Tummy Tuck: The Surgery At a Glance

When it comes to surgical methods to get your midsection tight and in shape, there are no procedures that can rival the tummy tuck. Known as abdominoplasty in plastic surgery circles, this procedure can remove skin, fat, and any extra tissue standing between you and the flat belly you've been wanting. Some may ask: isn't that what liposuction does? But a tummy tuck is a far more invasive procedure than lipo. Often, people opting for abdominoplasty include liposuction in the package. Some choose to go back in for the procedure after weight loss or lipo alone to correct loose skin and abdominals that aren't as tight as they should be. Here is the surgery at a glance. Anesthesia As with any surgery, the tummy tuck is performed with the patient under anesthesia. Some surgeons prefer to put the patient under intravenous sedation while others opt for general anesthesia. In some cases, a surgeon will offer the option of local anesthesia only, but this is not very common and most doctors advise against the practice. Abdominoplasty is among the most invasive and extensive plastic surgery procedures and a patient can easily become uncomfortable when only under a local numbing agent. Making the Incisions To access the area, the surgeon will make a horizontal incision somewhere between the pubic area and the navel. How large this incision is will depend on a few factors, the most significant of which is the amount of work being done. Some doctors perform a mini version of the surgery, which can be done with a much smaller incision. If you have a great deal of correction, the incision will be larger to match the necessary work. Most doctors will make their best effort at "hiding" the incision in the bikini line so that your resulting scar will be less noticeable. The Work The surgeon will remove excess skin, tissue, and fat, and in many cases will actually go into the abdominal wall itself and tighten it. This wall can become loose due to obesity or pregnancy and it may not recover through exercise alone. This in and of itself can make a big difference in your appearance, entirely separate from the removal of tissue. Results Like most plastic surgery procedures, it takes a while to measure the results of the procedure. You will be unable to stand up straight immediately following the procedure, making it impossible to evaluate the differences. This doesn't take into account the swelling and bruising, which will take some time to dissipate. Be patient when it comes to evaluating your results. Recovery takes some time.