Tummy tuck

Alternatives to tummy tuck

Tummy tuck procedure is performed when the unnecessary skin is left in abdomen area after the loosing weight. Patients who have unnecessary skin and fat on the abdomen are best treated with a tummy tuck. Still some people don’t want to undergo tummy tuck and prefer to choose the alternative of it.

The potential alternative would be liposuction . People who have problems with excess skin on the abdomen also can be candidates for liposuction. But doctors say that it is not the best solution. They say that liposuction is performed to remove the fat, not the skin! Removing the excess skin from the abdomen with liposuction help when the skin and muscle is tightening results can be dramatic. In short liposuction is not recommended, because the results are unpredictable. Another alternative would be a mini tummy tuck. This procedure improves the appearance of the abdomen only. During a mini tummy tuck, a short horizontal incision is made to separate the skin between the incision line and the navel. There is one more procedure – endoscopic tummy tuck. Good candidates are those who have looseness of the abdominal wall but not loose skin or stretch marks.

If you have not decided which procedure to choose, but remember your health is the most important thing, be careful and think twice which procedure would be better. It is always good to know what the final results will be.

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Reverse abdominoplasty

Excess skin above the belly button troubles many women. And this is no surprise. In many of such cases the main thing to blame is pregnancy, weight gain and weight loss. As big or flabby abdomen can make women feel unhappy the big part of them are sweating in the gym and trying various programs of body shaping which is sometimes not enough. There is always another option and in it can be an abdominoplasty . This time there will be an introduction to one of the specific type of it – the reverse abdominoplasty.

Reverse abdominoplasty

Reverse abdominoplasty is a very uncommon plastic procedure and is not offered by all surgeons. It might be used together with the breast reduction or breast lift (mastopexy). Or for those individuals whose skin above the navel is very lax. Still the main purpose stays the same – improve an abdominal contour and in this case especially in the upper part of the abdomen. And it appears that for some people the results can be achieved mush better by pulling the excessive skin upward rather than to the bikini zone. Of course the liposuction can not be avoided.

During the consultation the doctor will evaluate your health condition and determine the level of fat in the abdominal area. All your habits such as smoking, drugs, medications and so on will be examined. You will discuss the procedure it self and the results. Photos can serve as very good examples to create an impression how the look changes after the procedure. If you are a smoker you will have to stop it some time before the plastic surgery . Also if you take oral contraceptives you will be asked to cut down on them in order to reduce the risk of clotting after the surgery. To let you know that if your health is poor or you have the extensive abdominal scars you may not be a candidate for such surgery

Reverse tummy tuck surgery

How is it performed? The incision is made below the breasts in the lower portion of the rib cage in a shape of inverted V. The upper incision is made first. As the flap is pulled over the lower abdomen the lower incision is made. Not working under the large skin flap it is easier for a surgeon. Also an advantage of this procedure is that a patient can not be kept exposed for a long time due to the possible fluid loss. This procedure allows remove the excess skin and tighten the waist. The disadvantage goes for the vertical part of incision. Well the scar may be hidden by the breasts in some level.

The reverse abdominoplasty is usually performed on the outpatient basis. After the procedure you might still feel pain for a while. You will not be allowed to lift heavy things or reach them in a high level for more than a month. However you will be able to get back to work with these precautions in a week. This is not a scar free surgery and some minimal scars will be visible. And the complete results you will feel in about three months.

Speaking about the possible complications some patients gain fluid collection, begin to bleed, catch an infection, decreased sensation or wound separation.

Pregnancy after tummy tuck

Tummy tuck, also called abdominoplasty in professional medical language, is a plastic surgery procedure during which excess fatty tissue and skin are removed from the abdomen and the abdominal muscles are tightened, if needed. This procedure is usually needed for women, whose skin and muscles have stretched after pregnancy. But even though this procedure is performed after pregnancies, some women may want to have a baby afterwards, and then they start to worry if they can.

Women, who think they will want children in the future should wait for tummy tuck and have it after all pregnancies. But this is only in the ideal world. Often women change their mind, and decide to plan another pregnancy. Pregnancy after abdominoplasty is of course possible, and many women become pregnant after this procedure, but patients should bare in mind that flattening work and work on the muscle might be undone.

During pregnancy the skin and muscles of the abdominal area stretches out. Fat pockets that are resistant to diet and exercise build up on the abdomen and abdominal skin becomes loose. These all outcomes of pregnancy can be eliminated by adbominoplasty.

However, when a woman becomes pregnant after tummy tuck, the abdominal area treated by this procedure becomes affected and stretches out again in order to fit for the growing fetus. Abdominal wall muscles that had been restored by abdominoplasty can separate again. Re-stretched and loose skin can not look normal again.

