Abdominoplasty

Mary delivered her baby two years ago, works out in the gym regularly, yet her friends ask her if she is expecting again. Lisa lost 75 pounds, but still has trouble fitting into those size 6 jeans she wore in college. If these stories sound familiar, you may be a candidate for a tummy tuck.

A tummy tuck or abdominoplasty is an operation to improve the contour of the abdomen by removing excess skin and fat, and if needed, tightening the abdominal muscles. After weight gain or pregnancy, the skin and muscles of the abdomen stretch. Sometimes in spite of weight loss and exercise, they don’t go back the way they were.

Even without excess skin, muscles that have been stretched apart allow the intestines to push forward, giving the appearance of a bulge. A tummy tuck involves a low horizontal cut to gain access to the rectus abdominal muscles so they can be sewn back together. The skin is loosened up, redraped and tightened, with the excess removed.

The technique Dr. Tavin uses to perform tummy tucks is called high lateral tension. This method was pioneered by the late Kansas City plastic surgeon, Ted Lockwood. Traditional abdominoplasty can lead to complications such as upward displacement of the hairline and scar widening.

The high lateral tension technique tightens the skin by pulling both downward and to the sides (lateral), avoiding those pitfalls. The initial incision is placed lower than in the standard tummy tuck keeping the hairline low. Sutures are placed internally in the fibrous Scarpa’s fascia layer minimizing skin tension at the scar closure and thus helping to prevent scar widening.

Recovery from a Tummy Tuck Procedure

Although an outpatient procedure, the recovery period for a tummy tuck is usually about two weeks. Another advantage of the high lateral tension technique is that patients do not have to walk hunched over in the post-operative period. Even though improvement in abdominal contour will be visible immediately after surgery, it may take as long as 6-9 months to see the final results.

Women who are still considering having more children should defer abdominoplasty so as not to stretch out the results obtained from the procedure. Similarly, people who are in the process of losing weight should hold off until they have reached their goal before undergoing surgery.

Before and Afters

50-year-old woman. 5’3″ 145 lbs. 2 children. She underwent an abdominoplasty in conjunction with a hysterectomy. She had one touch up liposuction procedure in the office, 6 months following her surgery. She also lost 20 lbs. following her abdominoplasty. Photos taken 1 year postoperative. Note how the scar was designed to be covered by her underwear or bikini.