Individuals looking to achieve a slender and more striking midsection may be perfect candidates for tummy tuck surgery (“abdominoplasty”).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. This type of surgery is usually sought by patients with hanging skin after pregnancy or individuals with sagging after major weight loss.
The tummy tuck is popular after pregnancy. It can help give you the flat stomach you had before or have always desired. Below are the three types of abdominoplasty that I offer patients. During a consultation, we can discuss your specific needs and find the option that best suits your goals.
Full Tummy Tuck
A traditional tummy tuck also utilizes an incision around the belly button in addition to the incision across the lower abdomen. During this extensive procedure, extra skin is removed, muscles are tightened, and liposuction may be used to further contour the area. This procedure produces a new opening for the belly button because it’s necessary to free the navel from surrounding tissue.
Mini Tummy Tuck
A mini-abdominoplasty is often done on my patients whose fat deposits are located below the navel and entail shorter incisions to restore a flat stomach. During this procedure, the patient’s belly button will not be moved. The skin will be detached between the line of incision and the belly button. I remove excess skin, tighten slack muscles and I use liposuction to further refine the area. Depending on the patient’s own personal condition and the difficulty of the technique, the procedure may take up to two hours. A mini-tummy tuck is usually suggested for patients who have a history of good physical activity and shape, and have lost as much fat as they could with diet and exercise.
Extended or High Lateral Tension Tummy Tuck
A regular tummy tuck doesn’t remove skin in the love handle or hip area. The extended abdominoplasty is great for addressing love handles when liposuction doesn’t help. This is a relatively new procedure where the abdominal muscles are tightened both vertically and horizontally. With a conventional tummy tuck, the muscles are tightened only vertically. High lateral tension tummy tuck produces outstanding results in flattening the tummy and enhancing the waistline. The entire procedure takes approximately four to five hours.