Tummy Tuck Surgery: One Size Does not Fit All!

Plastic Surgery, Tummy Tuck Comments (1)

One of the most popular cosmetic plastic surgeries, the tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is actually available in several sizes.

Your current physique may be:

• Normal weight, but showing serious after childbirth effects
• Normal weight, but showing minor after childbirth effects
• After MWL (massive weight loss), showing a lot of hanging, drooping skin

The basic abdominoplasty is best done when the patient is near her optimum weight.

Often done in conjunction with a breast lift and breast augmentation, the plastic surgeon makes a hip to hip incision through the bikini line so the resulting scar is hidden. The belly button is surgically freed and left on a stalk.

Torso skin up to the ribs is lifted up and free from the body; then, the surgeon stitches together two, long abdominal muscles which have stretched during pregnancy. If needed, the surgeon can also do some liposuction at this point.

Next, the surgeon pulls the skin down, trims away the sagging skin and makes a new belly button hole. Finally, the two edges are sutured together.

If you want a flatter, trimmer waist and, possibly, an hour glass figure, ask about the high lateral tension abdominoplasty.

That is extra horizontal stitching across your stomach muscles, bringing your sides in tighter.

(All California Surgical Institute surgeons perform this technique which results in an even tighter waistline.)

This is the same patient, after a high tension lateral abdominoplasty

However, a mini tummy tuck only removes loose skin and stretch marks below the navel.

For certain patients, the mini provides a tighter waist while reducing:

• Recovery time
• Time under the knife
• Cost of abdominoplasty
• Possible complications

Other patients, who have had massive weight loss of 100 pounds or more, frequently need more sagging skin removed from their torsos up to the breasts.

For these patients, a more involved procedure – known as the fleur-de-lys, anchor or vertical scar abdominoplasty — fills the bill.

This procedure removes drooping skin from the sides and middle of the upper abdomen by making another vertical incision in the middle of the torso to remove excess skin.

Drawbacks include:

• Another scar
• Slightly increased chance of infections.
• Scars not as well hidden

But loose, drooping skin is such a bother, most patients are glad to trade surgical scars for a body without hanging, flapping skin.

Besides, the scars will fade over time and are easy to hide!

admin @ September 11, 2009