Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)
MINI AND FULL TUMMY TUCK
Aesthetic abdominal surgeries are the most common type of plastic surgery. If the deformity in the abdominal region is due to fat accumulation in the area absent sagging skin, the deformity is corrected with the liposuction method. If the abdominal fat accumulation is accompanied by sagging skin and deformities resulting from loosened muscles, the deformity is corrected with the method of tightening the abdomen and muscles, which is called abdominoplasty.
Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)
Abdominoplasty is the most common surgical method used to eliminate the sagging skin and fat accumulation in the upper, middle and lower abdomen and to tighten the abdominal muscles. As a result of this method used to correct the sagginess in the abdominal area, a striking improvement is usually achieved. At the end of this surgery, there will be a scar that is longer than a c-section scar, which will be under the bikini line and will fade over time (depending on your body’s wound healing reactions).
Criteria for Tummy Tuck
The best candidates for abdominoplasty are men or women who suffer from sagging abdominal skin or fat accumulation, which do not improve with exercise and diet. In addition, it is a good method to strengthen the loosened abdominal muscles and stretch the sagging abdominal skin in women who have had many pregnancies. In elderly people, this method can be applied to correct the abdominal skin that becomes saggy over time.
What Should Overweight Patients Do?
In order to obtain permanent and better results from the tummy tuck, overweight people should wait until they lose their excess weight and young women planning to become pregnant should postpone the operation until after giving birth.
Risks of Abdominoplasty
All surgical interventions have risks. Hundreds of tummy tuck surgeries are performed every year. The surgery scar under the bikini line in the lower abdomen usually becomes faint over time (depending on your body’s wound healing reactions). Complications may include partial skin loss, infection, wound opening, hematoma and scar prominence.
Surgical Plan
After reviewing your overall health, your surgeon will examine your abdominal area and make a surgery plan. If you are a smoker and using any medication, you should tell this to your doctor.
If your fat accumulation is around the belly and you have very little skin sagging, the deformity can be corrected with a smaller procedure called mini tummy tuck. Additionally, liposuction can be performed to remove the accumulated fat in the waist area. Your surgeon will evaluate your complaints and symptoms and choose the most appropriate method for you.
Preparation for Surgery
Your surgeon will inform you about what you should and should not do before surgery. You should not smoke, especially for 2 weeks before and 4 weeks after the surgery. If you have a medication that you use regularly, you should tell this to your doctor.
Surgery
Traditional tummy tuck surgery takes 2-3 hours depending on the size and width of the abdomen. Mini tummy tuck takes about 1-2 hours. Your doctor makes the incision where he planned it before surgery. In mini tummy tuck, the incision is smaller and does not stand out much after surgery.
In the traditional tummy tuck, the skin is separated from the abdominal wall up to the lower part of the ribs. The looseness in the abdominal muscles is corrected. This process flattens the stomach and narrows the waistline. The skin is pulled down and the excess skin is removed. The location of your belly button is rearranged. At the end of the operation, the patient is dressed in a suitable corset.
After the Surgery
You will feel slight pain and tension after the surgery. However, these complaints can be taken under control with the medication you will use. Depending on the extent of the surgery, you can go home on the same day or stay in the hospital for 2-3 days.
Although you may not be able to stand upright in the beginning, you should get up and walk as soon as possible.
Return to Normal
It may take 2-3 weeks for you to feel the same. If you start exercises that will strengthen your abdominal muscles, recovery after abdominoplasty will be very fast. You can return to work after 1-2 weeks on average. You should avoid strenuous exercise. Your surgery scar may appear prominent during the recovery period of 3-6 months. This is normal, and after 9 months or 1 year, your scar will flatten and become lighter in color. This scar will not be a problem as it will remain under your bikini line. Low-rise pants may be difficult to wear as the incision may possibly be visible.
Your New Look
Whether full or mini, tummy tuck surgery has very good results in patients with sagging skin and loose abdominal muscles. In most cases, long-term results are obtained if the patient follows a proper diet and works out regularly.
Mini Tummy Tuck
It involves tightening only the area under the belly button. It does not affect the waist and the groin and also does not correct the belly button. It is a more limited surgery that is preferred especially for patients with saggy skin and fat accumulation under the belly region and loose muscles in the lower abdominal region. The incision in mini tummy tuck is smaller. It is recommended for rare patients whose entire problem is limited to the lower abdominal region.
Mini tummy tuck surgery takes 1-2 hours depending on the size and width of the abdomen. Your doctor makes the incision where he planned it before surgery. In mini tummy tuck, the incision is smaller and does not stand out much after surgery.
In mini tummy tuck, the skin is separated from the abdominal wall up to the lower part of the belly. The looseness in the abdominal muscles is corrected. This process flattens the lower abdomen and narrows the waist area with liposuction to be applied in the waist. The skin is pulled down and the excess skin is removed. Your belly button stays in the same place and shape. At the end of the operation, the patient is dressed in a suitable corset.
