“Tummy Tuck,” also known as Abdominoplasty, is a cosmetic surgery procedure designed to remove loose hanging abdominal skin, as well as to tighten weakened abdominal wall muscles. Because diet and exercise cannot fix these problems, over 80,000 American men and women undergo Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty every year, in order to regain their figure and abdominal strength.
How does a Tummy Tuck Give You Your Figure Back Following Pregnancy?
Tummy tuck or Abdominoplasty re-establishes the strength and integrity of the abdominal wall by repairing the separation and stretching of the two “Rectus” muscles. These muscles (the ones used for “sit ups”) are the two major abdominal wall muscles that are normally held together over the front of the abdomen in order to give it its strength and tightness.
Abdominoplasty also eliminates the loose stretched-out skin (with stretch marks) of the lower tummy, as well as rejuvenating the stretched-out belly button or “umbilicus.”
What Is A Mini-Tummy Tuck?
A Mini Tummy Tuck or Mini-Abdominoplasty is not as extensive as a Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty, requiring only one hour of surgery as opposed to the three to four hours needed for a Tummy Tuck. Since it does not usually involve tightening of the abdominal muscles, it is reserved only for those who only have limited amount of loose skin or stretch marks in the lower abdomen or above the pubic bone. Also, it does not alter the shape of the belly button. A Mini-Tummy Tuck does not involve an extensive undermining and tightening of the abdominal skin, so it can be safely combined with full Liposuction of the abdomen and flank. Therefore, the combination of Mini-Tummy Tuck with Liposuction might be a better choice for those with excessive fat, but limited looseness of the abdomen.
While the incisions for a “full” Tummy Tuck can extend from hipbone to hipbone, those of a Mini-Tummy Tuck are much shorter, usually extending only the width of the pubic area and similar to a C-section scar.
How Does a Tummy Tuck Differ From Liposuction?
One of the most common dilemmas for patients who are concerned with their abdomen is whether they would be better served with a Tummy Tuck or Liposuction.
While a Tummy Tuck or abdominoplasty is designed to remove loose abdominal skin and to tighten the belly, Liposuction is designed only to remove excess fat. A Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty will not reduce the dress size in a woman of size 14 who has much fat around her abdomen. Likewise, a woman who has lost all her excess weight after pregnancy and is left with loose, hanging abdominal skin will not be able to tighten her abdomen or remove the stretch marks with Liposuction.
There are some people who are “in-between” these two groups – who have both excess fat and a hanging “spare tire.” These people will first need to undergo Liposuction to rid themselves of the fat. They will then need a Tummy Tuck to remove the excess skin and to tighten their abdominal muscles.
Can A Tummy Tuck and Liposuction Be Performed Simultaneously?
Yes and No. It is not safe to perform Liposuction in the areas of the abdomen where the skin is being stretched during an Abdominoplasty. This can cause unnecessary damage to the blood circulation of these areas, resulting in scarring or even skin loss. As long as Liposuction is performed away from the main abdominal skin areas, it is then safe. Therefore, some people choose to have their hips and thighs liposuctioned in conjunction with an Abdominoplasty. Breast lifts and augmentation are also frequently combined with the Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty. The surgeon may also simultaneously perform facial rejuvenation procedures, such as eyelid surgery, or procedures to remove fine wrinkles from the face. Because the total length of combined surgeries can affect the overall surgical risks, you should thoroughly discuss the safety of combined procedures with your cosmetic surgeon.
What is the Difference Between Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) and Panniculectomy?
Panniculectomy is similar to Abdominoplasty in that it removes excessive abdominal skin. More specifically, Panniculectomy is designed for those with an extremely large hanging pannis or “spare tire”. On the other hand, Tummy Tuck is for those who having excess loose skin, but not a spare tire.
Unlike a Tummy Tuck, Panniculectomy does not tighten the abdominal wall, narrow the waistline, or tighten the upper thighs. Panniculectomy only removes the “spare tire”.
What is the Difference Between Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) and Body Lift?
Tummy Tuck only corrects the looseness and redundancy of the abdomen. Body Lift combines a Tummy Tuck with the lifting and tightening of the redundant back skin folds, the sagging buttocks and the outer thighs.
Therefore, a Body Lift is a more extensive procedure, with the goal of lifting and tightening the entire lower body. Most people with loose abdominal skin or even with some sagging of the buttocks can be treated with an extended Tummy Tuck or a High Tension Tummy Tuck. For those who, as a result of massive weight loss, develop an abundance of lower body skin excess with sagging of the buttocks and outer thighs are better served with a Body Lift.
Is the Incision for a Body Lift Larger than for Abdominoplasty?
The incision of a body lift extends farther than the incision for Abdominoplasty – past the hips to the back, like a belt. Because of this some people call a Body Lift a “Belt Lipectomy.” A Belt Lipectomy, however, does not lift the buttock and only removes excess skin folds.
What is a Thigh Lift?
After weight loss, men and women can get sagging and rippling of their thighs that can extend from the upper thighs to the knees. Often, women complain that they are unable to wear swimsuits and that the loose skin rubs together between their thighs. Also the wrinkled loose skin around the knees keeps many women from being able to wear skirts.
While the sagging of the outer thighs and the buttocks can usually be addressed with a Body Lift procedure that of the inner thighs cannot. A Thigh Lift is a procedure which lifts and tightens the loose skin of thighs — mostly that of the inner thighs.
What is a Traditional Thigh Lift?
Two different types of thigh lifts can be performed depending on the extent of skin laxity. If the skin laxity and rippling is mostly limited to the upper inner thighs, and skin excess does not extend to the entire circumference of the thigh, a Traditional Thigh Lift can be performed. In this procedure the surgical scar is located in the groin crease extending to the buttock crease. This scar is very well hidden.
What is an Extended Thigh Lift?
Often, people who were once extremely obese are now left with extensive laxity of the entire thigh all the way to the knees. In these cases, an Extended Thigh Lift is performed. In addition to the scar of the groin crease, there is also a long vertical scar that extends along the inner thigh height. This vertical scar enables the surgeon to remove the lax excessive skin of the entire thigh.
Can Thigh Lifts be Combined with Liposuction?
Yes. Both Traditional Thigh Lift and Extended Thigh Lift can often be combined with limited Liposuction in order to better contour the legs and to reduce the size of the “saddle bags”.
During your consultation Dr. Younai reviews your treatment options for body contouring and tummy tuck, including pros and cons, potential risks and complications, recovery course, pre and post operative instructions, and esthetic outcomes. There are also many before-and-after pictures, high resolution images of abdominoplasty available in our photo gallery.