Abdominoplasty or “tummy tuck”, is the procedure to eliminate the excess of skin and fat from the abdominal wall and the correction of muscular weakness.  This situation is common after loosing considerable weight or after pregnancy, specially because this excess of fat or skin sometimes don't come better with diet or excercise.  If you are thinking about getting pregnant in the future you may pospone this procedure because the results can be lost with pregnancy and new changes on weight.

Before              After

Before Abdominoplasty

Your plastic surgeon will evaluate your general health condition, the amount of fat, skin excess and tone, including condition of the muscular wall, standing and lying down.   According to your case, your surgeon may propose modifications to the procedure to make it less invasive, with smaller incisions or even only liposuction. Anyhow, your surgeon and you will decide together which procedure is the best for you.

The Surgery

Tummy tuck is performed in an operating room, usually with general anesthesia.  In some cases, specially in mini abdominoplasty and abdominal liposuction local anesthesia with sedation could be considered.  The procedure usually takes between 2 and 4 hours, depending in the amount of correction required.

The incision is usually placed, just above the pubis area directed from one hip to the other one, the size may change according to the amount of skin removed, sometimes a second incision is required just around the navus. Then the skin will be separated from the abdominal wall exposing the musles, tensing them and making it stronger. The skin will be extended and the excess will be removed in direction to the pubis. The navus will be situated at the same position than before.  Finally the sutures are made, it is posible that you may need a temporal drainage tube which will be removed in couple of days with the dressings as well.

Posible Complications

Surgery and anesthesia always involve risks that can be minimized when performed by qualified and experienced professionals, but can not disappear completely even in the best hands.  In this procedure specific complications include infection, blood clots and poor healing resulting in conspicuous scars. 

Follow all the instructions given by your surgeon including stop smoking because this can delay the healing process. 

The Results

You could feel some discomfort and sweeling after the procedure, according to the extension of the surgery you may need to stay in the clinic for couple of days.  Special instruction will be given to you about taking showers and changing the dressings, you should follow them carefully and start walking as soon as you can to avoid complications as blood clots. 

You may have sutures that your body will absorve and do not need to be removed, in the opposite case external ones are removed approximately in 5 to 7 days and any internal one in 2 to 3 weeks.  In couple of days the dressings will be replaced by an abdominal sash.

In about 2 to 4 weeks you can be back into your normal activities, the recovery time will be faster if you had a good shape before the surgery.  Try to avoid arduous work for some time, but don't stay sitting or laying in the bed because some kind of physical exercise (mild ones) can make your recovery time shorter.  

After 3 to 6 months the scars will start to get better and in 9 months to 1 year they may have their final appearance.  Don't forget that they are not going to dissapear completely, but you should be able to cover them under the underwear, bikini or swim suit.