One of the most difficult regions of the body to tone is the abdomen. You can kill yourself by doing crunches or keep to a strict diet, but your protruding tummy can linger and become a source of amazing frustration. Luckily, plastic surgeons have come up with a solution for this.
An abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) consists in the removal of excess fat and skin from the lower and middle of the abdomen, tightening the muscles of the abdominal wall and making your tummy flatter and firmer. A partial abdominoplasty (mini tummy tuck) is a similar surgery which targets only the lower abdomen and therefore less invasive.
This surgery is perfect for female abdomens which have been stretches by pregnancy or weight gain, since usually, the tummy fails to return to its original shape after such circumstances; tissue which fails to react to exercise or diet programs.
Tummy Tuck Prices
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What Can I Expect
Whenever you come to the decision of submitting yourself to any type of plastic surgery, you always need to keep in mind that no procedure will be able to provide a ‘perfect’ aspect to your body. The objective of a cosmetic treatment is to achieve an enhancement in your features, not to provide an ‘ideal’. This can help your boost your self-confidence and assurance, making you feel better with the way you look while at the same time keeping realistic and down-to-earth expectations. This is one of the core values we have here at HCR: we want you to be completely satisfied with the results of your surgery and heighten your self-esteem.
You must keep in mind however, that this procedure does leave a permanent scar; its size depends on the extent of the operation and it can extend from hip to hip.
A candidate for a tummy tuck surgery needs to be in relatively good shape but suffering from loose abdominal skin and large fat deposits. Those who are planning to lose some weight should wait before performing the surgery, as well as women who plan future pregnancies, since the tightened muscles during the procedure can separate during pregnancy. Also, your weight must have been stable for the last 6 months prior to the surgery.
By connecting you with one of the best teams of doctors in the industry, HCR is aware of the different types of needs our diverse patients may have. Therefore, we will provide the best service possible for you, not matter what you are looking for, and we will aid you in every possible way in your pursuit to enhance your appearance.
Surgery Planning
At HCR we strongly advise patients to have an initial consultation with their plastic surgeon before any procedure is performed. This way, both the patient and the doctor have an equal opportunity to contribute in the whole process and by doing so, the satisfaction of the client increases tenfold. During this initial discussion, you must not hesitate to talk about your expectation with your surgeon openly, since he/she will help you determine what is and what isn’t possible to achieve. One thing HCR always points out is the need for patients to be aware of all the different aspects of the surgery you are willing to undertake (the cost and recovery process); everything must be made extremely clear for you and we will always go out of our way to accomplish this.
Also, you can feel free to ask your doctor concerning any questions or doubts you may have concerning the procedure. He/she will always inform you about all the different details; for example, you should know if you should stop taking certain medications or if you will need to refrain from drinking or eating for a certain time period before your surgery.
Make sure you have good communication with your surgeon at all times since this will help increase your level of satisfaction. Therefore, please do not hesitate to contact HCR since we will be more than happy to help you with anything you need.
The Procedure
This surgery is performed under general anesthesia and its objective is to remove excess fat and skin from the middle and lower abdomen as well as to tighten the abdominal muscles. It can take a few hours to be performed, depending on the extent of the procedure.
To start off, your surgeon makes an incision across the lower part of your tummy (from hipbone to hipbone) while another incision is made around your bellybutton. With a mini tummy tuck, the incision is much smaller and the navel may not be moved. Once this is done, the doctor proceeds to separate the fat and the skin from the abdominal wall, lifting the flap up to your ribs.
When the removal of the excess tissue and fat is done, the abdominal muscles are shortened and sutured together, making them tighter and giving you a narrower waistline. A new incision creates a new opening for your belly button and it is brought out through the opening sutured to the new skin. During this phase, scars and stretch marks can be removed.
Finally, the incisions are sutured and dressings will be placed around your tummy. A temporal tube may be placed to drain excess fluid from the affected area and can help to minimize swelling.
Post-Op – After Surgery
Compared to other surgical procedures, you can expect a considerable recovery period after a tummy tuck. This healing period depends mostly on the level of fitness of the patient. Most patients will need 1 to 3 weeks of rest before they can go back to work and normal activities. You may not need to stay overnight, but most patients stay at the hospital for a couple of days, depending on the extent of the operation.
You can expect your abdomen to be bruised and swollen for the first days and if the pain is too much for you, your doctor can prescribe some painkillers to lessen your discomfort. Bleeding is also usual, as is numbness around the central part of your tummy, below the navel.
After 3 days, you will be able to resume light activity and the bandages may be replaced by a new abdominal supporter.
HCR recommends to exercise after the surgery, but only after a certain healing period has passed. We suggest that you walk around every hour or so, flexing your feet to prevent blood clots to form in your calf veins. Also, remember to keep your hips flexed gently during the first week, minimizing the tension on your stitches. Vigorous exercise should be avoided until you can do it comfortably.
It is recommended for you to avoid showering until the drains are taken off, therefore, stick to sponge baths until the tubes are removed. During baths, be careful of the surgical tape.
The scars of the operation will appear to get worse from 3 to 6 months afterwards and it will be approximately 9 months before they flatten out and become lighter in color. Keep in mind that the scars are permanent but can be easily hidden underneath your clothes.
Health Issues
As with any type of cosmetic surgery, complications are unusual, but they sometimes do happen. However, they are usually minor and can be reduced by precisely following your doctor’s directions before and after the procedure.
Patients who have undertaken a tummy tuck have, on rare occasion, experienced excessive bleeding, infection (treated with antibiotics), blood clots, reactions to anesthesia and necrosis (skin tissue death – especially in smokers and diabetics). After the procedure, fluid may accumulate under the skin, but this is removed through a painless process, even though it may take a few visits to your doctor.
Make sure to ask your surgeon concerning any risks you might have to face when undertaking this surgery. However, you must keep in mind that our certified group of doctors works full-time to prevent such scenarios from happening, since we value the health of our patients above anything else.
In order to keep the risks at a bare minimum, please make sure that you follow your surgeons instructions at all times.
