Tummy Tuck – Best Surgeons, Cost, Reviews, Recovery and Photos
What is a tummy tuck?
A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure that improves the contours of the abdomen by removing excess skin and fat and tightening the abdominal muscles. In general the surgeon usually removes excess skin from above and below your belly button and then pulls the remaining skin and muscles tight, making your abdomen flat while creating a new opening and position for your belly button. Many people will also need liposuction to sculpt the waist and love-handle area
Tummy tucks are very popular among women, particularly those who’ve had a dramatic weight loss or had children but a growing number of men are having the procedureas well. If you’re looking for a full mommy makeover, your surgeon can also give you a breast augmentation or a breast lift while they’re at it.
Who Are The Ideal Candidates For Tummy Tuck?
The following are some reasons why a tummy tuck is considered:
There is extra skin on your abdomen, abdominal muscle weakness, or both; due to aging, heredity, pregnancy, prior surgery or weight fluctuations.
What Are The Different Types Of Tummy Tuck?
A personal consultation with your board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeon will determine the best option for you. Here are some different kinds of abdominoplasty:
Full Abdominoplasty
This surgery removes skin from above the navel down to the pubic area that has been compromised by pregnancies, genetic laxity or obesity.
Mini Abdominoplasty
A single incision is made in the pubic area, which will be placed as low as possible and can range from a few inches to the entire span of your abdomen. Through this incision, your surgeon will remove excess skin, tighten slack muscles and possibly use liposuction to further refine the area. The ideal candidate for a mini-tummy tuck has laxity and protrusion below the navel. A mini-tummy tuck is usually recommended for those who have always been in fairly good shape but cannot achieve their aesthetic goals with diet and exercise.
Extended or High Lateral Tension Abdominoplasty
If you have excess skin in the love handles/hips, your incision can be made longer. The high lateral tension tummy tuck addresses skin excess after significant weight loss or pregnancy. The technique uses a layer in the deeper tissue to support and maintain the repair. It includes a tummy tuck in the front of the abdomen and transfers the lift over the hip to the side of the thigh to improve contour in this area, suspending and improving the hip and thigh. You can simulate this effect by grabbing the skin on the sides of your waist and pulling up as if you’re putting on a pair of pants.
How Much Time Will Tummy Tuck Take?
Number Of Days To Be Spent In The Hospital | 1-2 |
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Average Duration Of stay Abroad | 1-3 weeks |
What happens during a tummy tuck?
Depending on its complexity, a tummy tuck procedure can take between 1.5 and 5 hours. It’s usually performed under general anesthesia, so you’ll be asleep—but you should discuss anesthesia options beforehand with your surgeon.
During the procedure, a horizontal incision is placed just within or above the pubic area. If there’s loose skin above the belly button, the surgeon may make a second incision around it. They then separate the skin and underlying tissue from the muscles up to the rib cage, lift the skin, and repair the underlying abdominal muscles. The upper abdominal skin is then pulled down (like a window shade), excess skin is trimmed, and the remaining skin is sutured together. A new opening for the belly button is created in the midline and anchored to the abdominal wall. Finally, excess fat is removed from the skin around the new opening, giving it an attractive look.
When surgery is complete, gauze or other dressings may be applied to your abdomen and covered with tape or an elastic bandage. You may be asked to wear a compression garment up to 24 hours a day for at least the first week. Follow your surgeon’s instructions
Most surgeons use dissoluble sutures, which won’t need to be removed. If sutures are used on the surface of the skin, they’ll be removed within a few days after surgery.
Will Tummy Tuck Lead To Scarring?
The incision for a full abdominoplasty usually runs from hipbone to hipbone, and may be in a V-cut or U-cut shape, so that the scar can be hidden in a bikini. Your surgeon will determine the shape and length of the incision based on your preferences and the amount of correction you need. You may also have an incision around the navel.
