Tummy Tuck FAQS

Congratulations on the weight loss as well as the perseverance to keep up with the workouts.  From your photos, it appears that you would be a very good candidate for a NO Drain, Rapid Recovery tummy tuck or abdominoplasty.  You should get a great result and the rapid recovery would allow you to get back to your work outs within a couple of weeks.  

A tummy tuck or abdominoplasty would be an excellent solution for the excess skin in your abdomen and help a lot the protuberance that your profile photo shows.  While a tummy tuck is not so that you can wear a bikini it would help you look considerably better in clothing.

As you look for a surgeon be sure to search out one who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and preferably a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.  This will give you the best chance of finding a reputable surgeon who will get a good result for you.  In addition, I would suggest that you find a surgeon who uses a no drain technique as well as a rapid recovery protocol.  This will drastically reduce your downtime as well as your potential complication rate.

You pose an interesting question since there are many options for you and just as many surgeons will give you an opinion. 

What is most important is what your goals are.  If your tummy tuck or abdominoplasty goal is to get rid of the excess skin in the lower tummy or below your belly button, then a simple lower tummy tuck or mini tummy would work well and have far fewer potential complications.  This has the advantage of leaving you belly button in place, shortening the lower scar and meeting your wish to have less scaring.

If you are wanting a tight abdomen above and below your belly button, then you might be best advised to have a full tummy tuck.  You may also need a full tummy if you have a lot of loose skin above the belly button or umbilicus. 

Sometimes we can lower the umbilicus a little without leaving a scar around it and that may be ak alternative.

No matter, you should always get a consultation to help you determine what kind of tummy tuck you need to get the results you are looking for.  

Make sure you chose a surgeon who is a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.  This not a guarantee that you will be getting the best but at least you will know your surgeon will have met certain criteria that make them among the best.   In addition look for a surgeon who will do a NO Drain, Rapid Recovery tummy tuck.  This reduces complications and drastically reduces your down time.  I have added a web reference and a video that gives you information on this.

It is always best to be as close to your ideal body weight as possible before a tummy tuck.  This will help to get the best possible results and decrease your potential for complications.  However, some patients find that last 20 or 30 pounds hard to lose and the results of a tummy tuck can act as a motivator to finish up the weight loss.  It really depends upon what you think will work best for you.

If you had a NO Drain, rapid recovery tummy tuck, you could easily be back to your desk job or back to classes at school within a couple of days.  While many do not think this is possible, I have added a video testimony of a woman who had this done and she was able to get back to her regular life very quickly.

 

In my experience, most women should start staring with a tummy tuck to get a flat abdomen.  Liposuction of the abdomen is an option, but it will not tighten those muscles that have been stretched out from pregnancy and may leave hanging skin in the lower abdomen that ultimately will require surgery anyway.   Many women who I have taken care of find that their butt looks much bigger and better with a flat abdomen and often do not proceed past getting a tummy tuck. 

When you are looking for abdominoplasty surgeons make sure you chose one who is a member of the American Society of Aesthetic Surgeons.  This will give you the best chance of getting a qualified surgeon.  In addition, look for someone who uses a NO DRAIN tummy tuck technique and a 24 hour rapid recovery protocol.

Tummy tucks or abdominoplasties do not have to include liposuction and a rectus diastasis or wide rectus muscle repair.  These added tummy tuck procedures should only be done if you need them as they only serve to increase the potential for complications from the surgery, although this increase is usually small. 

Many patients are adverse to the repair because of the recovery but with a 24 hour rapid recovery, no drain tummy tuck you should be able to do most things within a couple of days and back to the gym in a week if not sooner.  You are not healed and may be on a more limited workout routine but certainly back dong things very quickly without any narcotics.

The recovery and down time from a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty can be as short as 24 hours.  When a NO DRAIN, NO NARCOTICs, 24 hour rapid recovery technique is used you can be back to your activities of daily living after 24 hours.  This is exclusive of muscle repair or how much is done.  You are certainly not healed but you will be recovered to do things like drive, go to out shoppping and do light house chores.  My patients return to the gym at a week but they start with a much lighter workout routine than before surgery. 

Many surgeons and other patients either do not believe this or keep asking how this is possible but I have added a video of a patient who is seen the next day and then a month after surgery so I will let her tell you if it is possible or not. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55Su_SILn20&t=4s

 A tummy tuck is also called an abdominoplasty and it is cosmetic surgery procedure used to make the abdomen thinner and more firm. The surgery involves the removal of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen in order to tighten the muscle and fascia of the abdominal wall.  Here is a video animation of the procedure.

