An abdominoplasty or tummy tuck is one of the top 5 most popular plastic surgery procedures performed in the United States. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery or ASPS, there were 1.8 million cosmetic surgeries performed, 130,081 of those were tummy tuck surgeries. A tummy tuck is an ideal procedure for people who have excess skin to the tummy area. It can also address separation of the abdominal muscles that have separated after pregnancy or weight fluctuations.
The scars for a tummy tuck are hidden in bathing suits and underwear. Incisions for a tummy tuck most commonly extend from hip bone to hip bone as well as a small incision inside the belly button. This allows your surgeon to remove all the tissue below and just above the belly button. Any stretch marks in that area will be removed as well. The belly button is brought out through a new opening but stays in its original place on the abdominal wall. Liposuction is part of your procedure of a tummy tuck. This is performed through your tummy tuck incision.
It is important to follow aftercare recommendations so that your incision heals with the best scar possible. Steri-strips or paper tape are placed at the time of surgery to improve scarring for the first three weeks. You may transition to a scar cream after three weeks following a tummy tuck.
It will be important to keep your incision out of the direct sun and use sunscreen for the first several months after surgery to help your scar heal to its best potential. It will take a full year for the scar to completely fade.
Dr. Chad Robbins spends time with each patient interested in a tummy tuck. This allows him to customize his approach to optimum results. Check out these amazing before and after pictures of tummy tucks performed by Dr. Chad Robbins.
