Abdominoplasty – Tummy tuck surgery for eliminating the marks resulting from weight loss
Specifications regarding the circumstances of performing abdominoplasty
Weight gain in the area of the abdomen results in the stretching of the skin. After losing the surplus weight through bariatric surgery there will be excess skin left over. Along with the unaesthetic aspect of sagging skin, its excess may cause several other issues. Patients have the possibility of aesthetically correcting the results of weight loss.
Abdominoplasty is recommended for patients who have undergone bariatric surgical interventions, have reached a stable weight, and have managed to maintain it. Furthermore the procedure is recommended for patients, who have kept a weight loss diet and desire to maintain a pleasant abdominal aspect.
Abdominoplasty is not recommended for women who wish to have children or patients who plan on losing large amounts of weight after undergoing the surgery. (Adbominoplasty is a retouching surgical intervention, not one aimed at eliminating excess weight.)
What is abdominoplasty?
Abdominoplasty is practically the correction of the results produced by the weight loss process. This procedure mends the unpleasant aspects of sagging excess skin at the level of the abdomen. The goal of the intervention is to obtain an aesthetically pleasant aspect by eliminating the so-called “apron belly”.
The procedure of abdominoplasty
A few weeks before and after the procedure patients are asked to give up smoking and consuming alcoholic beverages, because these interfere with the healing process on the level of blood flow. Furthermore the administration of anticoagulation medication has to be temporarily halted, and abstaining from eating anything in a 12 hour period preceding the surgical procedure is recommended.
The type of anesthesia used is local or total. The abdominoplasty includes the following:
- Restoring muscle tightness or reestablishing tension at the level of the torso.
- Restoring muscle tonus at the level of the abdomen.
- For strengthening the abdominal wall a remodeling and suturing of the abdominal fascia is required.
- Centering the navel in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible.
- Recontouring through the use of liposuction in order to homogenize the adipose transition areas, followed by the elimination of localized flank areas.
A regular abdominoplasty can last from 2-6 hours, and a miniabdominoplasty is usually completed in about 1-2 hours. Classical abdominoplasty involves creating a horizontal incision and an incision around the navel, the position of which will be shifted. Thus the intervention can be complemented by a liposuction procedure. Mini-abdominoplasty involves making a smaller incision than the one utilized by traditional abdominoplasty. This does not entail shifting the position of the navel, and only provides the possibility for removing excess skin localized below the umbilical line.
The advantages of abdominoplasty
- Aesthetic advantages: after the intervention the patient will have a flat and slim abdomen, a well-defined silhouette, a narrower waistline, and the stretchmarks from around the navel will be diminished or entirely eliminated.
- Eliminating the “apron belly” will reduce the development of fungal infections.
The post-op period and rehabilitation following the intervention
Following the intervention the area in which the intervention was undertaken has to be dressed and tended to for about a month. The surgical process is a laborious one, so the body needs time to adjust to the modifications that take place.
Usually it takes about 2-3 days of hospital stay and a 2 week period which has to be taken off from work. Intense physical activities can be taken up again only after 6 weeks from the surgical intervention.
Theoretically the results of abdominoplasty last for several years, but aging causes the skin and muscles to sag again. Leading a healthy life and exercising regularly can combat this process and maintain the optimal results obtained earlier.