Tummy tuck is a journey that goes beyond shedding excess weight, its about creating a masterpiece! It is a path to unveil the body that you always imagined of.
The abdomen is like a canvas that witness our experiences, bearing the markings of life’s journey.
Either it is a story related to those savoury recipes and sweet tooth or it is a beautiful journey of Motherhood.
Even the struggles to overcome personal challenges to lead a healthy life, all get etched over the body.
And so during this narrative of self discovery, what if you come to know that science and art come together in the form of “Tummy Tuck”!
What is Tummy Tuck(abdominoplasty)?
A tummy tuck, is also called as an ‘Abdominoplasty’. It is a procedure that gets rid of the excess fat and skin from the abdomen region.
Along with it, it involves tightening the underlying abdominal muscles as well.
Removing the excess skin and fat creates a smoother and firmer appearance to the abdomen, while tightening the muscles restore the core strength and stability of the body.
Why do people get Tummy Tuck?
Many people are troubled with excess skin and fat over the abdomen region, abdominal muscle weakness or wish to get a rejuvenated body contour.
Excess fat and skin commonly occurs after after pregnancy or significant weight reduction.
Exercise and diet, decrease the fat percentage of the body, both the inner abdominal fat and the outer subcutaneous fat (Fat under the skin).
But the skin may not fully retract completely, if the fat reduction is more or the skin tone is not good.
This causes sagging of the extra skin or a protruding appearance around the belt region of the abdomen.
Pregnancy causes stretching of the the abdominal muscles, along with the skin and accumulation of fat underneath.
Due to this stretching, the stretch and tone of the muscle is lost and they separate, which is called as diastasis recti, which can persist even after childbirth.
In this new era of people understanding the worth of staying healthy, many people wish to have a flat, toned abdomen and waistline.
They wish to have a contoured look to the body to compliment the efforts they put in staying healthy.
A Tummy tuck can be a transformative procedure for any of these individuals, giving them a improved body posture and body image.
This helps them medically as well as has positive impact on their overall self-confidence and quality of life.
Am I a good candidate for a tummy tuck?
If you are having any concerns regarding the following:
- Have you just had a pregnancy and you have the excess skin or fat around your belly?
- Are you working out and losing weight and you have that extra skin and fat around your belly?
- Do you have weak abdomen muscles?
- Do you have loose skin over the lower abdomen?
- Have you undergone massive weight loss and have extra skin hanging in the lower abdomen region?
Then yes you are a good candidate for a tummy tuck procedure.
Consult your plastic surgeon for learn more in details about your fitness for the procedure.
Tummy Tuck Consultation
Why do I need a Consultation for Tummy Tuck?
Consultation with your Plastic surgeon is always recommended to discuss.
Your concerns regarding your abdomen, cleared your doubts and confusion regarding the Tummy tuck procedure.
A face-to-face consult and examination by your Plastic surgeon can help you understand in detail
The kind of procedure that suits you, the pre-operative evaluation, the safety and success of the procedure as well as the post-operative protocol and care.
What discussion should I expect at the Tummy Tuck Consultation?
Being prepared beforehand with your questions, concerns, doubts is of utmost important so that you dont miss out any of the points you wish to discuss during your consultation.
So it is always good to write them down on a paper.
This will give you an overview of what all will be discussed :
- Your complaints regarding the abdomen, the skin and the fat
- Your goals and expectations
- Your medical history – Previous disease, allergies, medications and lifestyle
- Your Pregnancy history and wishes after the surgery
- Any history of previous surgery
Your Plastic surgeon will then do :
- Examination of your general health
- Examination of your abdomen
- He might take photographs to explain the surgery, for before – after pictures
- Discuss procedure options
- Chalk out a customized treatment plan for you
- Discuss safety and success
For more, check out the FAQ section.
What are the types of Tummy Tuck?
Tummy tucks are basically of four types
- Full Tummy tuck : Covers the upper and lower abdomen
- Mini Tummy tuck : Focusses on the lower abdomen
- Extended Tummy tuck : Involves the flanks and hips along with the upper and lower abdomen.
- Belt Lipectomy: Involves 360 degree of the lower abdomen region including the flanks and the lower back.
What is the difference between a full tummy tuck and a mini tummy tuck?
Both of the procedures involve removing the excess fat and skin but they differ in terms of their extent and the areas over the abdomen that they treat.
Full Tummy Tuck (Full Abdominoplasty):
A full tummy tuck is an extensive procedure that involves removing excess fat and skin along with repairing the abdominal muscles right from the lower aspect of the chest from where they arise to where they end.
And so the incision is generally long extending from hip to hip.
Since the whole of the abdomen is being treated, the navel is also beautified and repositioned giving the abdomen a youthful, smooth and curvy abdomen.
Mini Tummy Tuck (Mini Abdominoplasty):
A mini tummy tuck, focuses on the lower abdomen below the belly button.
It’s is usually done for people who have main complaints of only excess skin and fat in the lower abdomen alone.
These individuals do not have muscle laxity problems.
