| Dr. Ivan Thomas is a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Here the Doctor has answered some of the common questions bizymoms visitors have about Tummy Tuck.
Q. What is a Tummy Tuck?
A. Abdominoplasty, more commonly referred to as a Tummy Tuck is a procedure, which removes extra skin and fat from the abdomen and tightens the over stretched muscles. Excessive laxity of the abdominal skin and muscles is generally due to multiple pregnancies or significant weight loss in overweight people. While exercising is effective in toning muscles in mild cases, it is not capable of reversing sagging skin nor is it capable of tightening loose abdominal muscles. Rolls of abdominal skin, which may extend down into the pubic area are called Panniculus or Pannus. Removal of abdominal or pubic area pannus without tightening of the abdominal muscles is referred to as abdominal or pubic panniculectomy. When tightening of the muscles is also included the procedure becomes an Abdominoplasty.
Q. What are the benefits of a tummy tuck?
A. Patients who undergo Abdominoplasty not only look better but also feel better about their appearance. The result is flat tight tummy, tight skin, reduced waistline. Once again shopping for outfits become enjoyable. Quite often patients are so motivated to maintain the newly contoured shape that changing their eating and exercising habits become part of their new lifestyles
Q. Who is an ideal candidate for a tummy tuck?
A. Someone who has loose sagging abdominal skin with building abdomen. Typically caused by excess weight gain and then loss and pregnancy. No amount of sit up or trips to gym with re-tighten this stretched muscles or stretched out loose skin.
Q. How is a tummy tuck performed?
A. Under general anesthesia, conventional Abdominoplasty tightens muscles in a vertical line. I perform the new method known as High Lateral Tension Abdominoplasty, which in addition to vertical-line tightening, muscles are tightened in two directions. Vertically and also tightened horizontally. Final result with this technique is a dramatically flat abdomen with significantly better-defined waistline.
Q. Are there risks and complications to a tummy tuck?
A. The typical risks involved with any surgery are infection, blood clots, temporary numbness of skin.
Q. What should one expect after the operation?
A. Abdominoplasty requires a recovery time of 10 to 15 days. Patients are advised to stay away from anti-inflammatory medication such as aspirin, Advil, Ibuprophen and Motrin, starting 2 weeks prior to surgery and continue avoiding such medications 10 days post-operatively. Abdominal exercises should be avoided for the period of 6 to 8 weeks. This is to avoid undue tension on the tightened muscles until healing is completed. A new devise called a "Pain Pump" can be purchased at $275, this will drip pain medication into the Tummy Tuck site, through the same opening as the drainage, for 4-5 days while the patient is healing. This will reduce the pain by almost 90% and yields in a more comfortable speedy recovery.
Q. Will a person have a scar after the tummy tuck?
A. Since tummy tuck is a skin tailoring and trimming operation, an abdominal scar is to be expected. Incision is placed very low in the abdomen so the scar is less conspicuous. In some patients the hair bearing pubic area is stretched beyond its normal height. In these cases, pubic area excision or panniculectomy is performed which not only tightens and lifts the pubic area but also reduces the height of the hair-bearing region. After the skin is trimmed a new opening is made in the tightly pulled skin for the relocation of the umbilicus. In reality, the operation does not create a new belly button, it is the patient's own umbilicus which appears through a new opening. Prior to the final skin tightening, the loose and stretched abdominal muscles are sewn together in the vertical and horizontal plane. All suturing is done under the skin surface with absorbable sutures therefore; there is no need for stitch removal. Patients who have excessive amount of fat under the skin may also require liposuction and body sculpting of the abdomen.
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