Tummy Tuck

Are sit-ups not giving you the flat stomach you want? If you've got too much excess skin in your abdomen that is not responding to diet or exercise, you may need to start considering  a tummy tuck, or what doctors call abdominoplasty.

A Tummy tuck is a surgical procedure that helps flatten and shape the abdomen and waist by removing excess fat and skin and then tightening the underlying muscles. This procedure it's not the same as liposuction (the cosmetic surgery that is used to remove fat deposits). A tummy tuck is very useful for women who have stretched abdominal skin and muscles as a result of pregnancy. It is also a great option for men and women who were once obese and lost a lot of weight. As a result, they may have excess fat deposits or loose skin around the belly. To be a candidate for the tummy tuck procedure, you should be in good physical condition, following a healthy diet, and exercise regularly.

If you're a somebody who plans to get pregnant, the best thing to do is postpone the tummy tuck until you're done having children. During surgery, your vertical muscles are tightened, and future pregnancies can separate those muscles. If you are planning on losing a lot of weight, a tummy tuck is also not a great solution for you. This procedure should be a last resort after you've tried everything else. It should not be used as an alternative to weight loss.

The recommendation is that you wait until after any planned pregnancies and have reached your goal weight before undergoing tummy tuck surgery. This is because further pregnancies or weight loss can undo the results of your tummy tuck by stretching the skin. Another recommendation is that your BMI (Body Mass Index) should be less than 30 to decrease your risk of complications.

During your initial consultation, you should will your cosmetic goals in detail, so the surgeon can tailor your tummy tuck operation accordingly.

Prior to the surgery if you smoke, you will have to stop for a certain period as determined by your doctor. It is not enough just to cut down on smoking; you must stop completely for at least two weeks before the surgery and for two weeks after the procedure. Smoking can increase the risk of complications and delay healing.

The surgery takes approximately 2 to 3 hours under general anesthesia which will put you to sleep during the whole procedure. It is important to have someone who can drive you home once the operation is over and at least during the first night you will need somebody to stay with you. The surgeon will make an incision from hip to hip, and then cut out all the skin between your belly button and pubis. During your tummy tuck, there will be a separation of the skin from the rectus muscles, and then the surgeon will pull and stitch the muscle together, for a firmer abdomen and a narrower waist. After that the surgeon will stretch the skin flap down and over the newly tightened muscles, cut out the extra skin, and reconnect the belly button. There will usually be a couple drains in place to drain any extra fluid once the procedure is done.

Full recovery from a tummy tuck operation usually takes a period of four to six weeks, although you may be able to return to your daily activities in as little as two weeks.  After the procedure is useful if the patients walk for 10 to 15 minutes every 2 hours after the procedure.

Life after the surgery should be really good. With a good diet and being active by regularly exercising, results from your tummy tuck should be long-lasting. While the full tummy tuck will naturally leave a hip-to-hip scar across the lower abdomen, you can always talk about scar placement and length with the doctor before the surgery.

Post-operative complications from any surgery are possible. This may include infection, blood clots, and poor healing which may require further surgery. You can minimize these risks by choosing an experienced surgeon such as Dr. Koneru in San Antonio, who can handle any complications and will give you the attention you need.

If you have had previous abdominal surgery, your old scars could be moved, stretched, or generally more noticeable after the procedure. However, if your scar is below the belly button, it will probably be removed during the tummy tuck operation.

If what you are looking for is just the removal of skin excess and fat, a mini tummy tuck is a good choice for patients. The mini tummy tuck is similar to the full surgical procedure, except that it uses a shorter incision, usually only about 15 cm in length (which is similar to a C-section scar). With this short scar, much less skin can be removed, and the skin is only lifted to the belly button. The mini tummy tuck usually doesn’t remove many stretch marks and can’t correct muscles that have become separated above the belly button.