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Purpose

The Abdominoplasty or "Tummy Tuck" is designed to remove excess abdominal skin and fat, as well as tighten loose abdominal muscles. The perfect candidate is a woman with prior pregnancies which have stretched her abdominal muscles past the point of repair by standard exercise. Poor candidates are those who are obese and simply have too much abdominal fat. Liposuction can be an alternative in these patients.

Pre-operative Care

Pre-operatively patients usually need routine blood tests to be sure they are not anemic or pregnant. Photographs are taken to assess progress.

Patients should not smoke within three weeks of the operation. Of course, smoking is never a good idea and patients should quit smoking early and permanently.

No aspirin, ibuprofen, or similar drugs should be taken within two weeks of surgery. These medications can cause serious excess bleeding during, and after, the operation. If you have any questions about drugs you are taking, including over the counter preparations and natural herbs, please call the office.

The day before surgery, a liquid diet is recommended in order to provide for a more comfortable post-operative period. Please shower the night before surgery and do not EAT or DRINK anything after midnight of the night before your surgery. This prohibition includes coffee and juice in the morning. Oral medications can be taken with a sip of water.

The Operation

You should be at the office surgicenter or hospital at least 90 minutes prior to your scheduled surgical start time. Full instructions to the proper hospital area will be given. Bring all paperwork from the office with you, as many of these papers will save time on the day of surgery. Please wear a favorite pair of underwear or bikini bottom so the scar can be properly assessed and hidden.

At some point before the surgery, you will be brought to a private area and asked to stand with your gown off. Marks will be placed on the areas to be cut as guides to properly "tailor" the surgery. You will then be given anesthesia and the operation will begin. In most cases an incision is made at the upper aspect of the pubic hairline and carried toward each side. The incisions will later be hidden by the underwear or bikini you wear. The skin is lifted off the abdominal muscles all the way up to the ribs. The underlying muscles, which have loosened after pregnancy or weight changes, are tightened with permanent stitches. The skin is pulled down like a window shade and the extra is cut off. In a standard abdominoplasty, a new hole is made for your umbilicus (belly-button), while in a mini-abdominoplasty the umbilicus is left intact since it is not pulled as far downward. The operating table is then usually bent into a "lawn-chair" position with your back and legs raised in an effort to keep tension off your lower abdomen. The incisions are closed and at the end of the surgery you are moved to your hospital bed in the "lawn-chair" position.

Post-Operative Course

Post operatively you will have one to two drains in the wound to help prevent an accumulation of blood (hematoma) or fluid (seroma). These will be removed with minimal discomfort between the third and seventh days. Most patients stay in the hospital for 1-3 nights, mostly for pain control and nursing care. This means you will usually go home with a drain. They are easy to take care of and the nurses will teach you all you need to know. While in bed you will have special stockings that squeeze your legs to help prevent blood clots.

When you get out of bed the stockings can be removed. You must walk slightly bent-over in order to continue to keep tension off your lower abdomen. Straighten up as far as comfortable, but no farther. Over a few days you will quickly gain stretch and will be able to stand straight.

Use deep breathing exercises and cough as needed.

You will be on a liquid diet at first and then quickly advance to regular food. I will not lie to you. Initially, this may very well be the most painful operation in standard cosmetic plastic surgery, BUT, the pain quickly resolves and the results are terrific. In the hospital you will have a pain pump and at home you will have oral pain medication.

It is important to maintain a resting attitude for one month after surgery. While it is nearly impossible to tear the skin stitches, it IS possible to loosen the underlying permanent abdominal muscle stitches and thereby lessen the operation's effectiveness. It is important to avoid all heavy lifting or exercise during the first 6 weeks after surgery while your abdomen is healing and forming new, strong, collagen fibers.

Your scars will start to fade about 4 months after surgery and by one year they should be a fine line hidden by your underwear and bikini. Some patients do not scar as well and may be required to apply a silicone sheet bandage to help compress and lessen the scar. In the end, the results should be very satisfactory.

Additional Information

Dr. Martin Mosokovitz is a member of The American Society Of Plastic Surgeons. So for more information on Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) from The American Society Of Plastic Surgeons Click Here.