How is a tummy tuck performed?

A tummy tuck is done as an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia. It is done through the combination of surgically cutting out the loose skin and fat, tightening the vertical abdominal muscles if necessary, and performing liposuction on fat areas that need to be reduced that lie outside of the zone of the cut out.

What are the benefits of a tummy tuck?

The tummy tuck does something that one cannot do with diet and exercise alone. It gets rid of extra or loose skin, and its attached fat, which cannot be gotten rid of by weight loss or worked off with any form of exercise. It tightens the waistline and flattens the tummy area for most patients in a very significant and noticeable fashion. In this process, any stretch marks that exist between the belly button and the pubis are removed.

How long does tummy tuck surgery take?

Barring postsurgical pregnancies or large amounts of weight gain, the results of a tummy tuck can last for many years. For some, it may last for the rest of their lives. The result will persist as long as one maintains it, meaning a stable weight and no abdominal skin expansion through pregnancies.

Who is an ideal candidate for a tummy tuck?

Good candidates are anyone with extra tummy skin and fat that they have not been able to loose on their own. The only exceptions would be someone who is extremely overweight who should consider weight loss first whether it is through bariatric surgery or other non-surgical weight loss methods.

What is a tummy tuck?

A tummy tuck, also known as an abdominoplasty, is the removal of extra skin and fat from the lower stomach area. The size of the horizontal cutout can be small (below the belly button, a mini-tummy tuck) and bigger (goes above the belly button) a full tummy tuck. Liposuction of the flanks around the waistline into the back (muffin tops) is commonly performed with the two types of tummy tucks.