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Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

About Tummy Tuck
Are You a Candidate for Tummy Tuck?
About the Procedure
What to Expect After Your Surgery
Your Recovery
Possible Complications

 

About Tummy Tuck

Commonly known as a “tummy tuck”, abdominoplasty, is a major surgical procedure to remove excess skin and fat from the lower and middle abdomen, and to tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. For most patients, the procedure can dramatically reduce the appearance of a protruding abdomen, and improve your overall appearance and self-confidence.

Are You a Candidate for Tummy Tuck?

The best candidates for abdominoplasty are men or women who are in relatively good shape but have a large fat deposit or loose abdominal skin around their abdominal area that has not responded to traditional diet or exercise. In particular, women who have stretched their abdominal muscles and skin beyond the point where they can return to normal naturally due to multiple pregnancies find the procedure very helpful. In addition, older patients experiencing the loss of skin elasticity, which often occurs with minor obesity, can also be improved.

Prospective patients intending to lose a lot of weight or plan to become pregnant in the future should postpone any surgery until afterwards. If you have scarring from previous abdominal surgery, you may experience unusually prominent scarring following the procedure.

At the time of your consultation Dr. Javaheri will ask you about your general medical history, specifically pertaining to any medical conditions that could cause problems during or after your surgery, such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, blood clotting problems, or a tendency to form excessive scars.

If you are a smoker you will be asked to stop smoking well in advance of surgery. Regular smoking constricts blood vessels resulting in decreased blood flow to a given area, which can prevent normal healing.

About the Procedure

In most cases, Dr. Javaheri will make two major incisions: one long incision from hipbone to hipbone just above your pubic area, and a second incision to free your navel from surrounding tissue. The skin is separated from the abdominal wall up to the ribs revealing the vertical muscles in your abdomen. These muscles are then tightened by pulling them close together and stitching them into their new position resulting in a firmer abdominal wall and narrower waistline.
The skin flap is then stretched back down and the extra skin is removed. A new hole is cut for your navel and stitched into place. Finally, the incisions will be stitched, surgical dressings will be applied, and a temporary tube may be inserted to drain excess fluid from the surgical site if necessary.

An abdominoplasty can be performed either with local anesthesia or a general anesthetic (though mainly general anesthesia). This will also depend on a multitude of factors including whether you are having other procedures performed simultaneously. If a local anesthetic is used, a sedative will be administered to ensure your comfort during the procedure, though you may still experience some mild discomfort. Dr Javaheri will discuss your options in more detail at the time of your consultation. The surgery normally takes between two to five hours depending on the extent of the surgery. The surgery is normally performed on an outpatient basis, but in some circumstances, an overnight hospital stay may be required.

What to Expect After Your Surgery

In the first few days following your procedure, your abdomen will be swollen and you will probably experience some pain and discomfort, which can be controlled with proper medication. In most cases, you will be released within a few hours. In certain cases, or you may have to remain hospitalized for two to three days depending on the extent of your surgery.

Dr. Javaheri will provide you with instructions for showering and changing your dressings. Though you may not be able to comfortable stand upright at first, it is important that you start walking as soon as possible to prevent blood clots.

The surface stitches will be removed in five to seven days following your procedure, and the deeper sutures, will be removed in two to three weeks. The dressing on your incision may be replaced by a support garment.

Your Recovery

The stronger your abdominal muscles, the faster you can expect your recovery period to progress. Most people return to work after two weeks, while others take three or four weeks to rest and recuperate.

Exercise will help you heal faster, though vigorous exercise should be avoided until it can be performed comfortably and safely.

As with any cosmetic procedure, there will be some scarring. These scars can be quite lengthy and take many months or even years to heal. You should expect the scars to be red, raised, lumpy and even itchy to begin with they should fade and flatten with time as this is part of the healing process. Please keep in mind that this may take up to two years for this healing process to complete. To expedite and facilitate this process, daily massaging of the scars during this period will be advised. While your scars will never completely disappear, most scars resulting from abdominoplasty will not show under most clothing, even under most bathing suits.

Possible Complications

Individuals vary greatly in their anatomy, their physical reactions, and their healing abilities, and the outcome is never completely predictable. As with any surgical procedure, the risk of infection is always a possibility. This can be minimized by the preventative administration of antibiotics both at the time of your surgery and afterwards while in recovery. However, on occasion, mild infection can occur and is relatively common, although it usually subsides after two weeks.

Early mobilization by moving around following your surgery can reduce the risks of blood clots.

 

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