Are There Different Types of Tummy Tucks?

Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon located in Nashville and Brentwood, TN

By Dr. Alton Ingram

Abdominoplasty by Dr. Alton Ingram in Nashville TN
Helps patients understand what type of tummy tuck is right for them. Discusses 5 different types of abdominoplastys performed by Dr. Alton Ingram in Nashville Tennessee.

How to Choose the Right Tummy Tuck for You

Are you considering a tummy tuck? If so, you may be overwhelmed with the variety of abdominoplasty procedures available. From mini tummy tuck to extended lipoabdominoplasty, there are five main variations of this procedure, and each one addresses different problems. To help you decide which tummy tuck is right for your needs, let’s break down these five options and explore what each one entails. 

What is a Tummy Tuck?

A tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, is a great operation for women who – despite doing everything they can through diet and exercise – have some extra skin or fat of the lower abdomen and who may even have some separation of their abdominal muscles in the upper abdomen due to pregnancy or weight loss. It’s our second most common procedure, and it can really change your life!

An abdominoplasty removes excess skin and fat from your lower abdomen and tightens the muscles throughout your abdominal wall. This procedure is best for  people who have lost a significant amount of weight or for women who have had multiple pregnancies – it gets rid of loose skin and stubborn fat and tightens your abdominal muscles. 

Each type of tummy tuck involves Dr. Alton Ingram making a horizontal incision across your lower abdomen just above your pubic hairline, lifting your skin up to your rib cage, and tightening your abdominal muscles. Once this is done, we will remove the excess skin and fat. Finally, we suture your remaining skin back into place, giving you a fine line scar that’s hidden by a bikini. 

A tummy tuck will give you a flatter, smoother abdominal profile.

Mini Abdominoplasty 

The mini abdominoplasty – as you probably guessed – is the least invasive type of tummy tuck. This procedure can be used when your only problem area is a small amount of excess skin and fat in your lower abdomen that does not require tissue removal above your belly button or repositioning or tightening of your upper abdominal muscles. This variation of the tummy tuck is ideal for women who have maintained a healthy weight but still have excess skin on their lower abdomen. It’s great if you have “bounced back” from pregnancy but have a little bit of looseness below your belly button.

Full Lipoabdominoplasty 

A full lipoabdominoplasty (also known as a standard abdominoplasty or a traditional abdominoplasty) involves making an incision in the abdominal wall between the umbilicus and pubic area, allowing access to any excess fatty deposits and skin laxity beneath it. After fat removal and muscle tightening, if necessary, Dr. Alton Ingram will remove excess skin and reposition the belly button as needed for a firmer stomach contour. Full lipoabdominoplasty is definitely our most popular procedure and is usually best for patients who want to reduce fat and tighten their abdominal muscles at once. 

Extended Lipoabdominoplasty 

An extended lipoabdominoplasty offers more extensive correction than a standard lipoabdominoplasty because it removes excess skin from both above and below the navel area. Dr. Alton Ingram will make an incision above your navel around to where back fat accumulates on either side of the waistline – known as flank areas – allowing access to fatty deposits higher up on either side of your abdomen and also treats any upper abdominal muscle laxity that exists in these areas too. This procedure almost always will include muscle repair, as well as repair of umbilical hernias (if present). It is recommended when there is significant loose skin around both sides of your midsection or when there is significant muscle laxity in both upper areas extending beyond your navel area. 

Fleur de Lys Lipoabdominoplasty 

The Fleur de Lys procedure takes extended lipoabdominoplasty even further by removing extra fat from all four quadrants of your abdomen. It will allow Dr. Alton Ingram to tighten your skin vertically as well as horizontally. This procedure can give you additional contouring along with treatment for excess skin in all these areas. It’s best for you if you have lost a lot of weight or need additional contouring along with treatment for loose skin around your midsection area.  

Circumferential Lipoabdominoplasty or Belt Lipectomy 

This type of abdominoplasty removes extra fat and skin from both your front and your back. It reaches far beyond just removing extra fat from the four quadrants of your abdomen; instead it combines traditional dermolipectomy with an excision of skin from your flanks and your lower back.

Patients who undergo this surgery experience dramatic changes in their appearance since it removes large amounts of tissue from multiple parts of their body at once while providing them with an overall better shape than they had before surgery began. It’s best suited for individuals who have lost a significant amount of weight or need major reshaping across multiple parts of their body simultaneously. Your recovery will be a bit longer since the incision goes all the way around your body, and at Ingram Cosmetic Surgery we usually stage this procedure (do it in two separate operations), to reduce your discomfort during the recovery process as well as to reduce the complication rate.

What Tummy Tuck Is Right For You?

When deciding which type of tummy tuck you should get it’s important that you take think about both your current physical condition/needs along with what type outcome/shape you want after surgery has been completed. This is where your consultation comes in – you and Dr. Alton Ingram will spend as long as it takes talking about your medical condition, current problems, and body goals to decide together which procedure will be best for you!

By understanding how each variation works differently according to individual needs, you can make an informed decision about which type will give you optimal results according to what you desire most out of your surgery experience! Ingram Cosmetic Surgery focuses on and prides itself on helping you look better through finding the right cosmetic procedure for you. When you come in for a consultation, Dr. Alton Ingram can help guide you through this process so that ultimately you can make an educated decision about what type of tummy tuck will work best for you!