Complete Tummy Tuck Surgery

If your middle is not too much out of shape, you’ve a choice to go in for a mini-tummy tuck. But, if you are, then there’s no other choice, but to go in for a full tummy tuck procedure. However, it’s your plastic surgeon, who’ll decide it for you.

Understanding full Abdominoplasty

A tummy tuck is a full fledged major surgical operation undertaken to remove excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen and to tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. This magical procedure can dramatically reduce the appearance of a protruding abdomen. The only drawback is the presence of a permanent scar, which in some cases can extend from hip to hip.

But, the bad news is not all are eligible for this surgery. You need to be in relatively good health and need to have a large fat deposit or loose abdominal skin that refuses to respond to diet or exercise. Women with stretched abdominal muscles and skin, beyond the point of no return, due to multiple pregnancies, can benefit immensely from this procedure. Even the elderly, who have lost skin elasticity and are slightly obese, can also use this procedure.

Planning for a tummy tuck surgery

Once you’ve been found fit for this surgery, your surgeon will assess your skin tone and the extent of abdominal fat deposits. He or she’ll also discuss your expectations from this surgery and tell you exactly what to expect and the risks involved.

Preparing for tummy tuck surgery

Whether you’re being operated upon as an outpatient or in a hospital, the preparation remains the same as for any major surgery. Your surgeon would advise you regarding eating, drinking, smoking and taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications. Smokers are required to quit smoking at least 1 to 2 weeks before surgery and resume it only 2 weeks after surgery. Even overexposure to the sun and stringent dieting is not recommended, as both can inhibit your ability to heal.

Conducting a tummy tuck surgery

Once you’re wheeled into the operation theatre, you’ll be given general anesthesia to make you sleep through the operation. Some surgeons may even opt for local anesthesia, to make only your abdominal region insensitive to pain.

The surgery involves making a long, hip-to-hip, incision, just above the pubic area. A second incision is made to free the navel from the surrounding tissue. In the next step, the surgeon separates the skin from the abdominal wall all the way up to your ribs. He or she’ll then lift a large skin flap to remove fat and tighten the vertical muscles by pulling them close together and stitching them into their new position. This firms the abdominal wall and narrows the waistline. Of course, the oversized flap of skin is trimmed to fit your shapely abdomen and a new hole created for your navel! Having done what’s to be done, the incisions are stitched and the surgical wound dressed, but not before inserting a temporary tube to drain excess fluid from the surgical site. Complete abdominoplasty usually takes 2 to 5 hours, depending upon the extent of work required. Post-operative care is important after the surgery, as it assists in healing fast.

Once you’re completely healed, the surface stitches will be removed in 5 to 7 days and deeper sutures in 2 to 3 weeks. However, it’ll take you weeks or months to feel like your old self again. But, it’ll be worth the pain and expense, when you look admiringly at yourself in the mirror and rush out to buy bikini or trunks a lot smaller than what you’d been wearing!

Full tummy tuck can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence, but whether it matches your ideal depends upon how realistically you take the changes brought about by this procedure.