The In's and Out's of Tummy Tucks?

Answer 1

Losing a significant amount of weight through diet and exercise is something to be proud of. It is good for health and good for your emotional well-being. But so often after the pounds are gone, the flab and extra skin remain, especially on the tummy. The same is true after multiple pregnancies. No matter how many sit ups, crunches, jogging, or walking that you do, that unsightly sagging is still there.

One way to get that abdomen flat again is through a surgical procedure called abdominoplasty – a tummy tuck. Before you consider this though, keep in mind that it is major surgery. It is important to learn all you can about the procedure, the preparation involved, and the recovery before you make a decision to have a tummy tuck.

Who is a Candidate for a Tummy Tuck?

The procedure is best suited for women who want to tighten their abdominal muscles and skin after pregnancies or for men or women who were at one time obese and lost a considerable amount of weight.

Preparing for the Surgery

There are a lot of things a doctor will have you do before an abdominoplasty.

· Smoking can cause complications and slow the healing process. If you are a smoker, you will be required to stop smoking at least three weeks before and three weeks after the surgery.

· You will probably be asked to quit taking medications like aspirins, NSAIDs, and blood thinners. These can cause a risk of bleeding.

· You should eat healthy, nutritional meals and stop dieting during the days before surgery.

The Procedure

Depending on whether you are having a complete tummy tuck or a mini tummy tuck, the procedure can take from one to five hours. In a complete abdominoplasty, an incision is made from one hipbone to the other, just above the pubic hair. The surgeon will change the curve of the skin and the navel will be moved.

With a mini procedure, the belly button will normally stay in place and the incision isn’t nearly as large because the fat deposits are below the navel rather than above it. This surgery can even be done with the help of a camera on the end of a tube.

Recovery

It can take up to three weeks to return to a normal work schedule after a tummy flattening procedure like this. Light activity can begin at about four weeks. Six to eight weeks after the surgery, most patients begin exercising and their normal activities.

Expect swelling and considerable pain for the first few days. The scars may actually look worse in the first few months, but begin to fade by nine months after the surgery.