by liposuction, and the abdominal muscles and associated tissue drawn together to tighten the waistline. The skin is then pulled down tight over the abdomen, trimmed and the incision sewn.
A mini-tummy tuck takes between 1 – 2 hours to complete. The patient normally has to be under a general anaesthetic and an overnight stay in hospital is required.
A full recovery takes 2 – 3 weeks, although normal activity can be resumed within 5 – 10 days. Strenuous activity should be avoided for about a month after surgery.
Mini-tummy tuck surgery is generally long lasting, but is very dependent upon lifestyle, diet and exercise regimes of the patient. Eating fatty foods and not participating in exercise will lead to a gradual build up of fat in the lower abdomen area, destroying all of the good work a mini-tummy tuck achieves.
Bruising, swelling and soreness of the stomach and hips is to be expected following surgery, as is nausea from the general anaesthetic administered. All these effects are temporary and will subside within a few days.