Tummy Tuck

What you need to know before a consultation with your plastic surgeon about tummy tuck surgery:

• Share your health information with your plastic surgeon, remember to mention if you have allergies, previous surgeries, use of medications, vitamins or supplements and any other relevant medical information
• Your surgeon will ask you questions about what you would like to improve on your abdomen, what your expectations are and inform you of what can realistically be achieved.
• You will be physically examined to determine skin quality, amount of tissue that will be needed to remove, and which will be the best technique to perform for your particular case
• Your surgeon will take exact measurements and photographs to evaluate size, shape and skin quality
• Photos at different angles will be requested in order to carry out a complete evaluation
• Pre-surgery blood tests will be ordered
• You’ll need to quit smoking completely
• Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, garlic and herbal supplements as they can increase bleeding.
• Ask your surgeon if you can take arnica tea one or two weeks before the procedure, this will help to dim the swelling and bruising.

For patients over 40 years of age or with any added cardiac, respiratory, renal pathology, etc. The following will be requested:

• Chest X-ray
• Cardiological assessment
• Electrocardiogram

There are different approaches for tummy tuck surgery. Depending on your skin and muscle quality as well as your expectations, your plastic surgeon will suggest which kind will be the best option for you.

Anesthesia

The time for the surgical procedure is around 3 to 4 hours depending on the technique. General anesthesia is given for a safe and comfortable procedure.

Techniques of Tummy Tuck Surgery

Mini Tummy Tuck

Indicated for patients who have a little excess skin, the scar is usually 50% less than a conventional tummy tuck, and it doesn’t always include a muscle repair.

Conventional Tummy Tuck

Also known as a full tummy tuck it’s the most performed of all the tummy tuck techniques. Consists of an horizontal incision that goes from hip bone to hip bone, taking away the excess skin and fatty tissue between the pubis and the belly button.

 Most of the times a muscle repairment is done to improve the weakened abdominal muscles. The skin above the belly button is then pulled downwards in order to close the surgical wound, a new opening for the belly button is created, and the belly button is popped through a new incision at a correct position.

Fleur de Lis

Patients that have lost a lot of weight in a short period of time, or that had weight loss surgery, tend to have a lot of extra skin that hangs vertically as well as horizontally. This allows the removal of large amounts of tissue of the midsection of the abdomen. In those situations a technique called Fleur de Lis is advised in order to be able to take away all the vertical extra skin, so your abdomen can be as tight as possible. The incisions in this case run in a horizontal and vertical plane.

Stitches Used for Tummy Tuck Surgery

 Absorbable and non-absorbable sutures are placed in different tissue layers in order to close the wounds.

With time the incision lines will tend to fade. It is important that you understand that the scar quality depends on a great variety of factors such as your skin, genetic predisposition, exposure to sun and nicotine.

Right After Surgery

After the surgery is done and you have fully woken up from the anesthesia, you will have a body compression garment, you might feel a certain tightness. You will have a drain that will be collecting all the excess liquid that will help to avoid the formation of seromas.

You will be offered liquids and if tolerated a small meal. You will stay one night at the hospital so you are cared for and make sure everything is going well.

Before You Leave the Hospital

The next morning after your surgery, your plastic surgeon will come to assess your health condition and give you proper care instructions to take back home. It’s normal that you will be prescribed anti-inflamiatories, painkillers, antibiotics and in some cases blood thinners during the recovery process. Your surgeon will offer you a check up appointment during the following days.

During the after care of a tummy tuck, your plastic surgeon will prescribe painkillers, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics and in some cases blood thinners.

After the procedure the plastic surgeon will leave a drain in order to help with the healing process. This drain stays between 5 to 7 days.

• Relative rest for 15  days
• Take care and measure your drain daily. Your surgeon will provide all the instructions on how to do so
• No sexual activity for 6 weeks
• You should not exercise or exert yourself or do any heavy lifting in the next 4 weeks
• Wear your compression garment 24/7 for the following 4 to 6 weeks
• Take the medications as prescribed
• No swimming or soaking in baths, jacuzzi, saunas for 4 weeks.
• You will be able to shower after your drains have been removed by your surgeon, meanwhile you should be using baby wet wipes to keep clean
• You should not sunbathe for the next 4 weeks
• You shouldn’t be touching your wounds
• You should not smoke

It is important that you follow the recommendations of your surgeon to obtain a good result.

Recovery process after a tummy tuck

During the recovery process for tummy tuck, your surgeon will provide with a list of things to take care during this time. It is usually recommended for the patient to stay 15 days after their surgery, in order to have proper after care and medical check ups with your surgeon. After the procedure a body compression garment is placed to help with healing and reduce pain & inflammation.

Initial recovery time: 2 weeks.

The results of tummy tuck are immediate although it’s important that you understand that the final results will take a couple of months until the incisions have healed and the swelling goes down.

It is normal for you to have edema in your legs and a little pain, however it will be controlled with postoperative medications. When the nerves begin to heal, you might experience tingling sensations.

Most of the stitches are reabsorbable, so it will not be necessary to remove them.

Always chose an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon .

It is very important that you are willing and collaborate with your surgeon, who will be monitoring your progress. Following your surgeon’s instructions is the most important part at this moment.

Make sure to take all your medication as it has been prescribed by your surgeon. Take the time to rest and sleep well, drink water and eat healthy food with good quality proteins. Avoid high sodium foods, they will make you retain liquids.

Attend to all of your post surgery follow-up appointments.

Risks after tummy tuck surgery are low when a good surgical preparation is done, if patients follow the recommendations for after care treatment, complications rarely occur , but can include:

• Anesthesia complications
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Soreness
• Changes in sensitivity
• Scarring
• Necrosis
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Seroma

In order to minimize the risks, your surgeon will order a series of blood tests and a cardiac evaluation to ensure that you are in good health for your procedure.

Following the recommendations of your surgeon will promote a good result.