Brief Report on Tummy Tucks

If you have recently lost a lot of weight or if you are a new mom trying to get your pre-baby body back, you may be dealing with excess skin around your stomach. No matter how much weight you lose or exercise you do, this excess skin will not go away without surgery.

Abdominoplasty surgery, or tummy tuck, is a plastic surgery performed to remove excess flabby skin on the tummy and waist and contour the entire abdomen. A tummy tuck is particularly good for removing the loose skin left on the tummy after pregnancy or massive weight loss. Often, the flabby skin on the tummy and around the waist is resistant to exercise and dieting. Tummy tucks are often done in conjunction with liposuction.

In a tummy tuck procedure, an incision is made from hip to hip across the patient's lower abdomen. Excess skin is removed. Then, the skin is stretched and closed at the incision site. If the navel was removed as part of the excess skin, it is reattached. There are several techniques available for performing tummy tucks. Each of the techniques has pros and cons.

The effects of a tummy tuck should last a long time. However, if the patient loses or gains significant weight or experiences pregnancy, the effects of the tummy tuck may be lost.

Tummy tucks are considered elective cosmetic surgeries and are thus not covered by insurance. Most cosmetic surgeons, however, have financing plans available to patients to help them cover the costs of plastic surgery.

Tummy tucks are performed in a hospital where the patient may spend a few nights in recovery. The patient is administered a general anesthesia, and the surgery typically lasts around five hours.

Patients should plan to be out of work for about a week following a tummy tuck, but complete recovery can take up to six weeks during which the patient may have to alter his or her lifestyle. Potential severe complications include scarring, bleeding under the skin, and incomplete healing. Patients can expect to experience pain, discomfort, swelling, bruising, and draining of the incision after a tummy tuck.

Speak to a skilled plastic surgeon to discuss if a tummy tuck is right for you and if you should consider combining your abdominoplasty with liposuction, an arm lift, a thigh lift, or another body contouring procedure.