With a mini-tummy tuck, the surgeon can place the incision as low as possible; it can be hidden in the pubic bone area. The abdominal skin that is removed is below the navel, and there are no incisions around the navel. The length of the mini-tummy tuck incision will vary based on how much skin your surgeon removes.
With a high lateral tension abdominoplasty, scars are longer and often higher than scars in more traditional abdominoplasties and mini-tummy tucks. It is common not to excise the umbilical (navel) site, because not as much skin is removed centrally.
What Is The Post Operative Care For Tummy Tuck Procedure?
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Your doctor will discuss how long it will be before you can return to your normal level of activity and work following liposuction. After surgery, you and your caregiver will receive detailed after care instructions, including information about:
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Drains, if they have been placed
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Normal symptoms you will experience
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Medication and ointment that you are allowed to take/use, and directions
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Any potential signs of complications
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You may expect the following immediately after the procedure:
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Dizziness, disorientation, nausea due to the anesthetic wearing off or certain pain medication, which should pass within a few hours.
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Sore or tender abdomen, controllable with pain medication
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Several days of bed rest
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Incision site is covered with a dressing, and it is also necessary to wear a wide elastic compression garment for several weeks, to reduce swelling and provide support to the skin as it tightens.
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You may have tubes in your incision to drain fluid
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Traditional sutures will typically be removed within the first week or two (absorbable sutures will not have to be removed)
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Any redness, bruising, and swelling usually subside in 1-3 weeks as your body adjusts to the new contours and incisions heal.
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Recovery time for a tummy tuck procedure is 6 months or more. In the first couple of days, managing pain and avoiding complications is your top priority. After a few weeks, regaining mobility and fitness takes precedence, and after several months, you can start evaluating the aesthetic outcome of the surgery.
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The results of your procedure are permanent. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes diet, exercise, and positive activities, can help support the ongoing results of your new, more attractive shape.
What Is The Post-operative Diet For A Tummy Tuck Procedure?
No specific diet is necessary. A healthy, well-balanced diet with adequate protein and exercise will help you maintain the results you get from the tummy tuck.
Drink plenty of fluids and maintain good nutrition with adequate protein.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tummy Tuck
- Are the results of a tummy tuck permanent ?
Results from a tummy tuck are in all respects permanent. However, a significant change in your overall weight can alter the effects of the tummy tuck. Therefore, if you’re planning a weight loss or a pregnancy, then it is better to postpone a tummy tuck. - Can a tummy tuck cure stretch marks?
No, a tummy tuck doesn’t cure stretch marks. However, they can get removed or reduced if they are present on the area of the skin which will be treated during a tummy tuck. - Does tummy tuck surgery bring about substantial changes?
According to most patients, the effects of a tummy tuck are significant. The surgeon removes any excess skin and tightens the abdominal wall. This removes the bulge and makes the skin appear less saggy. However, this surgical procedure is no substitute to a weight loss program. - Is a tummy tuck painful?
Recovering from a tummy tuck can be painful and generally a pain management program is recommended by the doctor. This should be seriously followed. It can take up to 4 weeks to recover fully and 6 weeks to be able to start exercising again. Usually the patients are not able to walk for the first week. You must give yourself as much rest as prescribed by the doctor.Abdominoplasty abroad is going to be a rewarding experience if all the precautions are kept in mind and the instructions of the doctor are followed properly. A medical examination should be done prior to the surgery and the doctor should be intimated about any existing health condition.
It is very important to discuss all queries with the doctor before hand, so that the patient is not dissatisfied after the treatment. The patient should be very clear of the goals that he wants to achieve, through this surgery.
How To Choose A Surgeon For Tummy Tuck?
It is very important to choose a surgeon that you trust, to perform the procedure. Patient testimonials from the doctor’s patients who have previously had experience with the procedure can help in guiding you to find one.
Ensure that the surgeon you choose is board certified and has plenty of experience in performing abdominoplasty. This can be don by reviewing his work done on his past patients like judging photographic evidence.
A surgeon who has graduated from a top tier medical school, has had formal training and works in an accredited hospital is ideal.
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