There are lots of reasons why a person gains too much weight. It might be due to a pregnancy or years of unhealthy eating with no exercise. In each situation, after you have committed to diet and exercise, you may notice that you just cannot lose those last few pounds and the skin around your middle is sagging and loose. This is not how we want to look after putting in all that effort to lose weight! Often, this unappealing after-effect is the product of a body that has undergone difficult changes such as lost muscle tone, separated abdominal muscles and the loss of skin elasticity. Unfortunately, there is not a diet or exercise program out there that will totally eliminate these issues.
What is a Tummy Tuck?
A tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, is a procedure that will remove the excess skin from the abdomen and tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. If your muscles have separated, they will be stitched back together in the middle of the abdomen to leave behind a flat, attractive mid-section. The surgery itself is an outpatient procedure and you will go home the same day. Your incision will be below the panty line from hipbone to hipbone and will not be able to be seen when you are wearing panties or a bathing suit. There will also be an incision made around the bellybutton so that it can be repositioned for a more natural look.
What Should I Expect?
The surgery itself lasts about 2-3 hours. Recovery takes some time, with most patients being able to return to light work in about 2-4 weeks. You will walk a little bent over for the first week or so and you will have some swelling around your abdomen. You will begin to see your results immediately! Some women have “love-handles,” which is excess fat around the hips, and they may choose to add liposuction in with their abdominoplasty to give an all-over contour of the mid-section.
If you have stretch marks on your lower abdomen where the skin will be removed, a tummy tuck will eliminate them. Some mothers choose to have an all over body contouring procedure, known as a Mommy Makeover, to address all of their body issues. A Mommy Makeover consists of a combination of these procedures (some have all, some just pick a couple) breast augmentation, breast lift , abdominoplasty and liposuction .
Are There Risks Involved?
You will be put to sleep during your tummy tuck with anesthesia that will be administered by a licensed anesthesiologist. There are risks associated with anesthesia and we will discuss your medical history to see if this might be a problem for you. Other risks include delayed wound healing and infection, abnormal scarring and blood clots. These are all very unlikely and following your surgeon’s instructions after surgery will greatly reduce the risk even more.
What About Results?
After your recovery period is over, you will have a firmer, flatter abdomen that should last for many years. However, if you gain or lose weight, or become pregnant, the skin’s natural elasticity may become lax and a second procedure may be needed. It is for this reason that we suggest that you be finished with having children and have maintained your weight with a healthy diet and exercise program before having your abdominoplasty.
Check out before and after photos of tummy tuck procedures in our gallery by CLICKING HERE
If you want to achieve the flat stomach you have always dreamed about, give us a call today to set-up a free consultation and see how Dr. Huddleston can transform your body.
