Tummy Tuck

If you are bothered by excess fat and lax skin in the abdominal area that doesn’t improve no matter how much you diet or exercise, you may be a good candidate for a Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty). Patients love this surgery because it provides a flatter stomach, eliminates hanging skin, and tightens the abdominal muscles. Women sometimes experience stretched abdominal muscles after pregnancy (rectus diastasis) that can be corrected during this procedure.

Dr. Owens will customize your tummy tuck based on your body and how you wish to look. Whether you are a curvy girl who just wants the loose skin to be smooth, or a lean athlete who sees significant changes after pregnancy and you want your muscles back, Dr. Owens will create a plan that helps you achieve your goals.  Liposuction is used, if necessary, to remove any excess fatty deposits. Note that a tummy tuck is best performed on patients who are close to their ideal weight. If you plan to lose weight or become pregnant, you should postpone your surgery, as weight loss and pregnancy can both cause the development of more loose skin in this area and your best result will be achieved when at a stable weight.

Abdominoplasty is often part of a Mommy Makeover, or used to correct loose skin after successful massive weight loss following strict diet and exercise or after bariatric weight loss surgery. If you only have areas of fullness from fat deposits in the abdominal region with no lax skin or stretched muscles, liposuction alone may be enough for you.  In some cases, modification of the tummy tuck technique may allow for improvement of the lower abdominal skin without skin removal from the upper abdomen or a scar around the belly button.  During your consultation with Dr. Owens, she will discuss all the options with you as well as the trade-offs of each choice, and help you come to the decision that is best for you.

At that time, we will discuss what bothers you most about the appearance of your abdominal area and your goals for your tummy tuck, as well as your medical history, medications you take, and previous procedures you have had. We will answer all your questions, explain what to expect from surgery, and tell you how to prepare for your surgery.

Preparing for Your Tummy Tuck

Please avoid taking Advil, Aleve, aspirin, ibuprofen, Motrin, and Naprosyn for two weeks prior to your surgery. High dose vitamins and herbal medications should also be avoided. Most other medications that you take regularly can be taken before your procedure. It is especially important to take blood pressure medication so that your blood pressure remains normal before and after surgery.  At your preoperative visit you will review the plan with Dr. Owens, have photographs taken, and sign surgical consent.  You will be given prescriptions for postoperative medications including pain medicine, muscle relaxers, and nausea medicine which should be filled and ready at home for your postoperative care.  In most cases Dr. Owens uses Exparel during surgery, a long acting local numbing medicine, to help patients recover more comfortably.  In combination with over the counter anti-inflammatory medicines and prescription muscle relaxing agents, the use of narcotic pain medicine is minimized. Constipation is common after this procedure and recommendations will be made to start a fiber supplement or stool softener prior to surgery and continue for a few weeks after.

Prepare an area at home for your recovery that allows you to rest and easily access a bathroom.  Many patients find that a recliner is a comfortable way to stay in the “beach chair” position required to keep tension off the incision line.

The Tummy Tuck Procedure

A tummy tuck usually takes 2-4 hours and time varies with your baseline anatomy and specific techniques used. It can sometimes be safely combined with other procedures, such as a thigh lift, breast augmentation, or breast lift, as long as the total time of your surgery does not exceed 7-8 hours. Your tummy tuck will be performed in the hospital or outpatient surgery center using general anesthesia. Most often you can go home the same day, but be sure to have someone available to drive you home and stay with you for at least the first 24 hours, as you will be drowsy from the anesthesia. If Dr. Owens feels it would be safer for you to stay overnight, she will discuss this with you and your family.

You will arrive at the surgical facility and preop evaluation completed by nursing and anesthesia staff.  Dr. Owens will mark your skin and answer any last minute questions.

The incision is usually made from one hip to the other at the bikini line. If necessary, liposuction is performed to remove excess fat. A cannula (tube) is inserted through the incision and attached to a suction device that extracts the fatty tissue to improve contour. The muscles are then tightened, excess skin is removed, and the skin is pulled tighter for a smoother contour. The belly button is brought out through the tightened skin so that it is in the appropriate placement for your flatter stomach.  In cases where there is a belly button hernia, the old belly button is removed and a new belly button depression is created.  Drains are routinely used to control fluid that naturally develops under the skin and allow for internal healing to progress.  You will wake up in recovery with compression girdle in place and instructions will be reviewed with you and your caregiver before discharge.

Recovering from a Tummy Tuck

For the first week or so you will have to stay in a flexed position to avoid pulling on the incision. You will wear a compression garment for 4-6 weeks after your surgery to minimize swelling. Drains will be removed within 1-2 weeks depending on healing progress.

Some bruising, swelling, soreness, tightness, and itching are normal after abdominoplasty. You can take medication, if necessary, to ease discomfort. These symptoms will gradually subside during the first month.

As a result, most patients take about 2-3 weeks off from work to recover, and for some more strenuous or active jobs a full 6-8 weeks recovery is required. More limited procedures may allow you to return to normal activities sooner. Please avoid heavy lifting and strenuous activity for 6 weeks. Activity restrictions will be lifted in a progressive fashion but walking is encouraged from day one to promote circulation, lung expansion, and to avoid blood clots.  Full results from your surgery can take 4-6 months to be visible.

Your tummy tuck is permanent, but fatty deposits and lax skin can develop again in this area. Maintaining a steady weight can help to maintain the outcome.

Call us to schedule your consultation with Dr. Owens, and find out how a tummy tuck can give you a flatter stomach, making you more comfortable and confident!