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Abdominoplasty surgery, frequently called a “tummy tuck,” is a surgical procedure that removes excess skin and fat deposits from the middle abdomen and lower abdomen.
The procedure also includes tightening the muscles in the abdominal wall so that a patient can see a dramatic reduction in appearance of a bulging tummy due to loss of large amounts of weight, genetic tendency for storing excess fat in the lower abdomen, or stretched skin from a pregnancy. |
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The Benefits of Abdominoplasty
The benefits of a tummy tuck are clearly seen after the surgery. This is especially true for patients who have lost huge amounts of weight, but have folds of skin and some fat deposits that hang over their lower bodies. The procedure does cause a permanent scar which can extend from hip to hip, depending on the particular case. The scar, however, is located in an area as close to the pubic bone as possible so that it does not show when a person is wearing clothes, even a two-piece bathing suit.
Abdominoplasty is one of the older cosmetic surgeries used by people who have a history of weight control problems, but have successfully lost weight. Both men and women seek this procedure, especially after weight loss or when diet and exercise simply will not remove the undesirable bulges in the abdominal area. By far the majority of females who seek this procedure are those who have experienced several pregnancies, as their abdominal muscles and skin have been stretched to the point that their body will not return to normal. In older patients, both men and women, the procedure can be sought because of loss of skin elasticity.
Anyone considering an abdominoplasty surgery and expects to lose a great deal more weight should wait until after the weight loss to seek out a plastic surgeon. Women who want to increase their family size through future pregnancies should not have an abdominoplasty until after giving birth to the last child because the vertical muscles tightened during surgery could separate again during future pregnancies. Individuals who have abdominal scars due to previous surgeries of any kind could find that their surgeon recommends against the surgery or may warn the person of the chance that the scars from this procedure may be unusually visible.
Surgeon's Advice
A board-certified plastic surgeon will take time to counsel any patient seeking a tummy tuck as a method to achieve body contouring. The procedure can greatly improve a patient’s appearance but it will not always change your body to match your ‘ideal’ figure. The surgeon can tell you how much change in appearance you can expect in your specific case.
This is considered to be major surgery because it involves general anesthesia, and like any major surgery, there are some risks. Complications are rare, but some of the complications that could potentially occur are infection, blood clots, and scarring.
How Expensive is Abdominoplasty Surgery?
The cost of an abdominoplasty varies a great deal from surgeon to surgeon and hospital to hospital. The lowest rates for this procedure generally start at $2,000 but the price goes up greatly and can cost nearly $10,000 depending on the surgeon’s experience, reputation, and prestige. The surgery is usually performed in a hospital, and there are costs associated with the hospital, anesthesiologist, and hospital stay. Usually this surgery requires a stay of one to seven days in the hospital although it is sometimes performed on very healthy people as an outpatient procedure.
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