Tummy Tucker Surgery

Are You a Good Candidate for Tummy Tuck?

A tummy tuck is suitable for men and women who are in good health. You may be a good candidate for abdominoplasty if you have one or more of the following conditions:
  • If you are a male or female with excess fat in the abdominal area, in combination with loose skin and/or weakened muscles (bulging abdomen) and hanging fold of skin.
  • If you have stretch marks and hanging skin folds following childbirth.
  • If you were once obese and still have excess fat deposits or loose skin around the belly (post bariatric Surgery).

Is an abdominal workout just not giving you the flat and taut tummy you desire? If you’ve too much flab or loose pendulous skin in your abdomen that doesn’t respond to diet or exercise, you may consider abdominoplasty, popularly known as a tummy tuck. This surgical procedure flattens your abdomen by removing extra fat and skin from the lower abdomen and tightening muscles in your abdominal wall. A tummy tuck is different from liposuction; however, your surgeon may perform liposuction as part of a tummy tuck. This is major surgery, so if you’re considering it, you should know the facts before you decide whether to go forward.

Who Should Not Consider a Tummy Tuck?

If you’re a woman who is still planning to have children and who has not completed her family, then you should not consider a tummy tuck until you’re through bearing children. Because during surgery, your abdominal muscles will be tightened and future pregnancies can separate these muscles and cause a hernia.

Are you planning to lose a lot of weight? Then a tummy tuck also is not for you. A tummy tuck should be a last resort after you’ve tried everything else. It should not be used as an alternative to weight loss.

It’s important to note that a tummy tuck gives you a scar in the lower abdomen.
A tummy tuck cannot correct stretch marks, although these may be removed or somewhat improved if they are located on the areas of excess skin that will be excised.
This scar is usually long and might be prominent. Your doctor will discuss all these options with you when you go for the consultation.

 

What are the different types of tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) procedures?

Circumferential Abdominoplasty

A belt lipectomy or circumferential abdominoplasty is more extensive than a tummy tuck. The incision for a belt lipectomy encircles the entire circumference of the patient’s torso. This operation is most appropriate for patients who have undergone massive weight loss or have loose & hanging skin all around the waistline. Liposuction may work well for patients with localized fat deposits, but if you have stretch marks, cellulite, flabby skin, and muscles, you'll benefit more from circumferential abdominoplasty which gives a complete lower body lift, taking care of flabby buttocks and thighs, belly fat, and love handles all in the same operation, improving your body contour three-dimensionally.

Complete Abdominoplasty

The complete abdominoplasty requires an incision above the pubic hairline, an incision around the umbilicus, or belly button, and a tightening of the rectus abdominis muscles (the pair of muscles that run vertically on each side of the abdomen’s front wall). Muscle tightening, as well as skin removal, is the most important step in improving the abdomen’s contour. Liposuction may also be performed at the same time as a complete tummy tuck.

Partial / Mini Abdominoplasty

The mini abdominoplasty is performed on those patients with mild to moderate tummy contour changes, relatively little skin excess, and little weakness of the abdominal wall. A mini tummy tuck is a tailored procedure that includes the tightening of the lower abdomen area only. In the mini abdominoplasty, the navel incision is avoided. Liposuction may also be performed at the time of mini abdominoplasty surgery. The procedure may include tightening the underlying abdominal muscles using sutures.