Mini Tuck or Lipectomy?

Occasionally, patients (and even doctors) will confuse a mini tummy tuck with a lipectomy. A lipectomy (actually a dermatolipectomy) is simply the removal of overhanging skin and fat. There is no tummy tuck. This is a very limited procedure. Recovery is in 1-2 days. Since the fascia is not tucked (plicated) the waistline and the stomach are not reduced.

Lipectomies are typically given to post-partum women who want to eliminate a skin flap.

Case 12: The patient here had a mini-tummy tuck-not a lipectomy. In a lipectomy, only the oval area would have been removed. In a tummy tuck, all the skin from above the navel to the pubis is removed. That’s why the patient’s C-section scar and stretch marks are now gone. A mLike the conventional tummy tuck, the mini tuck requires drains and two weeks for recovery. The main difference is that the incision of a mini tuck is 1/3 the length of a conventional tuck. However, while the mini-tuck gives you a smaller incision, it prevents the surgeon from removing excess skin along the flanks and love handles.