Tummy Tuck

Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty, is a cosmetic surgical procedure that helps flatten the abdomen by removing excess fat and skin. It also tightens the lax abdominal muscles if they have been stretched.

Patients with otherwise normal body weight and proportion can develop an abdomen that protrudes or have loose and saggy skin. The most common causes are: Aging, pregnancy, heredity, significant weight fluctuation or prior surgery

A full tummy tuck addresses the issue of loose skin of both the upper and lower abdomen. It is usually performed under general anesthesia. Patients with lax abdominal muscles that have been stretched can have them sewn back into their original location creating a smoother and firmer abdominal profile.

A large number of patients have predominantly excess abdominal skin and minor or no abdominal muscle laxity. When the skin is the issue, the skin can be removed to reveal a tighter youthful look without the need of sawing the abdominal muscles or use of general anesthesia. These procedures are known as Reverse Tummy Tuck and Mini Tummy Tuck, both performed as an outpatient procedure with local anesthesia and mild sedation. It usually takes about two to three hours.

Reverse Tummy Tuck, also known as reverse abdominoplasty, is a cosmetic procedure that removes excess skin from the upper abdomen. The incisions are located beneath the breast fold or breast crease. Sometimes the incisions meet at the middle making one continuous incision under the breast, where a bra would be worn so the incision will be hidden. Excess loose skin is removed, the skin is pulled upward and sutured back to the upper incision margin.

 Mini Tummy Tuck, also known as mini abdominoplasty is the excision of the skin below the belly button that is loose and hanging towards the floor but the skin above the belly button is in good shape. We perform these procedures in our cosmetic center under local anesthesia and mild sedation. Patients go home the same day of their surgery and resume light activity within the first week. Most patients return to work 1 to 2 week later. Moderate exercise should be held for 3 to 6 weeks. Call our office to schedule a complimentary consultation.