Although, former abdominoplasty is not a risk for an unborn fetus, but it can change a women’s appearance. If the skin becomes loose again and muscles stretch out during pregnancy after tummy tuck, additional abdominoplasty procedure can be performed in order to improve the appearance of the abdomen.

After tummy tuck

Tummy tuck guarantees excellent results and improved appearance but if you hope to look perfect straight after surgery, you will be disappointed. It takes time for the wounds to heal and for your body to recover completely. Therefore you should be aware to be patient after your surgery, since it will take time to recover and enjoy the results.

After tummy tuck

It is absolutely normal that your abdomen will be swollen and you might feel pain and discomfort for a few days or weeks after surgery. Pain may be regulated with medicines. If your surgery is done under out-patient basis, you will be released in a few hours. You might have to stay in the hospital for about three days after surgery depending on the extent and type of surgery.

It is very important to start walking as soon as possible. In case it is hard and painful at first, you should be moving your legs and feet lying in bed. Ask your doctor when you will be allowed to take showers and how often you should change the dressings. You will need to have your surface stitches removed in about a week. And deeper sutures will get out in less than a month.

It will take some time to return to your normal life. It is very individual and varies from patient to patient. The period depends upon how complicated the surgery was and what the physical state of the patient before the surgery was. You are likely to return back to normal quicker if you were in a very healthy state before surgery. Most people return to work between two and four weeks after surgery, however, to some it might take longer than that.

If your abdominal muscles were strong and if you had a tighter abdominal wall, it is most likely that your recovery period will last shorter. You may start easy action after three days after surgery. Light exercise is recommended to all the patients, even those who have never done exercise before surgery. This prevents from formation of blood clots, decreases swelling and improves the healing process. You should however avoid hard exercise and lifting until you are allowed by your surgeon. It usually takes four to six weeks until strenuous exercise can be attempted.

Your scars may look worse for the first few months but you should not worry as they will start disappearing after about five to six months after surgery. Your surgeon may recommend you to apply a special topical cream at the sight of the scar area in order for the scars to heal quicker and become invisible. You might feel quite depressed after surgery since the results do not become visible very soon. This is considered to be normal as many patients feel down and unhappy until they see the actual results. You should just remember why you chose to have the surgery in the first place and concentrate on your goals.

If you have any complaints about your health, surgery results or pain after surgery, do not hesitate to consult your doctor. You are highly recommended to come for a check up in a month after your surgery.

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Tummy tuck – what is it?

What do you think when you hear the term tummy tuck or abdominoplasty? Do you start wondering what it might mean or just forget about the term? Or have you perhaps considered having it? This may help you understand what tummy tuck exactly is and answer some of your questions.

Tummy tuck, also called abdominoplasty in a professional medical language, is a cosmetic procedure performed in order to fix the appearance of an abdomen. Excess fat and skin is removed from the lower and middle abdomen and muscles of the abdominal wall are tightened during the surgery. As a result of the surgical procedure, the belly is reshaped and the abdominal wall appears to be firm. Both men and women who have problems in losing fat deposits by improved diet and regular exercise usually seek for this type of cosmetic surgery.

Women, who have an excess skin, fat deposits in a belly area and a loose abdominal wall muscles as a result of many pregnancies, gain a lot of advantages of the tummy tuck. Be aware that there are two modifications of abdominoplasty – partial and complete abdominoplasty. If an individual has fat deposits only in the area below the navel, he or she will be recommended to have a partial abdominoplasty, known as a mini-tummy tuck, which is a less complicated surgery. And if an individual needs the whole belly to be reshaped, he or she will need to undergo a complete abdominoplasty. One may also need to have a liposuction at the same time in order to achieve better results.

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Is tummy tuck for me?

Tummy tuck is not suitable for everyone. Find out are you the best candiadate or not by readig this article!

The best candidates for tummy tuck

If you are not satisfied with how your tummy looks, you might consider having tummy tuck performed. However, you should find out whether you are a suitablecandidate for the procedure or not.

The best candidates are people who are in a fairly good shape but are worried about fat deposits on the abdomen or loose abdominal wall that cannot be improved by a balanced diet or regular exercise. Both men and women with such problems may seek for tummy tuck. Non-smokers are better candidates for tummy tuck than smokers.

The procedure is beneficial neither especially to women who, during multiple labors have stretched their abdominal wall so that it cannot be reshaped nor by diet neither by excessive exercise. Individuals who have stretch marks or loose skin due to excessive loss of weight will also gain many benefits from the surgery. Those who lost their skin elasticity due to older age may also choose tummy tuck. People who have no scars on the abdomen after previous surgeries may also consider this type of cosmetic surgery. Bear in mind that you will have to stop smoking two weeks prior to the surgery. And you should also stay out of the sun some time before the procedure.