While there is some downtime, with a 24 hour rapid recovery, no narcotic and no drain tummy tuck most women are back to their normal daily activities in about a day or two.  Here is a link to more information on this protocol.

 

The cost of a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty is a frequent question and although there are many resources on the web to answer your question remember that the answer can be misleading.  The reported tummy tuck range nationally is between $4,000 and $13,000 but, especially the lower estimates, may not include the operating room costs, anesthesia costs, the consultation and after care.  In addition, these prices may also be from surgeons who claim to be board certified plastic surgeon but in reality, are board certified ear, nose and throat specialists, general surgeons and even ER docs.  You can easily truly qualified plastic surgeons at the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons website.  The cost for a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty at my office is found here. These are inclusive prices and include the highly sought after NO Drain, NO narcotic technique.

An abdominoplasty or tummy tuck, complications can be minimized by certain protocols and techniques.  A NO Drain, 24 hour rapid recovery, no narcotic tummy tuck has the least complications.  This is because, right after surgery, you are moving and doing exercises right after surgery with this recovery technique.  This almost completely eliminates the risk of a deep venous thrombosis and subsequent pulmonary embolism (DVT/PE) which is the most serious potential complication of a tummy tuck.  Not having a drain minimizes infection and helps with post-operative discomfort and the hassle of managing the drain or drains.  The risk of other complications is also minimized if you are not overweight and do not smoke or vape.  These two factors are largely what contribute to wound healing issues. 

A tummy tuck would give you excellent results and is the only way to get rid of the excess skin of your lower abdomen that you have.  The reason that this happens to some women is that the skin of the stomach stretches during pregnancy and does not completely shrink back as it does in other women.

When you are researching tummy tucks or abdominoplasties make sure that you find a surgeon who is American board certified in plastic surgery and one who does NO drain, rapid recovery tummy tucks.  This significantly reduces complications and increases your chances of getting a great result.

A tummy tuck associated with liposuction, either well before or at the time of the tummy tuck or abdominoplasty, does not increase the risk of complications for tummy tuck assuming that you are a good surgical candidate.  Many patients want a tummy tuck but they are over a BMI of 30. The surgical literature on tummy tuck is very clear that there is a high complication rate with a high BMI.

If you seek out a surgeon who is a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery you reduce your risks as well since those individuals are specifically trained in tummy tuck surgery and committed to minimizing risks in cosmetic surgery.

A 24 hour rapid recovery, no drain tummy tuck is another way to reduce the many risks of a surgery like an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck. 

The answer to this question is that woman who have not had a baby but have just stretched their skin out with weight gain and subsequent loss rarely benefit from tightening the muscles during a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty.  Conversely, women who have had at least one full term pregnancy always have some stretching of the ligament between the rectus muscles or a small amount of diastasis recti, not matter how strong or tight their rectus muscles are.  Therefore, these women will always benefit from a muscle repair, especially as they get older and the abdomen tends to naturally round out. 

The photos show that you would have an excellent result from a tummy tuck.  It is hard to know if you would need liposuction in conjunction with a tummy tuck without seeing you.  Most plastic surgeons will use some liposuction as a regular part of the surgery to help obtain the best body contouring possible at the time of the surgery.  It is simply part of the surgical procedure for a tummy tuck and a tool that should be used for this surgery just like a scalpel is.

Make sure you seek out a plastic surgeon who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons and even better, a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons in order to be assured you are in the best possible hands.  I would also recommend that you seek out a surgeon who does a No Drain, no narcotics, 24-hour rapid recovery technique to minimize your recovery time and post-operative complications.

A mini tummy tuck will only deal with the excess skin below your belly button and not help with the excess skin above it as a full tummy tuck will.  In addition, a regular tummy tuck would allow a repair or tightening of your stomach muscles or rectus diastasis.  This would help with any round mommy tummy or protuberant stomach you have and women are universally happier with the result.

A tummy tuck can be done with rapid recovery so that you are up and around the next day and back to your regular routines in only a couple of days.

Your discouragement over your weight and excess stomach skin is quite common.  This is why most patients who struggle with their weight and the appearance of their stomach after pregnancy are thrilled with the results of a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty.  Your pictures suggest that you are reasonable candidate for this surgery.   It is hard to say without seeing you if you would benefit from liposuction but I doubt it from your photos and I suspect you would be very happy with a regular tummy tuck. 

As you do your research, make sure you seek out a surgeon who is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery to ensure that you are in good hands.  Also look for surgeons who use both a no drain technique and no narcotic, rapid recovery to reduce complications and allow you to get back to your daily routines quickly.