Cutting out Fat for Mini Tummy Tuck surgery Instead of Liposuction? Tri Valley Plastic Surgery

I had mini Tummy Tuck surgery 3 weeks ago, and the doctor cut out the fat instead of liposuctioning it. I was wondering, does it matter how he took out the fat?

Lipo vs. Mini Tummy tucks

In my practice near San Francisco we encourage patients to think of their abdomen as two parts. The first is abdominal volume, the second is the skin envelope around the abdomen. Each may have a need for cosmetic improvement and the approach for managing a particular patient must be carefully tailored for that patient. Lipo is great for targeted permanent fat removal but not as good for skin envelope reshaping. Even with new gadgets like "laser lipo" most of the time if there is significant excess skin it needs to be removed by excision. Lipo is also not always appropriate in situations where there is a great deal of fat and in these situations excision of the fat or additional weight loss prior to surgical treatment gets patients better results. A mini tummy tuck traditionally deals with both the skin and the abdominal volume. Some argue a greater ability to "shape" the underlying fat with lipo but few would argue the ability to remove redundant skin. Hope this helps! Steve Williams, MD