Tummy Tuck

The type of ‘tuck‘ you will require will be determined by your surgeon. Scarring is different for everyone as not everyone has excess skin in the same places.

With our hospitals, these procedures are only performed under general anaesthetic. The length of the operation will depend on the extent of the surgery, but the surgeon will advise you of the length of the surgery during your consultation. Generally speaking, this surgery involves:

• Specific cut relevant to the type of abdominoplasty agreed is needed (see below)
• The skin and fatty tissue are lifted from the underlying tissue.
• The surgeon will stitch and tighten slack or separated abdominal muscles.
• Excess fat is removed.
• Excess skin is trimmed.
• The navel is repositioned.
• The wounds are closed with stitches, tape or clips.

This is the most commonly performed type of tummy tuck surgery. This involves the creation of a hip-to-hip incision, as well as incisions around the belly button. Because they address the patient’s entire abdominal area, they often involve ‘creating’ a new belly button to ensure natural looking results. Abdominal liposuction is commonly added to this procedure.

Also called partial abdominoplasties, are intended for patients who are within 10 percent of their ideal body weight and are content with making alterations only to the part of the abdomen that is below the navel. Mini tummy tucks require only a single small incision. They usually do not involve repositioning the navel. Partial abdominoplasties result in less dramatic changes to the appearance of the abdomen than other types of abdominoplasty surgery, but also offer a shorter recovery time than most tummy tuck procedures.

Involves the removal of ‘love handles’ on either side of the waist as well as the removal of fat and excess skin from the stomach area. The incision is longer to remove excess skin and avoid ‘Dog Ears’ and is usually low so that even if the scar extends behind the hips, it will not be visible, even when one is wearing low-rise clothing. This procedure allows for the treatment of a larger area than the traditional tummy tuck. In order to address the lifting of the entire lower body area, a circumferential tummy tuck is usually required.

The Circumferential Body Lift procedure is performed to correct many of the areas of loose skin after massive weight loss from diet and exercise or from having had weight loss surgery. When a person loses a lot of weight, the skin cannot adequately shrink due to poor tissue elasticity. Skin hangs and droops, creating uneven contours. No amount of exercise or dieting will make the excess skin go away. Surgery is required to remove the excess loose skin thus improving the shape and tone of the underlying tissue that supports fat and skin.

A circumferential body lift procedure removes a belt of skin, subcutaneous fat and tissue in the abdomen, skin in the waist and buttock areas, resulting in a smoother, more youthful body contour. These physical changes to the body can improve your body image and enhance self-confidence. A circumferential incision is 360 degrees around your body i.e. around the abdominal area, extending around the sides and into the lower back is used to remove excess skin and fat and reposition and tighten tissues. The result leaves a single scar around the body.

This  involves an incision running laterally across the abdomen, from one hip to the other, just above the pubic bone, and  this procedure utilizes an additional incision, running vertically down the midsection, to better address the lax abdominal tissue. This is for clients who have very large amounts of excess skin and need more than an Extended Tummy Tuck. If you have experienced a significant weight loss, this may be the procedure for you – this will restore a smooth, curvaceous figure as it also addresses the upper abdomen as well.

This procedures involves incisions at the top of the upper abdomen – just near or at the breast crease. This is usually done possibly after a full tummy tuck has been done previously and you have either lost more weight, or you may just have excess skin on the upper abdomen only. See diagram above. It may also possibly involve tightening of the abdominal muscles.

General anaesthesia, used during abdominoplasty surgeries, is considered slightly more risky than local anaesthesia. It can cause an unpleasant or unexpected reaction; however, a qualified anaesthesiologist should be able to identify emerging problems before they become worse.

Blood clotting is the body’s natural way of controlling the amount of blood that is lost after an injury, but depending on their location, they can be dangerous. If a blood clot forms inside a blood vessel, it may complicate your circulation. If a blood clot travels to your lungs, brain, or heart, the result can be deadly.

There are several things you can do to decrease the risk of blood clots, prior to surgery. First, be completely honest in your medical history and other information you provide to your doctor. Be sure to give your doctor a list of all medications you take prior to the surgery. This will help your doctor determine if you are at an increased risk of developing blood clots following surgery. If you take birth control pills, you may want to discontinue their use during the preparation and recovery from tummy tuck surgery – talk to your doctor about this possibility before doing so.

After surgery, and during your recovery, most surgeons advise using compression stockings, pre- or post-operative leg massage, and short walks within a day or two of your surgery. Gentle movement is helpful and will speed your recovery, but too much exertion or vigorous activity can be detrimental.

Tummy tuck patients are at risk of developing an infection during and immediately following their surgery. A clean, sterile, operating room lessens the risk of contracting an infection during the surgery.

After surgery, the risk of infection increases if the surgical wound is not properly cared for. Your surgeon will have specific instructions for removing/changing bandages, exposing your wound to water, and keeping it clean. Note that it is normal to have some bleeding and leakage after surgery, but if the surgical wound is unclean, the risk of infection rises. Most infections following tummy tuck surgery are the result of the patient’s failure to properly care for their surgical wound during their recovery.

Most tummy tuck patients need drains after their procedure. The drains decrease the risk of seroma formation (i.e., fluid collecting between the muscle layer and the skin flap), which can cause infection. The drains create a point of exit for this fluid, reducing the risk of infection following tummy tuck surgery.

Each patient will heal at his or her own pace. That being said, young patients in good physical condition typically heal faster than older or less physically fit patients. Tenderness, bruising, pain, and swelling usually subside after about four to six weeks. Patients who experience significant discomfort after six weeks have passed are considered to be healing slowly.

Smoking or exposure to cigarette smoke decreases the size of blood vessels, complicating circulation of oxygen to the skin cells.

Other risks include:

• Skin loss

• Numbness or other changes in skin sensation

• Skin discoloration and/or prolonged swelling

• Unfavourable scarring

• Recurrent looseness of skin

• Fatty tissue found deep in the skin might die (fat necrosis)

• Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications

• Asymmetry

• Suboptimal aesthetic result

• Possibility of revision surgery

• Persistent pain