Tummy Tuck (
Abdominoplasty )
Many factors can affect of your
abdomen. Childbirth can change the abdominal tissues to
an extent, to which, exercise cannot correct. Excess
fat deposits can produce undesirable bulges or
fullness, and loose skin following childbirth or weight
loss can result in an unattractive abdomen.
Abdominoplasty is a procedure, which
improves the contour and appearance of the abdomen by
contouring the underlying muscle, removing excess fat
and loose skin.
During
pregnancy significant stretching of the tissues of your
abdomen occurs. After delivery, you can exercise to
recover the tone in the muscles themselves, but the
tissues which interconnect the muscles may have been
stretched, and do not respond to exercise. Looseness of
the abdominal tissues can result in bulging of the
lower abdomen, which you may not be able to correct
with exercise.
After
significant weight loss your abdominal skin may become
much looser, and may sometimes actually hang downward.
Skin does not respond to any type of exercise, but
loose skin can be removed during abdominoplasty.
Even in
individuals who are not overweight, localized deposits
of fat can occur in areas of the abdomen, producing
undesirable contours. If fat deposits are the only
contour problem, they may be correctable with suction
lipoplasty alone, but if stretched musculature or loose
skin are present, abdominoplasty is necessary to
achieve the best contour.
So abdominoplasty does three things: it reshapes the
underlying framework of the abdomen to improve shape
and contour, it removes excess fat deposits which may
be present, and it removes excess loose skin to improve
the overall contour, appearance and shape of the
abdomen.
During your
consultation, Dr. Gold will discuss with you each area
of your abdomen, which concerns you. He will explain
specifically which of the components of abdominoplasty
will be necessary to achieve the best contour.
Limitations
Limitations
and risks associated with abdominoplasty are very
small.
How much
your abdomen can be reshaped depends on several
factors. The quality of your tissues is very important,
and a factor over which we have little control.
If you are
significantly overweight, you’ll get a much better
correction if you achieve a more ideal weight before
your abdominoplasty. There is a limit to the amount of
fat, which can be safely removed surgically during the
procedure.
To reshape the underlying musculo-fascial framework and
remove excess skin, incisions are necessary. Incisions
are placed low on the abdomen, and their length depends
on the amount of correction you require. In most cases,
it is necessary to reposition or reshape your umbilicus
(belly button). Dr. Gold will discuss the specifics of
incisions during your consultation.
Any necessary incisions will produce scars. The quality
of these scars depends on several
factors,
including your specific healing characteristics. You
should think of scars as a trade-off for significant
improvement in the shape of your abdomen.
Abdominoplasty cannot change the
underlying skeleton and is limited in how much actual
muscles can be reshaped. Dr. Gold will discuss any
specific limitations during your consultation.
Risks
Other risks common
to all surgical procedures such as bleeding, infection
and scar tissue formation occur in a very small
percentage of cases. We encourage you to discuss any
concerns you may have during your consultation.
The Operation
Incisions for abdominoplasty are placed low on your
abdomen to allow them to be best concealed. The length
of the incision depends on the degree of looseness in
your skin and how much will need to be removed as the
upper skin is pulled down to improve the contour. Dr.
Gold will discuss your preferences and specific ways in
which he can minimize the length of your incisions.
How Abdominoplasty
Is Done
The skin and fat
are first lifted off the underlying musculature of the
abdomen. Dr. Gold makes very precise measurements and
markings before beginning any reshaping, to most
accurately control the final shape. If the fascia is
stretched (the tissues which interconnect the muscles),
he will tighten it by placing multiple rows of sutures.
In some cases, the muscles themselves may be
repositioned for best correction. In essence, the
underlying framework of the abdomen is reshaped.
Next, excess fat is removed using suction or direct
removal techniques. This reduces any excess thickness
in the soft tissue to get the best redraping over your
new abdominal framework.
The skin is then pulled downward to tighten it, and any
excess tissue is removed below. Depending on the degree
of looseness of skin and the amount of skin removed, it
may be necessary to reposition the umbilicus (belly
button).
Recovery
All of your
incisions will be carefully closed with stitches placed
beneath the skin, so there’s no chance of your having
“railroad track” type marks but rather very fine line
scars. Your sutures will not have to be removed. They
will simply dissolve.
To minimize fluid collection and swelling and improve
your comfort in the treated areas, we’ll ask you to
wear an elastic garment which we provide for two weeks
or more after surgery, depending on the areas and
extent of your procedure.
Following abdominoplasty procedures, most patients have
mild to moderate discomfort the first 48-72 hours,
which decreases rapidly thereafter. The extent of
discomfort depends largely on the extent of surgery
required to reshape your abdomen. We’ll prescribe
medication for your discomfort as necessary.
Your abdomen will feel tighter as the result of its
new, tighter shape. The feeling of tightness will
decrease over 1-3 weeks as swelling decreases and the
tissues become accustomed to their new shape.
It’s important to be up and about the day following
your procedure. How much activity we’ll recommend
depends on the specific procedure required to reshape
your abdomen.
You will be able to shower within two or three days
following surgery.
The Stages Of
Recovery
Our
patients usually want to know about four stages of
recovery: hospitalization time, when swelling or
bruising is resolved, when they’ll be able to return to
work or social activity, and when they can return to
full aerobic or strenuous exercise.
For abdominoplasty
procedures, the average:
Hospitalization
time: Abdominalplasty is usually performed
as a day surgery procedure. Dr. Gold has a fully
accredited surgical suite in his office for your
convenience.
Bruising and
swelling resolve:
21-30 days. Return to work,
social activity:
5-14 days.
(This depends on the extent of the procedure).
Aerobic
or strenuous activity: 3-6 weeks.
We
encourage returning to full normal activity very
rapidly. To assure the best result and prevent damaging
the reshaped areas, we’ll tailor a program of return to
exercise according to your specific procedure.