Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

Tummy tuck (also called abdominoplasty) is a surgery to remove excess skin and fat from the abdomen and give you a flatter, leaner silhouette. Often the effects of age and childbearing can leave a woman with a saggy abdomen, which is why a tummy tuck is often part of a “Mommy Makeover.” However, tummy tucks are often performed on men, too!

Types of Abdominoplasty Surgery

There are several types of abdominoplasty. A full tummy tuck is a more extensive procedure that also repairs the rectus abdominus muscles that run vertically down the center of the abdomen. These muscles can become stretched out and separated due to age, pregnancy, or weight gain. A mini-tummy tuck usually involves only removing some excess skin and fat, but not repairing the muscles. If a lot of loose skin is removed, you may need to have the skin redraped around your navel (bellybutton). The surgeon loosens the skin, redrapes it, and then makes a hole in the redraped skin at the site of the navel and sews the skin around it.

A tummy tuck can be extensive surgery. You may be required to stay overnight in the hospital for a full tummy tuck, but you can go home within a few hours after a mini-tummy tuck. This procedure can be combined with liposuction to the thighs and hips or with breast augmentation or a breast lift. Most tummy tucks are performed under general anesthesia, but intravenous sedation may also be used for less extensive techniques.

One drawback to tummy tuck is that there is usually an extensive scar, one that runs across the abdomen from hipbone to hipbone. This is usually placed low enough on the abdomen to be hidden by a bikini bottom, but that may not always be possible.

Tummy Tuck Risks and Recovery

Because tummy tuck is extensive surgery, it has a greater degree of risk associated with it than most cosmetic surgery. You could contract a serious infection or experience excessive bleeding. You could have a bad reaction to anesthesia. You may also develop a hematoma or seroma. A hematoma is a pocket of clotted blood, while a seroma is a pocket of blood plasma. Both harden and shrink, but take several weeks or months to completely resolve.

There is also the possibility you will not like the results. You may dislike the length and size of your scar.

Because this is extensive surgery, you may need help around the house in the first few days after abdominoplasty. You should not pick up anything over 10 to 15 pounds (that includes your children!) for 2 to 3 weeks after your surgery and you should avoid bending over. Most patients can go back to work (with some limitations) about 2 to 3 weeks afterward, but it varies with the extent of the surgery and what kind of work you do. Returning to full activity, including sports, can take 6 to 8 weeks.

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