Abdominoplasty

ABDOMINOPLASTY

If you’re always sucking in your stomach or feel uncomfortable in a bathing suit, abdominoplasty may be the answer to your prayers.  Pregnancy, weight loss, age, and genetics are just a few of the reasons why people’s bodies retain excess abdominal fat or develop loose skin there.  Many people have committed themselves to a strict exercise and diet routine, but all the crunches in the world won’t tighten loosened skin, get rid of stretch marks, or remove all of your lower abdominal fat. If your abdominal contour bothers you, a tummy tuck from Ingram Cosmetic Surgery can dramatically reduce your round abdomen and tighten your abdominal wall muscles, giving you back a much flatter tummy.  

WHAT IS AN ABDOMINOPLASTY?

An abdominoplasty is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures. addresses many cosmetic issues, such as: redefining and tightening your abdominal core muscles, eliminating stretch marks from your lower abdomen, refining your abdominal contours, emphasizing your hips, and getting rid of love handles. These improvements are achieved by pulling together your abdominal core muscles and removing excess skin and fat from your lower abdomen. An abdominoplasty is an outpatient procedure that takes two to three hours to complete. 

AM I A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR AN ABDOMINOPLASTY

Tummy tucks can give you immediate and dramatic results. Depending on your body, you may do better with either a full abdominoplasty or a mini tummy tuck. Almost anyone who has extra skin or fat around their lower abdomen can benefit from this operation, especially women who have stretched-out skin below their belly buttons after giving birth.

It is important if you smoke or vape nicotine, even infrequently, that you stop completely for one month prior to surgery and don’t start back until at least one month after. Other than that, just maintaining your normal state of good health and a healthy body weight for your height are the biggest things that you can do prior to surgery, to help ensure an excellent outcome.

During your initial consultation, you and Dr. Ingram will go over your medical history in detail, and he will perform a full examination of all of the areas you are interested in tightening.  After this, you will tell him exactly what your priorities are, and together you and Dr. Ingram will come up with a personalized surgical plan that addresses all of your problem areas.

Will I Do Better With A Tummy Tuck Or Liposuction?

Almost everyone asks this before or during their initial consultation. The answer depends on exactly what changes you want to make to your abdominal contour and on how your skin, fat layer, and muscle layers look and feel.

Liposuction  works best for people who are at or near their maximum body weight, who have tight skin with few stretch marks, and whose muscles haven’t been separated during pregnancy. Your skin’s ability to tighten back up on its own after surgically removing the underlying fat can only be fully assessed during an in-person consultation.  If your skin is thick and tight, it will contract well, especially if you only need a relatively small fat removal.  If not, abdominoplasty may be better for you.

Tummy tucks address more than just excess fat. They allow Dr. Ingram to tighten your abdominal muscles, to remove excess fat and skin, to make your belly button more aesthetically pleasing, and to tighten your remaining skin. Your incision, while long, will be covered by almost any panties or bathing suit that you would want to wear. You can simulate the result of a full abdominoplasty by looking in a mirror and placing one hand on each side of your abdomen, just at the level of your belly button, and pulling downward. A tummy tuck generally will remove all of the skin and fat that your hands cover, and the muscle and skin above your hands will be even a little tighter than what you see in the mirror.

Tummy tucks generally will help you more than liposuction if your stomach muscles and skin have been stretched by childbirth, if you have lost more than 50 pounds from your previous maximum weight, or if your BMI is above 35 or so.

Your Consultation

During your consultation, you and Dr. Ingram first will perform a comprehensive assessment of your medical history, in order to ensure that your surgery will be safe. Then you and he will look closely at all of the areas where you desire improvement. It is your job to tell Dr. Ingram exactly what you want improved, and it is his job to translate your goals into a specific surgical procedure. Once you and he have formulated this plan, you will be informed of all of the likely benefits, unlikely risks, and alternatives to the proposed procedure.

THE SURGICAL PROCESS

  During the procedure, Dr. Ingram will make an incision low on your abdomen, no longer than you need.  The incision will be low enough to be hidden by most bikini bottoms and will remove any caesarean section scars you may have. He will lift up your skin and fatty tissue all the way to your ribcage and then will pull together your abdominal muscles, eliminating any midline bulge and flattening the entire muscle wall.  Once your muscle has been flattened, Dr. Ingram will pull your skin and fat flap down and inward. He will mark the safe amount of skin to cut and will then will remove this excess fat and skin. 

Depending on the amount of skin and fat removed, he may also make a second incision to reconstruct your navel.  This will always be done during a full abdominoplasty, but not during a mini tummy tuck. You will have your same belly button, but the surrounding tissue and skin will be dramatically improved. Your navel will no longer be buried or covered by loose skin after the procedure. Once all of this is done, your incision will be closed in three layers, and sterile bandages will be placed on your new bikini line.

WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER A TUMMY TUCK

Since an abdominoplasty is an invasive surgical procedure, you can expect to experience some discomfort, swelling, and bruising in the treatment area. These symptoms will subside in a few days and can be managed with prescribed medication.  You will also go home with drains in place to remove excess fluids that build up.  Dr. Ingram will remove one drain at about 7 days after surgery, and the other a few days later. Plan to take at least 10 days off work (more if you have a physically demanding job) to rest and relax as you recover from the surgery.  During your consultation, Dr. Ingram will discuss your job demands and advise you on how long you will need to take off to recover.

CANDIDATES FOR ABDOMINOPLASTY

An abdominoplasty is an excellent procedure for both men and women who are unhappy with their abdomens. If you have loose skin and fatty deposits that have not responded well to diet and exercise, then abdominoplasty may be right for you. The best candidates have achieved a stable weight, are in good physical health, and have realistic expectations of the procedure.