The best candidates for abdominoplasty are men or women who are in relatively good shape but are bothered by a large fatty deposit or loose abdominal skin that will not respond to diet or exercise. Surgery is particularly useful in women who, through multiple pregnancies, have stretched their abdominal muscles and skin beyond the point where they can return to normal.
The loss of superficial elasticity in elderly patients that frequently accompanies light obesity can also be improved. Patients who plan to lose a lot of weight should postpone surgery. As well, women who plan future pregnancies should wait, because, as the rectus abdominus muscles tighten during surgery they can be separated again during pregnancy. If you have marks of previous abdominal surgery, your doctor may recommend that you do not perform a tummy tuck or you may be warned that the scars may be extraordinarily visible in the case of previous bad scars. Abdominoplasty can improve your appearance and self-confidence, but it will not necessarily change your appearance to match your ideal, or cause other people to treat you differently. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with your surgeon. but it will not necessarily change its appearance to match its ideal, or cause other people to treat it differently. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with your surgeon. but it will not necessarily change its appearance to match its ideal, or cause other people to treat it differently. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with your surgeon.

Our surgeon will give you specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, and taking or avoiding certain vitamins, and medications. If you smoke, plan to leave it at least one to two weeks before your surgery and do not do it again for at least two weeks after your surgery. Avoid overexposure to the sun before surgery, especially in your abdomen, and do not put on a regimen if it is not supervised by us, because it can inhibit its quality to heal. If you catch a cold or infection of any kind, your surgery will probably be postponed. As your surgery is done in an outpatient operating room, you should meet someone to accompany you home after your surgery, and to help you for a day or two after you leave the hospital, if you need it.

Generally we perform abdominoplasty and a mini tummy tuck in our office-based surgical suite as the surgery requires an ambulatory operating room.

Depending on your particular case, we can select general anesthesia, so you can sleep during the procedure. In partial or minor procedures local anesthesia is used, combined with intravenous sedative to make you sleepy. You will be awake but relaxed, and your abdominal region will be insensitive to pain. (However, you may feel some occasional tension or discomfort)

The full tummy tuck usually lasts two hours and depends on the amount of work required. Partial tummy tucks can last an hour or two. In most cases normally, the surgeon will make a long incision from one side of the hip to the other, just above the public area. A second incision is made to rid the navel of the surrounding tissue. With the partial abdominoplasty, the incision is shorter and the navel may not need to move, although it may be pulled down a little when the skin is tightened and sewn. The skin is separated from the abdominal wall up to the height of the costal margin. The abdominal muscles are tightened and sewn in their new position. This provides a firmer abdominal wall and narrows the waist. The superficial flap is then stretched down and the skin is approached to close. A new location is placed for your navel which is then sewn in this place. Finally, the incisions will be sewn, bandages will be applied, and temporary drains may be placed to drain excess fluid from the surgical site. In partial abdominoplasty, the skin only separates between the incision line and the navel. This flap of skin is pulled down, the excess skin is removed, and the flap is sewn into place.
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During the first few days, your abdomen will probably become inflamed and you are likely to feel some pain and discomfort that can be controlled by the prescribed medication. Depending on the magnitude of the surgery, you may get discharged within a few hours or you may have to stay hospitalized for one or two. We will give you instructions to shower and change your bandages. And although you can not stand directly at the beginning, you should start walking as soon as possible. The sutures will be removed after seven days, and the deepest sutures, with ends that are seen through the skin, are removed in two to three weeks. The bandage in your incision can be replaced by a girdle.

It may take weeks or months until you feel completely well. If you start with a relatively good physical condition, the recovery of the tummy tuck will be much faster. Some people return to work after two weeks, while others take three or four weeks to rest and recover. Exercise will help you recover better. Even in people who have never exercised before, they should start a light program to reduce inflammation, decrease the risk of thrombosis, and increase muscle tone. Vigorous exercise, however, should be avoided until at least 6 weeks after surgery. Your scars may seem to get worse during the first three to six months this is normal. Wait between nine months to a year before your scars align and lose their reddish color. To make them fade fast, it is recommended that massage Vitamin E into the healed incision line and with that, keep in mind that the scars won’t disappear completely.

Thousands of successful tummy tucks are performed every year. When they are performed by a qualified plastic surgeon who specializes in body contouring surgery; the results are generally quite positive. However, there are always risks associated with surgery and the specific complications associated with this procedure. Postoperative complications such as infection and thrombosis are rare, but may occur. The infection can be treated with drainage and antibiotics. You can minimize the risk of thrombosis with early mobilization after surgery as soon as possible. Poor scarring produces visible scars that may require a second procedure. Smoking is a contraindication to abdominoplasty. Smokers should stop smoking at least 6 weeks prior to and 6 weeks after the surgery because of the risk of complications. It can also delay healing process.You can reduce your risk of complications by closely following our instructions before and after the surgery, especially with regard to when and how you should resume physical activity.

Abdominoplasty, whether partial or complete, produces excellent results for patients with weakened abdominal muscles or excess skin. And in most cases, the results last for a long time, if you follow a balanced diet and perform a little exercise regularly. After surgery, the patient has a flatter abdomen. The scars are permanent, but tend to fade with time. If you are realistic in your expectations and prepare for the consequences of a permanent scar that can be hidden by clothing and a period of recovery, the result of a tummy tuck may just be the answer for you.