Cosmetic Procedures

Abdominoplasty

If the badge of honor you receive from childbirth is your offspring, a loose stomach can be equated to the war wound earned from the accomplishment. Fortunately, many women need not endure the excess skin, fat and looser stomach muscles incurred from having a family. A tummy tuck is an excellent way to make the stomach flat and the muscles tight once again and to hide the scars left behind by a C-section. Women who suffer from obesity can also benefit from the procedure as a way to trim off extra fat.

Who Needs It

Most women who have tummy tucks are through having children whether they have young children at home or children who have long since left the nest. The best candidate for the surgery still has good skin elasticity and is generally between the ages of 30 and 55.

Preparation

In your initial consultation with your doctor, you will need to decide what you want to accomplish from the procedure and if the most effective procedure will be the full abdominoplasty or the mini-abdominoplasty. You and your physician will have to discuss your goals and what is a reasonable outcome.

The Surgery

Depending on your needs, you will either have a mini-abdominoplasty where less than three inches of fat and skin are removed from the stomach or a full abdominoplasty where the skin is lifted down below the belly button, skin is removed and new belly button is formed. A mini-abdominoplasty requires a much smaller incision while a full abdominoplasty will require one reaching all the way across the stomach. In the full abdominoplasty, the skin is pulled tight across the abdomen over the belly button and a new button hole for the skin to pull over. The muscle wall is tightened, the layer of fat beneath the surface is thinned out and the skin is sutured into place.

Results

Women are generally very pleased to have overcome the battle of the stomach bulge. They feel more confident in their clothes and can be much less self-conscious following the procedure.