So my insurance will cover the panniculectomy however the Plastic surgeon recommended to just do the tummy tuck. (for less than full price) I really don't know what to pick.

Is there a big difference? If you had either procedure done are you happy with your results?

I had my panniculectomy covered by insurance, and just paid the difference to "upgrade" to a TT.

The difference is an overall flatter, tighter abdomen with the Tummy Tuck.

With the panniculectomy, they remove the hanging/foldover pannus over your lower abdomen, with the TT, they remove a lot more residual tissue, fat and skin in areas that go beyond the pannus. TT's also often involve muscle tightening (they sew your abdominal muscles closer together down the middle).

Some pics i pulled from Google for a visual:

Edited July 1, 20233 yr by ms.sss

A panni just removed the excess hanging skin. The purpose is medical and cosmetic outcome is not the purpose. Often the belly button will be removed entirely.

With a tt a good cosmetic outcome is the goal. Muscle repair is included, The incision can be extended to prevent dog ears. The incision placement is low so it can be hidden. The belly button recreated.

But make sure you like your surgeon's work. Often plastic surgeons who take insurance aren't always the ones with the most pleasing outcomes. (Different for @ms.sss n Canada, with socialized medicine)

if you can afford to pay the difference, I'd go for the full tummy tuck. The results are going to look a lot more natural.

On 7/1/2023 at 6:57 AM, sillykitty said:

A panni just removed the excess hanging skin. The purpose is medical and cosmetic outcome is not the purpose. Often the belly button will be removed entirely.

With a tt a good cosmetic outcome is the goal. Muscle repair is included, The incision can be extended to prevent dog ears. The incision placement is low so it can be hidden. The belly button recreated.

But make sure you like your surgeon's work. Often plastic surgeons who take insurance aren't always the ones with the most pleasing outcomes. (Different for @ms.sss n Canada, with socialized medicine)

Some of this should have been put in bold.

"But make sure you like your surgeon's work. Often plastic surgeons who take insurance aren't always the ones with the most pleasing outcomes."