Abdominoplasty, or a tummy tuck, can help reduce the appearance of loose, fat, and flabby skin around the abdomen by tightening stomach muscles and strengthening the abdominal walls.  The surgery is not meant as a means of weight-loss, but rather removes fat and tightens skin that has lost elasticity and does not respond to diet and exercise.  In most instances, patients that plan to undergo significant weight loss, weight gain, or become pregnant should wait to have surgery.

How It's Done

Abdominoplasty can be performed as either an inpatient or outpatient procedure, and can be done with local anesthetic and a sedative, though in many instances general anesthesia is preferred.  The surgeon begins by making a long incision from one hipbone to the other, and then makes a second incision to remove the naval from surrounding tissue.  The skin is then separated from the abdominal wall and the abdominal muscles are pulled closer together, tightened, and stitched into a new position.

After this, the skin is stretched back down over the abdomen and extra skin is removed.  A new hole is cut for the belly button and it, along with the original incision, is stitched.  After surgery is performed, dressings and bandages are used and a drainage tube may be used to help drain additional fluid. 

Technology

Traditional abdominoplasty is an invasive procedure and creates a large post-surgical scar.  Some patients are not comfortable with one or both of these prospects and may choose to undergo endoscopic abdominoplasty instead of the traditional version.  Using a small camera called an endoscope, the surgeon can make smaller incisions along the waist or through the naval, and tighten the abdominal muscles with a less invasive approach.  The downside to this approach is that it is unable to tighten loose skin.

Recovery / Post Op Expectations

After surgery patients experience swelling, which can last a few weeks, pain and discomfort, which will last for the first few days and can be combated with medication.  There is usually little or no bruising, however, numbness may persist as long as 6 months.  Mild exercise such as walking can shorten the recovery time and help the body heal.

Down time from work can range from 3 to 4 days to 2 weeks or more.

Complications

As with any major surgery, the possibility of infection and an adverse reaction to the anesthetic are always present.  In rare cases, complications such as blood clots can pose life-threatening risks.  Other complications include:

• Skin death
• Hematoma
• Belly button death
• Excessive scaring
• Excessive bleeding
• Ruptured stitches

Am I A Candidate?

Candidates should be at least 18 and have a fairly stable weight.  Patients that do not smoke tend to incur fewer instances of complications.  In general, most patients have loose skin that does not respond to exercise; frequently these patients include women after pregnancy.

Cost

The national average surgeon fee as reported by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) was $4,641, but will range between $6,000 and $10,000 when anesthesia and facility fees are included.