Tummy Tuck
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Who can benefit?

Despite having reached their ideal weight and exercising regularly, many women find they cannot eliminate a bulging abdomen after pregnancy. Men and women who have lost a great deal of weight may still have excess skin in the abdominal area that keeps them from having the flat, tight appearance they hoped for.

Although liposuction can remove excess fat, only abdominoplasty can remove the fat, eliminate sagging skin and tighten abdominal muscles to produce a flatter abdomen. If fat deposits are a problem below the navel only, parial abdominoplasty may be a better choice.

How is it done?

Abdominoplasty can take place either in an outpatient surgical center or a hospital. It can be done using general anesthesia, which means the patient is asleep during the surgery, or local anesthesia with sedation, which means the patient is awake but relaxed and insensitive to pain, though does feel occasional tugging or mild discomfort.

An incision is made from hip to hip just above the pubic area and another around the navel to free the navel from the surrounding skin. Abdominal skin is loosened from the underlying tissue all the way to the ribs. The underlying abdominal muscle is stitched together to tighten the abdominal wall and provide better waistline definition. Skin is stretched downward and excess skin removed. The navel is repositioned in a new opening.

Complete abdominoplasty takes two to five hours. Partial abdominoplasty takes one to two, has a much smaller incision and does not involve repositioning the navel or tightening the underlying muscle. Skin is loosened only up the the navel.

For either procedure, a drainage tube may be placed to prevent fluid accumulation for the first few days.

Recovery

Patients may be released to go home immediately after surgery, or remain in the hospital for two to three days, depending on the extent of their surgery. Pain medication is prescribed for the first few days.

Though the abdomen will be swollen and walking may be uncomfortable, moving around as soon as possible speeds recovery. Most stitches are removed a week after surgery, though some deeper stitches are left in place longer.

A compression garment, which is a specialized piece of elastic clothing, is often worn to ensure that the skin adheres correctly to the underlying tissue and the desired shape is achieved.

Depending on initial physical condition, individuals can return to work as soon as two weeks post-surgery, or may require four weeks.

Results

Final body contours are visible after several months, when most of the healing has taken place and the swelling has subsided. Scars may take several months to flatten and fade. They may in fact worsen a bit initially before becoming less conspicuous.

The final result is a flatter, tighter abdominal region, a permanent improvement that can be maintained indefinitely with a sensible diet and exercise.