As with all cosmetic surgeries, you have to be very realistic about the results after the procedure. Tummy tuck will improve your appearance and may enhance your self-esteem. But be aware that it will not make other people think about you differently. Also bear in mind that you will have to follow a balanced diet and exercise regularly in order to make the results last permanently. You should discuss your expectations of this type of cosmetic surgery and possible complications with your doctor prior to the procedure.

Who should not consider having it?

Even if you have decided to have tummy tuck, be aware that you are not necessarily a good candidate for the procedure. There are certain reasons why some people should not consider having tummy tuck and you should find out if you are not one of them.

If you are not in a good health you may not be able to undergo the surgery since it would be of too much stress for your body. In such cases tummy tuck, as any surgery, may cause unexpected trouble and damage to your health. Women, who are planning to have more children, are not good candidates for abdominoplasty. The reason why is, that the abdominal muscles are tightened during this procedure. During pregnancy these muscles may be separated again causing a loose abdominal wall and excess skin. Therefore if you are planning to have future pregnancies, you should wait until you are through bearing babies.

It is a bad idea to have tummy tuck if you plan to lose a lot of weight. When you lose a lot of weight you will have excess skin and may need to undergo an extra surgery in order to remove it. Therefore, people who plan to lose a lot of weight should postpone tummy tuck before a great loss of weight.

Unfortunately, those who have multiple scars on the abdominal wall after previous surgeries should not consider having abdominoplasty. After tummy tuck these scars may be extremely visible.

Bear in mind that tummy tuck produces a permanent large scar just above the pubic region. If this bothers you, you should think carefully before deciding to have this type of cosmetic surgery. And finally, tummy tuck is not for those who expect to match their ideal after the surgery or those who hope that other people will treat them better. This may not be achieved by any cosmetic surgery, including abdominoplasty. Be aware, that tummy tuck should not be used as a substitute to weight loss either.

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Tummy tuck techniques

Since the very first abdominoplasty had been performed the method was improved and modified. There are many variations of the type and design of incisions and the surgery technique itself. Those who are interested in tummy tuck might have heard the terms complete and partial or mini-tummy tuck. These are two major modifications of this type of surgery. Additionally, there are other types of techniques, such as endoscopic and reverse abdominoplasty.

Complete tummy tuck

Complete abdominoplasty is usually offered to patients who have large excess of fat deposits both in the lower and middle abdominal area, very loose skin and lax muscles of the abdominal wall.

In full tummy tuck a large incision is made across the lower abdomen, just above the pubic area. Another incision is made around the belly button in order to separate it from the surrounding tissues. All the skin is made free from the abdominal wall and the abdominal muscles are sewn together and hence tightened. The surgeon then removes excess skin, makes a new hole for the navel to put in another position. And the tummy tuck surgery is finished with suturing and stitching the incisions

Since it is the most complicated type of tummy tuck the surgeon should carefully evaluate whether you are a suitable candidate to it or not. Your doctor might offer you a mini-tummy tuck in combination with liposuction of the middle abdominal area. Do not hesitate to discuss all the options with your doctor, since full abdominoplasty causes greater swelling and discomfort due to a huge amount of work done. The recovery period is also longer compared to other types of tummy tuck.

Reverse tummy tuck

Reverse abdominoplasty may be offered to patients who have breast lift or breast reduction performed and also have loose skin and excess fat deposits in the upper abdominal area. This is a new procedure and is not very popular among surgeons yet. But you may ask your doctor about if reverse abdominoplasty might be beneficial in your individual case. Since there are various types of abdominoplasty techniques your job is to find a competent, highly skilled surgeon who would offer the best option for you. As it is very individual, it is a wrong thinking that one size fits all.

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Mini tummy tuck

Partial abdominoplasty or mini tummy tuck is the most popular tummy tuck technique.

Mini tummy tuck

Another modification of this tummy tuck is a partial abdominoplasty or mini-tummy tuck. If your problems with excess fat deposits lay below the navel you might be just a perfect candidate for mini-tummy tuck . This procedure requires less time and usually takes about two hours. It can be performed under local anesthesia on outpatient basis; hence you might be checked out from the hospital after a few hours after surgery. Mini-tummy tuck leaves you with a shorter, less visible scar and a faster healing process. In combination with middle abdomen liposuction partial abdominoplasty offers excellent tummy tuck results, which can be noticed after a shorter period of recovery. Bare in mind that abdominoplasty, no matter what technique is being used, produces a scar even though it is invisible after some time. However, endoscopic tummy tuck leaves the smallest scar out of all techniques. Unfortunately, it is suitable only to a certain group of patients.

