How long does tummy tuck surgery take?

The surgery, in my practice lasts about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The average time is about 2 hours. Some surgeons can take over 5-6 hours which I believe is excessive!

Is anesthesia used during the tummy tuck procedure?

In my opinion, general anesthesia is required for this, there should be no other option for this surgery!

Are there risks and complications to a tummy tuck?

All surgery has risks and potential complications. Abdominal procedures can have ( to mention a few): Bleeding, infection, wound healing problems, scarring, blood clots in legs and/or lungs.  Make sure you thoroughly research all of the potential complications for this and any surgery you are pondering!

Who is an ideal candidate for a tummy tuck?

Good candidates for these procedures have a few of these findings: healthy, middle age, within 15 - 20% of ideal body weight, excess skin, and a lax abdominal wall, and stretch marks. Women should have completed their childbearing as additional pregnancies after abdominal recontouring can negatively alter the result. THESE PROCEDURES ARE NOT TO CREATE WEIGHTLOSS !!!! Patients who have lost significant weight, with a lot of excess skin are good candidates for abdominal procedures....lose the weight first!

How is a tummy tuck performed?

The basic elements of these techniques are recontouring the lax abdominal wall and removing the excess skin. An incision is made around the pubic area and, depending on the extent of the excess skin, extends towards the hips. The skin is then separated from the abdominal wall which is sutured to reduce the bulge. The skin is then pulled down (like a window shade) and trimmed where the incison was made. The Umbilicus (belly button), is then brought out at the appropriate position through a small incision. There are many methods employed for abdominal recontouring that depend on the amount of skin excess and the extent of abdominal wall laxity. The skin excision can be made shorter ( a mini-tummy tuck) if there is skin and abdominal wall laxity below the umbilicus.