Abdominoplasty: The Ultimate Guide | Procedures, Risks, and Results.

It's best performed on people who are otherwise in good health.
It is very good for all post-pregnancy women. This surgery removes abdominal protrusion, tightens the abdominal muscles, and removes lax skin containing stretch marks. The abdomen looks rejuvenated. The patient appears almost the same as she was before pregnancy.
It is a good option for both men and women with massive weight loss - who were once obese and have lost weight later. This procedure takes care of the excess fat deposits or droopy sagging skin in the belly, including stretch marks.
Please remember that plastic surgery reshapes the abdomen and is not an alternative to diet and exercise for losing weight.
It is better to NOT do a tummy tuck when: (A) Patients plan to go through weight loss regimes in the future. (B) Women who plan for pregnancy in the near future. (A better idea is to perform this procedure in women after their family is complete).

In this classical or standard surgery, a long incision runs from one hip bone to the other. Another smaller circular incision is placed around the umbilicus, separating it from the rest of the abdomen. In post-pregnancy women, this will excise out previous Caesarean section scars and surrounding lax abdomen with stretch marks. The whole abdominal skin and fat are separated from underlying abdominal muscles. Excess skin and fat are excised. Lax abdominal muscles are tightened with sutures, creating a snug reshaped abdominal midline. Additional liposuction is frequently performed to remove stubborn fat pockets in the abdomen. Results are excellent, with taut muscles and taut abdomen, with nice shape and contours.

Some people have a greater amount of loose sagging skin in their entire lower body including the lower abdomen, hips, and abdominal flanks. Most people with massive weight loss fall in this category. Extended abdominoplasty, a major plastic surgery, is performed for such people to give a nicely shaped contoured abdomen. The incision made in this surgery is longer, extending the entire front sides and back of the abdomen and lower body after going round above the hip region. In almost all cases simultaneous liposuction is necessary to remove excess fatty tissues. Muscles in the abdomen and around the flanks over the hip regions are then tightened in two planes. One is in the midline vertically and the second transversely from one flank to the other. This major plastic surgery, 'lateral high tension abdominoplasty', makes the entire abdominal musculature tight from all sides. Overlying abdominal front flank and back skin-fat envelope is shaped and draped on top of these newly tightened abdominal muscles.

A ventral hernia occurs when there is a weakness in the abdominal wall. Abdominal fat and intestines may poke through this weakness and come outside, forming a pouch. It may be incisional if the hernia originated from previous surgery cuts. While a general surgeon would repair these with visible vertical cuts and scars, a plastic surgeon would make a transverse cut hidden underneath your clothes. Simultaneous abdominoplasty would carve out excess skin and fat over the abdomen, trimming and reshaping it. While ventral hernia repair and abdominoplasty remain distinct surgeries, they are performed over the same lower abdomen. They can be combined together to deliver superb results with high levels of safety.

This is the smallest surgery in this series. Because of its short incision, it is sometimes called 'Short Scar Tummy Tuck'. It removes a smaller portion of skin and fat through a small cut in the lower abdomen and tightens the abdomen in the lower part only, up to the navel. It can help only those people with a small amount of stubborn belly flab that does not respond to diet and exercise. Most of these people are otherwise healthy and fit. They want to get rid of an extra pouch of overhanging skin and fat in the lower abdomen that hampers the shape and looks of an otherwise sleek physical shape.

For people who have a gap in the abdominal midline and want to tighten the muscles only, Endoscopic Abdominoplasty is a good alternative. For this approach to be successful, the skin needs to be elastic and is a perfect fit for those who have extra fat. This surgery is performed by inserting a tiny camera through a small incision around the navel and removing a lesser amount of abdominal skin and fat. Liposuction of the excess fat around that area is done. Frequently it's done only for repairing the abdominal muscles above the navel and then combined with a mini-abdominoplasty for the lower abdomen.

A panniculectomy is a plastic surgical procedure that removes excess skin, fat and tissue from the lower abdomen so that it is much flatter and smoother than before. It is for those who have lost a large amount of weight and have a huge overlap of skin in the abdomen region. This skin is removed along with any excess fat to help improve their appearance, reduce back pain or relieve pressure on organs such as the liver, spleen, or kidneys. The surgery is usually done abdominally through an incision made around your navel and lower abdomen.

The costs of tummy tuck/abdominoplasty include surgeons' fees; hospital or surgical facility costs; anesthesia costs; medicine costs; post-surgery compression garments costs & costs of medical tests. Thus, the costs can fluctuate depending on the hospital facility chosen, whether liposuction is combined with a tummy tuck, the instruments for liposuction utilized, and the type of tummy tuck is performed. Ultimately, your satisfaction after a well-performed tummy tuck is much more precious than the price paid for tummy tuck surgery - in fact, it is 'priceless'.

Mostly, side effects are not common in most people. But, like with any major surgery, they may happen. The usual risks are infections along the margins or inside the flap, especially if any abdominal surgery is combined. Blood clots or collections may occur inside, especially if there is any unnatural injury to the operated part following a fall. Serous fluids inside the body may collect as well. Scars may (or may not) occur along the cut margins, depending on your body reaction. There may be a varied amount of pain, especially in the first few days, and numbness in some areas of the lower skin. Bruising and swelling may occur over the area under liposuction. If they occur, they are usually present for a short time. However, some people may have these problems for a long time. Apart from these, some more rare complications have been reported in world literature. Please contact your treating doctor for more information if you are curious to know.

The results obtained in body shape after this surgery are wonderful. This surgery is not very complicated, but it is essential to select the right candidate to get good results.

Women who plan to get pregnant later on should wait until they have completed their family.

Generally, people with a body mass index of more than 27 would not do well after this surgery. Those who have a BMI of more than 30 can expect to see some complications related to poor wound healing. It is advisable to first lose weight through diet and exercise before undertaking a tummy tuck and liposuction.

You need to remember that this is NOT one of the surgeries for weight loss. This is performed to enhance the shape of your abdomen after your weight has stabilized.

Lastly, patients need to earn their surgery. Those who have unrealistic expectations would not be taken up for surgery.