If you have excess abdominal fat and lax muscles of the lower abdomen, but your abdominal skin is still elastic and tight, endoscopic abdominoplasty might be a perfect option for you. However, those, who have loose skin, cannot benefit from this type of the tummy tuck procedure. Endoscopic abdominoplasty is performed with the help of a small camera attached to surgical instruments, which are then guided under the skin through small incisions just above the pubic area and the navel. The fat is removed with the help of liposuction and abdominal muscles are tightened with surgical instruments, which are controlled with the help of a camera. Even though it is a minimal invasive surgery, you must understand that you will still need a recovery period and a drain to eliminate excessive fluid. The advantage of this type of tummy tuck is a smaller scar and a shorter healing period.

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Before tummy tuck surgery

Planning your surgery, you should know that there are certain steps to follow in order to prepare for the tummy tuck surgery completely. In all cases, consulting with your doctor is advisory. Normally the doctor evaluates your physical state, the extent of fat deposits in the abdominal area and your skin tone. This is usually done during the first consultation. You should frankly tell the doctor your expectations and discuss them with him or her. On the other hand, the surgeon should state whether your expectations are realistic and if they can be met by abdominoplasty.

Before tummy tuck

Discussing your hopes and stating the extents of fat deposits and skin elasticity will help the doctor to decide which of the methods is most suitable in each individual case. According to the extent of fat deposits and the state of obesity, you might need either complete tummy tuck or mini tummy tuck to be performed. In addition, liposuction may be beneficial in some cases to achieve better results.

As with all surgeries, there are certain limitations before the procedure. Smokers should be aware to stop smoking at least four weeks before surgery and to not start again at least two weeks after surgery. You should inform your doctor if you are taking any medications, vitamins or any other drugs. One should avoid overexposure to the sun, especially in the tummy area, since this could restrict your ability getting well. Following a rigid diet could also worsen your skill to heal, therefore should be avoided. The surgery will be postponed if your health worsens, for example if you get a cold or any other infection.

Usually, you will have to pay for the surgery yourself since most of health insurance policies do not cover the cost of the tummy tuck procedure. You should also ask someone in advance to take you home after surgery. There might be a week long period when you will need someone’s help at home after tummy tuck surgery, so you should arrange for someone in advance.

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Tummy tuck surgery

Since the very first abdominoplasty, had been performed the method was improved and modified. There are many variations of the type and design of incisions and the surgery technique itself.

Tummy tuck surgery

Be aware that there are two modifications of abdominoplasty – partial and complete abdominoplasty. If an individual has fat deposits only in the area below the navel, he or she will be recommended to have a partial abdominoplasty, known as a mini-tummy tuck, which is a less complicated surgery. And if an individual needs the whole belly to be reshaped, he or she will need to undergo a complete abdominoplasty. One may also need to have a liposuction at the same time in order to achieve better results.

You may now start thinking of what the basic differences are between the mini-tummy tuck and a complete tummy tuck and how they both are performed. The basic difference is that a mini-tummy tuck involves only the lower abdomen, below the navel, whereas during a complete abdominoplasty both the middle and lower abdomen is reshaped. Being a less complex procedure, a mini-tummy tuck may in some cases be performed in an out-patient department and takes between one and two hours.

A complete tummy tuck requires more work and hence takes longer, from two to five hours, depending on how much work needs to be done. During a complete tummy tuck a surgeon makes a large incision from hip to hip just above the pubic area. Another incision is made around the belly button in order to free it from the surrounding skin. This cut is made in order to leave the belly button in a normal place. Then the doctor detaches a large skin flap from the abdominal wall. It reveals the belly muscles, which are then tightened. The abdominal wall becomes firmer and the waistline narrower as a result of this step. Now the surgeon needs to stretch a free skin flap down to the pubic area and cut an excess of skin. The surgeon then cuts a new place for a navel and stitches it in place. Finally, the incision is sewn back together and the surgery is complete. In a mini-tummy tuck a surgeon makes a shorter cut and he may not need to move the navel. The muscles under the skin are tightened. Then a surgeon stretches the skin between the belly button and the incision and removes the excess of fat and skin.

After the procedure, the belly button may gain a slightly different shape due to the stretching and removal of skin. General anesthesia is applied during the surgery, so that a patient is asleep and does not feel anything. In some cases, when a tummy tuck is performed in an outpatient department, a local anesthesia may be chosen. This does not cause any discomfort to a patient, since he or she still does not feel anything.