Tummy Tuck – Abdominoplasty

What is a Tummy Tuck?

Abdominoplasty, or "tummy tuck," is probably the most body-changing operation Dr. Corey performs, and it comes the closest to actual "body sculpting." This is also one of the operations where Dr. Corey relies most on the teachings and techniques he learned in Brazil. You will look and feel dramatically different afterward. The goal in Tummy Tuck is to tighten the skin (and muscles when indicated) and at times even removing lower abdominal stretch marks.  In one day of surgery, you can restore what has been lost over several years.

What Should You Expect From Abdominoplasty?

There are multiple benefits to this procedure. One is to get rid of the loose skin hanging from the front of the abdomen. Unfortunately for many people, due to childbearing or genetics, this skin will not go away no matter how much they may exercise or how much weight they may lose. It seems that once the skin reaches a certain point or age, the muscles underneath may strengthen but the skin remains loose. It may be tempting to say that all you need is just to go to the gym more! Again, diet and exercise will not correct this problem no more than chest muscle exercises will correct drooping breasts! Another benefit is for people who find their abdominal wall stretched out. As just described, your muscles may be firm, but the envelope of tissue (fascia) which holds them together may be loose. Abdominoplasty tightens this envelope without the actual cutting of any muscle. As important as these benefits are, Dr. Corey feels strongly that tummy tuck can even do more. He feels it is very important to sculpt and shape the abdomen to obtain the most aesthetic lines and curves possible for your particular body type. And this is one operation where Dr. Corey really does try and pull you as tight as possible. We all have seen women who have had their faces pulled too tight, or women who have breast implants that are way too big... but we rarely look at a woman in a bikini and say “Boy, her tummy is just too flat!”

How to prepare for Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty?

Pre-operatively, Scottsdale plastic surgeon, Dr. Corey will consult with you to discuss surgical techniques and determine your specific goals. You will be provided with instructions regarding diet, smoking and medications, and you will be given any necessary prescriptions. You should probably make sure that you are done with childbearing as well. Not that you could not deliver or have a full term pregnancy, but your abdomen could stretch out again with pregnancy and you could lose some of your surgical result and your new you!

What happens during surgery?

Dr. Corey performs the surgery itself under general anesthesia (meaning you will be asleep through- out the procedure) at an accredited surgical facility; however, usually you will spend one or two nights at a Recovery Care Center close by, even the same building. This is advised due to the need for assistance and medication following surgery. The operation takes about two and a half hours. The incision usually extends from the hip, down toward the pubic area and then back toward the other hip. A new, more youthful belly-button is created by making an incision around the belly button and reshaping it. The skin is elevated from the lower incision up toward the ribcage.  Permanent sutures are placed in the abdominal wall to tighten the tummy and move the muscles more to the middle. The loose skin is the pulled downward and removed, and your newly shaped belly button is brought out through a new spot on your abdominal skin. Tummy Tuck can be done in conjunction with liposuction as well.

What is the difference between a Mini-Tummy Tuck and a Full Tummy tuck or Abdominoplasty?

The technical difference is that no incision is made around the belly button and nothing is done to the upper abdomen, either skin or muscle, with a mini-tummy tuck. Usually the scar is not quite as long as well. This is for women that feel good about most of their abdomen but may only have a small flap of extra skin that hangs over down at the bottom of their tummy. This may be from a c-section scar as well. This procedure seems to not be as popular as it once was. That may be because women really do want as much tightening as possible nowadays.

What is the “Maxi-Mini” Tummy Tuck that Dr. Corey talks about?

There is a procedure that Dr. Corey performs where a woman doesn’t have a lot of loose skin above the belly button, but she does have some. And her abdominal wall may be stretched out all the way up to her ribs as well. So she needs the muscle tightening all the way from ribs down, like a full tummy tuck, but only needs the skin tightening of a mini-tummy tuck. The “Maxi-Mini Tummy Tuck” (also known as a “belly button float” or a “belly button slide” or “mini-tummy tuck with umbilical relocation) does all of this. The incision is usually between a full and a mini tummy tuck and the skin is lifted off the underlying muscles to the level of the belly button, just like a mini-tummy tuck. But at this point, the belly button is disconnected from underneath and the skin elevation continued up to the ribs. The abdominal wall is then tightened, as it is in a full tummy tuck, and then the upper abdominal skin pulled tight. The belly button is moved down just a bit, maybe ½ inch, and the lower abdominal skin pulled even tighter. So the patient gets the full abdominal wall and muscle tightening as she would with a full tummy tuck, but avoids the incision around the belly button, while still getting lower abdominal skin tightening as she would with a mini-tummy tuck! Recovery is much like a Full Tummy Tuck.

What is healing like after a Tummy Tuck?

Post-operatively, Dr. Corey will follow your progress closely over the first several weeks, but you will not be required to wear any abdominal binders unless Liposuction is done as well. Dr. Corey uses a Pain Pump that passes through the skin into the tummy muscle through small plastic tubes and drips long acting local anesthesia for around 4-5 days. You will go home with this and take it out on your own. It slips right out!!! The recovery time is about that for a c-section or hysterectomy. For the first four to five days, you will find it a bit uncomfortable getting in and out of bed, but by day seven you will probably be up and moving fairly well. Most people with small children find it helpful to have someone like a mother or sister in town for a week or so after.  Physical activity needs to be gentle for several weeks with no sit-ups or heavy lifting for at least six weeks. Most patients report being back to work in ten to fourteen days. Swelling decreases in two phases with the first occurring within four to six weeks and shaping occurs over the next three to six months.

Tummy Tuck surgery seems to be for me. What should I do next?

When dieting and exercising do not work to reshape your stomach area, a tummy tuck may be the procedure for you. At his Scottsdale office, Dr. Corey offers two types of tummy tuck consultations: an individual consultation which costs $75 or, if you live out of the area, an online consultation which is free. Before you meet with Dr. Corey, make sure to write down all questions or concerns you have and bring them up with your surgeon. Why wait? Contact us today if you are in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler or Tempe, Arizona.

To visualize what a tummy tuck can do for you, click here to see some before and after tummy tuck pictures.