It is the procedure that removes excess and/or loose skin and fat from your lower abdomen. This also has an additional benefit of removing stretch marks from the skin of your lower abdomen and repairing the weakness of your abdominal muscles.
Yes. you are, if you have excess/loose skin and fat in your lower abdomen after –
- Massive Weight Loss
- Bariatric surgeries like sleeve gastrectomy/gastric bypass etc.
- Pregnancy/Multiple Pregnancies
Dr. Thusay will discuss your goals and comprehensively assess the degree of weakness of your abdominal wall muscles, the amount of excess skin and subcutaneous fat around the abdominal wall and also look for the presence of any hernias as well. He will also discuss the type of tummy tuck that is ideal for you and what kind of results you can expect.
There are 3 different types –
- Mini Tummy Tuck – It is performed if there is small amounts of excess/loose skin and fat. It involves small horizontal incision.
- Regular Tummy Tuck – It is performed if there is a large amount of excess/loose skin and fat along with muscle weakness underneath. It entails regular horizontal incision on the abdomen.
- Fleur de lis tummy tuck – It is for patients who have an excessively large amount of loose skin to be removed. This involves making both horizontal and vertical incisions.
No. Tummy Tuck removes the excess/loose skin and fat and tightens the muscles underneath whereas in liposuction we remove fat using a very small incision (0.5 – 0.8 cm). Liposuction will not remove or reduce loose, hanging or excess skin.
The surgery itself takes between 2 – 2 ½ hours with some additional time to administer general anesthesia.
You can walk the day of surgery. We encourage patients to walk the same day to improve blood circulation and to keep the risk of blood clots in the legs to a minimum. You will be asked to stay bent at the waistline for 2 weeks while walking/sitting. In approximately 2 weeks, you should be able to stand up straight and return to work. You may/or may not have a draining tube for one week and will wear a compression garment for 6 weeks following your surgery. The bruising will subside in a couple of weeks and the swelling will continue to diminish until approximately 3 months post procedure. The scars will continue to heal and will become thinner and lighter in colour at around 12-18 months.
Scars will be approximately 6-8 inches long. The scar will be low on the abdomen and can be easily concealed in your undergarments. In patients with genetic predisposition for keloid/hypertrophic scarring, there may be chances of developing the same at scar site.
With stable weight, tummy tuck results are stable over time. If you experience any weight fluctuations or become pregnant, this may change your tummy tuck result.
Dr. Pranav Thusay
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon
M.B.B.S, DNB, M.CH Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Fellowship In Microsurgery / Nerve /hand Surgery, Bern (Switzerland) Fellowship in Aesthetic & Reconstructive Breast Surgery, Brussels, Belgium
