Abdominoplasty Surgery

Abdominoplasty or tummy tuck is a surgical procedure to remove excess skin and fat and to tighten abdominal muscles. It is not a weight-loss technique.

• Abdominoplasty has a rich history and was first performed by surgeon Kelly in 1899 in an attempt to correct the tummy skin and fat. 
•  Today, numerous variations and combination surgeries exist with Abdominoplasty.
• Tummy Tuck ranks amongst the Top five popular Surgeries in the U.S. • More than 95% of Tummy Tucks are done on Females
• 172,457 Tummy Tucks performed in the U.S. in 2006. • Number of Abdominoplasty surgeries performed in the U.S. rose by 109% from 1997 to 2001
• It is a Major Surgery and comes with its risks.
• The overall rate of complications associated with Abdominoplasty is approximately 32% • It takes 1-3 weeks after the surgery to get back to work
• Smokers and Diabetics are discouraged from undergoing a Tummy Tuck.
• The National Average Cost for a Tummy Tuck Surgery in the U.S. is $5,350. 
• The Length of the Surgery falls between 2 to 5 hours and the results (including the scar) are permanent. 
•  The full effects of this operation may take three months or longer to be realized – when healing is complete.

An Overview

Abdominoplasty, commonly known as Tummy Tuck is a cosmetic and surgical procedure in which -

• The loose, sagging skin on your stomach area is removed along with the excess fat
• The stomach wall muscles may also be tightened by the surgeon
• The purpose is to give you a firmer and flatter belly and a smaller waist size.

Mostly, the procedure is opted for aesthetic purposes and sometimes as a reconstructive procedure as well. (More on that later).

Ask women who have gone through multiple pregnancies or someone you know who has achieved a major weight loss! After going through such a ’stretch and release’, the tummy comes off hanging with lot of loose skin, stretch marks and pockets of stubborn fat which won’t burn even after proper dieting and exercise.

Pregnancy and Obesity both stretch the skin and the muscle structures of the abdominal wall beyond their natural capacity to spring back. The result is thinning and weakening of these structures. After delivery or a massive weight loss ( from dieting or after a gastric bypass surgery) if the skin has not retracted back to normal in approximately 6 months, it probably will not.

A Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty is what acts as a facelift for your abdomen area and helps you get back in some shape. In medical parlance, “it would remove the abdominal deformity of excess skin, subcutaneous tissue and laxity of the abdominal wall musculature.” In simpler terms, you can expect to see and feel the following changes from a successful Abdominoplasty or Tummy Tuck-

• Reasonable improvement in the looks and appearance of your tummy.
• A Firmer Abdominal Profile.
• Smoother and Tighter skin on the stomach.
• Tightened Stomach muscles
• A smaller waist size
• Well shaped thighs (if included in the surgery)
• Overall, A well contoured body
• And last but not the least, one or more scars on your tummy. (Depending on the exact procedure followed e.g. Complete Abdominoplasty, Partial Abdominoplasty, Combination Surgeries … but more on these later.)