So, only the lower abdomen is treated, minor muscle repair is done and the navel is not repositioned.
The choice between a full tummy tuck and a mini tummy tuck depends on your complaints and concerns as well as end goals.
A Plastic surgeon will have a thorough evaluation and recommend the most suitable procedure for you.
How are the Tummy tuck scare?
There are multiple types of tummy tuck procedures that depend upon the excess amount of skin and fat and also the condition of the abdominal muscles underneath.
Each procedure give off a different type of scar after surgery.
Each scar is hidden well under the panty line and will not be seen on the abdomen.
It can be either :
- Full Tummy tuck : Scar is beneath the panty line extending from one hip to the other
- Mini Tummy tuck : Scar is only in the middle of the lower abdomen not involving the hip regions
- Extended Tummy tuck : Scar is just like a full tummy tuck extending more towards the sides of the abdomen as well
- Belt Lipectomy: Scar is 360 degree of the lower abdomen region including the front, side of the lower abdomen as well as the lower back
You do not need to be afraid of the scars, as all of the scars will always be hidden under the panty line.
Tummy Tuck Surgery Procedure
Once you are done with your thorough consultation and general examination for a tummy tuck with your Plastic surgeon, you will need to undergo the next steps :
- Lab testing
- Medical evaluation
- Fitness for surgery from Anaesthesia point of view
- Stop smoking at least two week prior and after the procedure
- Stop certain medication like aspirin, herbal supplements, anti-inflammatory drugs or take alternative medications
- You are all prepared for undergoing a tummy tuck
- You will be asked to get admitted on the night before or in the morning of the day of surgery
How is Tummy Tuck Surgery Performed?
Tummy tuck, also called as Abdominoplasty, is performed by giving an incision along your lower abdomen to remove the excess fat and skin.
Liposuction may or may not be performed along with the procedure depending upon the amount of excess fat to be removed.
Once you are shifted on the operation table you will go through the following steps:
- Anesthesia: the first step is giving you general anesthesia by anesthetist, it is usually a safe and smooth process of getting you under anaesthesia, our expert anaesthetists make sure you have a smooth surgery that you wont recall once you wake up.
- Incision: There are multiple incision options that can be used by the plastic surgeon depending upon the type of tummy tuck being perform.
- Full Tummy tuck : The incision extends from one hip to the other
- Mini Tummy tuck : The incision is only in the middle of the lower abdomen not involving the hip regions
- Extended Tummy tuck : The incision is just like a full tummy tuck extending more towards the sides of the abdomen as well
- Belt Lipectomy: The incision is on 360 degree of the lower abdomen region including the front, side of the lower abdomen as well as the lower back
- Removal of excess tissue and repositioning: After the incision, the excess skin and fat is lifted altogether and is removed. The umblicus is not touched but rather is reduced and positioned to give it more aesthetic and natural position. The umblicus positioning is done only in a full tummy tuck and if needed in a mini tuck.
- Suturing : If it is a full tummy tuck, the muscles are checked for any separation, also called as ‘Divarication of muscles’. If the muscles are separated, they area sutured together in the midline giving them strength and tone.
The skin is then draped over the muscle and suturing is done from within, so as there are no external sutures.
Skin glue and surgical tapes are used to enforce the outer skin. Care is taken as to properly suture the incision, as to have practically no scar.
- After surgery : Once suturing and dressings are done, a compressive garment is placed on the table itself before weaning of the anesthesia.
This avoids discomfort and helps in smooth recovery from anesthesia after the surgery.
Once you are awake you are shifted to the recovery room for further monitoring. 4 to 6 hours after the procedure you are allowed to have normal diet.
Tummy Tuck reduction surgery: Post surgery
When should I expect the results of my tummy tuck?
You will notice immediate results after tummy tuck surgery. The tissues require time to heal properly and so do the scars.
It will take a few weeks for complete healing and scar reduction after tummy tuck surgery.
What is the after care needed after tummy tuck?
Tummy tuck surgery usually requires 1 to 2 days of hospital stay, depending upon the procedure that has been performed.
You will be in a semi inclined bed for the hospital stay. A compression garment will be asked to be used for 4 to 6 weeks after the tummy tuck to give proper support for healing of the abdomen.
There is 1-2 days of bed rest after a tummy tuck surgery, we advise early mobilization of patients out of the bed as soon as the patient is comfortable.
Sometimes a tube/drain may be placed at the time of surgery, which is usually removed after 24 to 48 hours.
It usually is placed if a large volume of excess fat and skin is removed to prevent any collection of fluids in the surgical site.
Usually, we don’t use drains if they are not needed.
We advice laxatives in all patients so as there is no strain over the abdomen while going to the loo.
Also it is advisable to start on cough medications if you get any cough after surgery.
Patient usually can go to work after a week to 10 days of surgery depending upon their comfort level.
Strenuous activities, exercises, jumping are usually prohibited for a certain period after surgery.
There are no external sutures used so there is no need of any suture removal.
FAQ's Regarding Tummy Tuck Reduction
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