Purpose, Process, Before and After Photos and more

People usually choose to have a tummy tuck for cosmetic reasons, such as:

• tighten stretched skin
• smooth and straighten the lower abdomen

It is especially useful when you cannot restore skin and muscle tone with diet and exercise alone. Sometimes, after extensive weight loss or pregnancy, the skin or muscles cannot easily return to their previous shape.

It may also come with a number of health benefits, including:

• prevention of skin rashes and infections that can occur under skin folds
• improving one’s self-confidence

For more extensive skin folds, however, a medical procedure called a panniculectomy may be required (more on that later).

There are some common variations of the classic abdominoplasty, including:

• Extended abdominoplasty: The incision of an extended tummy tuck extends from the hips to the back. This tightens the entire waistline. In contrast, a typical abdominoplasty incision runs from hip to hip below the belly button.
• Mini abdominoplasty: Mini or partial tummies are done with much smaller incisions in your lower abdomen. Instead of expanding hip to hip, surgery targets a smaller area below your belly button.
• Reverse Tummy Tuck: Reverse crunches focus on the upper rather than the lower abdomen. While a traditional tummy tuck usually involves removing the skin below the navel, a reverse tummy tuck involves removing the skin above it.

Abdominoplasty is usually done in a hospital operating room. Beforehand, you will be put under general anesthesia to keep you asleep and not in pain.

Here’s what happens next:

1. The surgeon will make an incision in your stomach, just above the pubic bone. Next, they will remove excess fat and stretched skin from your lower and middle abdomen.
2. In some cases, they will also tighten your abs with stitches.
3. In extended surgeries, the surgeon will also remove fat and skin from the sides of the abdomen.
4. The surgeon will then use stitches to close the area back up. Sometimes, tubes are inserted into the affected area to help drain the fluid.
5. A large bandage will be placed over the area.

Less extensive abdominal strokes can be done using an endoscope. This is a small camera that can be inserted through a much smaller cut to perform surgery. This approach only tightens the muscles under the skin, so it may not be very effective for those with a lot of excess skin.

In the consultations leading up to your abdominoplasty, you may need:

• undergo a laboratory test
• complete a medical evaluation
• stop smoking, if you smoke (as recommended by your healthcare professional)
• stop taking certain supplements and medications, including blood thinners such as aspirin and ibuprofen

On the day of the operation, you should avoid eating and drinking several hours before. Your surgeon will give you an exact schedule to follow.

Since you will be under general anesthesia, plan to have someone drop you off before the procedure and pick you up after the procedure.

Most of the time, you can go home the same day as your procedure. You will likely experience pain and discomfort for the next few days. Your care team will prescribe pain medication to treat this.

During recovery, plan to get plenty of rest. To reduce pressure on your wounds, it may be beneficial to lie down with your legs and hips bent.

Your surgeon will help place an elastic support around your midsection, similar to a belt, to help with your recovery. This will help manage the swelling, which can take up to 6 months to fully subside.

You may be sent home with drainage tubes that you should empty regularly and note what comes out. Your surgeon will give you a time frame for how long the tubes should be in place, but this usually ranges from a few days to several weeks.

You will need to return to the surgeon’s office for tests, including removal of dressings, stitches, and drainage tubes.

Your recovery time can vary depending on a number of factors such as your age, health and the type of tummy tuck you are having. But in general, you can expect to be pretty much back to your usual activities after about 8 weeks.

After a tummy tuck, the American Board of Plastic Surgery suggests:

• avoiding driving, cooking, running errands, and other tasks for up to 2 to 3 weeks
• avoiding exercise or vigorous activity for about 4 to 6 weeks
• waiting about 2 to 4 weeks before returning to work

Next year, your scars will lighten. Just try to keep them out of the sun so they don’t get worse. If the area is going to be exposed, it is recommended to apply sunscreen.

A tummy tuck can effectively remove excess skin and fat, but keep in mind that it is not a weight loss procedure.

After a tummy tuck, the skin and muscles in your abdominal area are permanently altered. However, if you gain a lot of weight, the remaining skin can stretch again. If you plan to lose extra weight or become pregnant in the future, experts advise postponing your tummy tuck until later.

Technically, abdominoplasty is not meant to remove stretch marks. But some of it may be removed when the surgeon removes areas of excess skin. If you want to completely reduce the appearance of stretch marks, you may want to consider other treatments such as laser treatment.

Every surgery comes with some risks. Those related to abs include:

• extensive scarring
• blood clot conditions, including deep vein thrombosis;
• slow wound healing or infections;
• reactions to anesthetics or other drugs
• nerve damage to your stomach
• fluid accumulation (serum)
• heart or lung risks
• death from deep fat tissue (fat necrosis)
• asymmetric or unwanted results
• the need for follow-up procedures

Depending on the effectiveness of the surgery and the results you are looking for, you may also need additional follow-up procedures.

Alternatives to abdominoplasty include:

• Panniculectomy: Unlike abdominoplasty, this procedure is considered medically necessary. Panicletomies may be required when someone loses a large amount of weight, resulting in too much excess skin that could otherwise be vulnerable to serious infections or other problems.
• Liposuction: While tummy tucks focus on removing excess skin, liposuction involves removing extra fat from the hips, thighs, buttocks, abdomen, arms, neck or back. In some cases, tummy tucks and liposuction are done at the same time. If you don’t have a lot of extra skin, liposuction may be a better option.
• Ultrasound or Radio Frequencies (RF): These non-invasive cosmetic procedures tighten the skin with the help of RF or ultrasound technology. They are also used to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. The results tend to be more subtle than those of a tummy tuck, but the procedure is less invasive and requires little recovery time.

How much does a tummy tuck cost?

On average, a tummy tuck in the United States costs approx $6,154, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. This number does not include fees related to anesthesia, surgery, or other costs. Abdominals are generally not covered by insurance.

How long does a tummy tuck take?

Abs are technically permanent, meaning the skin and muscles are permanently affected. However, if you gain a lot of weight, the remaining skin can stretch again. This is why it is recommended to delay surgery if you plan to become pregnant in the future.

What are the main disadvantages?

Abdominoplasty is a major procedure that comes with some potentially serious risks, such as blood clots, infections, or reactions to anesthetics. It also has a significant recovery period of around 8 weeks.

It also cannot remove excess fat. And while the results are permanent, if you gain weight in the future, you may show more excess skin.

A tummy tuck is a common procedure that involves removing excess skin and sometimes tightening the muscles below the navel.

If you’re considering a tummy tuck, it’s important to talk to a healthcare professional about the results you’re looking for. They can help you determine if abdominoplasty will be appropriate or suggest alternatives.