Do I Need A Full Tummy Tuck?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am a 42 year old female who is 5’ 3” and weighs 122lbs. I had liposuction done several years ago to remove some fat but now I have loose skin. I would love to have a very flat and tight stomach with a six-pack look. I think I need a tummy tuck to get there but the scar and the shapes of the bellybuttons I have seen scare me. I don’t know if my tummy is bad enough for a full tummy tuck, maybe just a mini-tummy tuck will do. I want a very low and thin beautiful scar and a small almond-shaped belly buttons. I would like to be able to bend over and not grab a handful of stomach skin.

A: To get the flattest and tightest result you need a full tummy tuck. A mini-tummy tuck will make some improvement but will not meet the muster of the flattest and tightest abdominal result. Keeping the scar low as one would like depends on how much loose skin one has. Scars from tummy tucks are influenced largely by how the patient heals not necessarily by the plastic surgeon who makes them. A full tummy tuck will not get you a six-pack, only a flat tight stomach. The shape of the belly button, like the scars, is highly influenced by how you heal and your natural belly button shape. A tummy tuck does something that no amount of diet and exercising can do but getting one involves trade-offs and realistic expectations. Bending over and expecting there will be no skin to grab is one of those not realistic expectations

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana