Tummy Tuck Before & Afters

This 42-year-old mother of two was interested in body contouring to remove some of the excess skin and fatty tissue from her abdomen, as well as to tighten up the muscles that loosened from childbirth. Additionally, she was interested in liposuction of the thighs, which she was able to combine with the tummy tuck for a more cost-effective option. The surgery for the abdominoplasty and liposuction of the thighs was 4-hours, and was done at an outpatient surgical center where she went home the same day. She was given a special binder for her abdomen and compression garments for her thighs to wear continuously postoperatively, unless she was taking a shower. The patient had drains and some stitches in that were removed after the first week. She came back at 2-weeks postop to check for any fluid collections, and then again at 6-weeks postop to evaluate her final results. She will continue to see improvement as swelling goes down and the tissue relaxes over the next 3- to 6-months. The patient used narcotic pain mediation for approximately 1.5 weeks before transitioning completely to over-the-counter pain medication, and, as she worked on her computer from home, was able to return to work within one week.

Abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck, is a surgical procedure to remove excess skin and fat from a person's abdomen. It can also tighten up loose abdominal wall musculature from the mid-section that often retains most of the post-child birth changes. These changes include the below the belly button pouch, stretch marks, and the excess skin and fat deposits in the hips and lower abdomen. A tummy tuck is also done to improve overall body contour on women who have not had any children. Men often have the abdominoplasty procedure to reshape their barrel looking trunks. Abdominoplasty is performed through an incision from hip to hip that allows removal of excess skin and fat below and above the belly button. A corset-like suture is performed for the abdominal musculature tightening to recentralize the rectus muscles that make up the "six-pack." The skin of the mid-section is pulled down to tighten over the abdomen, and the belly button is moved to a new location before the skin is closed. A mini-abdominoplasty or mini-tummy tuck is done through a smaller incision for patients with a pouch below the belly button and limited excess skin and fat. It does not address the upper abdomen, but is a great alternative for a patient who either does not have much upper abdomen fat, or who wishes to have a shorter scar. An abdominoplasty is done as an outpatient procedure. It can be combined with another surgical procedure to make up a "mommy makeover." The recovery period for an abdominoplasty or mini-tummy tuck is two to six weeks and the patient is limited to lifting anything that weighs more than five pounds.