What is a Tummy Tuck? The Tummy Tuck is a popular surgical procedure among women, which involves removing excess skin and fat from the lower and middle abdomen, and tightening the muscles of the abdominal wall.
For most patients, a tummy tuck can significantly reduce the appearance of a protruding abdomen, improving ones overall appearance and even their self-confidence.
Those that would most benefit from abdominoplasty are women who have stretched their abdominal muscles and skin through multiple pregnancies beyond the point where they can return to normal naturally.
In addition, men that have a fat deposit or loose abdominal skin around their abdomen that has not responded to more traditional weight loss methods make excellent candidates for the tummy tuck procedure, as do those that have experienced massive weight loss, and older patients that have lost skin elasticity over the years.
How is a Tummy Tuck Performed? In most cases, your doctor will make one long incision from hipbone to hipbone just above your pubic area, and a second in order to free your navel from the surrounding tissue.
The skin is then separated from the abdominal wall up to the ribs revealing the vertical muscles in your abdomen.
The next step is tightening these muscles by pulling them close together and stitching them into their new position.
The result is a firmer abdominal wall and narrower waistline.
From here, excess skin is stretched back down, before being removed.
Next, a new hole is cut for your navel and then stitched into place.
Finally, your incisions will be stitched, surgical dressings will be applied, and a tube will likely be inserted in order to drain excess fluid from the surgical.
The Tummy Tuck procedure is performed under general anesthetic, and typically takes between two to five hours depending on the extent of the surgery.
Usually, it is performed on an outpatient basis, but in some situation, you may be required to stay at the hospital overnight.
Recovering from Abdominoplasty For the first few days after a tummy tuck, you can expect your abdomen to be swollen.
You will also be very likely feel pain and discomfort, which can be managed with the proper medication.
Your doctor will give you instructions for changing your dressings, as well as bathing.
You will also be instructed to walk, which prevents the formation of blood clots, even if you can't stand upright with complete comfort.
Your stitches will be removed in about a week, with deeper sutures coming out in 2-3 weeks.
Those with strong abdominal muscles will experience the fastest recovery and progress.
Most people that undergo a tummy tuck return to work after two weeks, while others may take as long as a month.
Exercise helps recovery, but it is best to take it easy until vigorous exercise results in little to no pain.
Scaring after the surgery is natural, and they should fade and flatten as time progresses.
It can take as long as two years for the healing process to complete and daily massaging of the scars during this period is advisable.
As with all surgical procedure, the risk of infection is always present, but can be minimized by the preventative administration of antibiotics both at the time and after your surgery.
Mild infection is relatively normal, and should recede in about two weeks.
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