What is a tummy tuck?
Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty is an operation for the abdominal saggy skin removal, stomach defects elimination, and proportions restoration. With the help of tummy tuck, you get rid of the hanging belly fat that appears after a sharp weight loss or childbirth. Quite often, abdominoplasty is combined with liposuction to remove excess fat and saggy stomach skin.
What result can you expect after the procedure?
Tummy tuck helps to cope with:
- skin stretching and loss of its elasticity after the significant fetus birth or multiple pregnancies
- sagging skin caused by significant weight loss
- excess subcutaneous fat layer (the deepest skin layer which cannot be otherwise disposed of)
- stomach apron.
Abdominoplasty is not a way to get rid of obesity. This operation may be associated with liposuction. In this case, tummy tuck helps to lose excess weight, but not itself.
Who is the right candidate for a tummy tuck?
The main reason for a complete abdominoplasty is the individual desire of the person. Such a primary method is prescribed when nothing helps to correct the abdominal area, and there is no way to go in for sports intensively and regularly.
Abdominoplasty is performed when the lower abdomen is saggy. This occurs after liposuction, childbirth, sudden weight loss with a huge initial weight.
The list of indications for this operation includes:
- the presence of excess adipose tissue on the anterior abdominal wall and on the body sides (if it cannot be removed by diet and sports)
- a large number of stretch marks on the abdomen
- a protruding belly and large waist
- pregnancy
- the hereditary weakness of the connective tissue.
How does a patient prepare for a tummy tuck?
There are several steps of the patient's preoperative period:
- consultation with a plastic surgeon to determine possible contraindications and identify patient's psychological condition
- examination of the anterior abdominal wall to determine skin turgor, muscle tone and the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer
- 3D modeling to predict the outcome of the operation
- lab tests and screenings (ECG, blood and urine analysis)
- 2-3 weeks before surgery, a patient stops taking anticoagulants and starts taking vasoconstrictor drugs
- having received the test results, the patient consults with the anesthetist
- the doctor can prescribe a special diet
- during the month before surgery, the patient refrains from alcohol and smoking
- a week before abdominoplasty, it is worth restricting the use of products that promote the gas formation and fatty, sweet, spicy foods
- for a couple of days, the patient should reduce physical activity, stop using decorative care cosmetics
- intake lung sedatives
- arrival at the clinic on an empty stomach
- marking on the patient’s body
- anesthesia introducing.
How is a tummy tuck performed?
On average, abdominoplasty takes about 2-5 hours. The patient is under general anesthesia. Depending on the operated area and the body fat volume, plastic experts choose the most effective type of tummy tuck.
During the complete tummy tuck, not only the abdomen changes but also the area of the back, sides, and buttocks. Plastic surgeons carry out the full abdominoplasty in several steps:
- the surgeon marks the incisions and areas that are to be removed on the abdomen, sides, and back
- the specialist administers the anesthesia
- the doctor cuts the excess skin, and subcutaneous tissue exfoliates the tissues and carefully reduces the navel
- the plastic surgeon sutures the muscles with non-absorbable threads to completely restore the standard abdominal wall, back, and sides
- after the excess skin removal, the incisions are sutured, imposing self-absorbable sutures. The surgeon washes wounds and installs drainages.
How long is rehabilitation after a tummy tuck?
Plastic surgeons apply early recovery techniques to shorten the rehabilitation period. In general, it takes about six months, but only the first 1.5 months are the most difficult.
- On the first day, the patient is in the ward. To restore bowel function, the patient has light meals.
- On the second day, the patient gets out of bed.
- On the third day, the surgeon examines the patients, gives recommendations, and discharges the patient.
- The patient wears compression underwear, keeps a diet, and limits physical activity. Also, the patient will have to minimize water procedures and independently treat the suture with antiseptics.
What types of abdominoplasty are performed?
There are 2 main types of tummy tuck performed:
- Mini abdominoplasty — a removal of sagging skin and stretch marks in the lower area of your belly button. This is a procedure for those who do not need to correct the whole stomach zone.
- Full abdominoplasty — the most common procedure to remove the sagging skin and fat from the lower or the middle area of the abdomen. During the process, a doctor can replace the belly button and tighten muscles to achieve the perfect result.
Only a doctor can determine what type of tummy tuck is the best for you. Please take photos of your belly and send them when you submit a request to get more extensive consultation and accurate prices.
How long will I need to stay in other country after a tummy tuck?
A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is considered a quite complicated procedure, so a patient needs to stay in the clinic for few hours or 1-3 days according to the surgery method. Then, a patient stays in the hotel for 2-4 days to visit a doctor and control the recovery process.
It takes up to 10 nights overall to stay in a particular to process tummy tuck.
