Abdominoplasty / Tummy Tuck

Are you sick of hiding your belly under baggy tops or strategically planning your outfits for the best options to camoflauge your belly? You're not alone. Even supermodels don’t stay in perfect shape forever and, even with a disciplined fitness regime, you’re likely to find that time eventually takes its toll. As you age, the skin loses elasticity, while the muscles lose tone and stretch. This can result in excess, loose skin on the tummy area, or even an “apron” of skin that hangs over the lower abdomen. This can make people feel very self-conscious, and they can find that they avoid fitted or revealing clothing and activities where the body is more exposed, such as sport and swimming. In some cases, if the skin develops deep creases and folds, these areas can be prone to irritation, rashes and infections.


Abdominoplasty, also known as tummy tuck is a body contouring option offered as a way to correct these problems. There are lots of reasons why people have this type of surgery, including having weaker abdominal muscles after pregnancy or having previously lost a lot of weight.  Dramatic changes are achieved with this procedure, restoring the abdominal contours to a more youthful and proportioned appearance.

The ideal candidates for abdominoplasty are women or men who are bothered by fat deposits or loose abdominal skin that won’t respond to diet or exercise. Dr. Sahebgowda Shetty offers his best expertise and knowledge of this procedure to help the patient achieve their desired look and determine if you are a good candidate for this procedure.


A tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is an operation to remove excess fat and skin from your abdomen and to tighten your abdominal muscles. Your surgeon will go over the different types of abdominoplasty procedures available to you, depending on your particular needs and condition like traditional/complete tummy tuck and mini tummy tuck. A tummy tuck that is combined with breast surgery (augmentation, lift, or reduction) is often referred to as a “Mommy Makeover”.


Procedure: 
The procedure is also commonly combined with liposuction. Men who have lost a significant amount of weight may combine a tummy tuck with gynecomastia surgery. A full abdominoplasty takes between three to five hours depending on the extent of work involved and whether or not it is combined with some degree of liposuction. It is usually performed under general anesthesia in an outpatient setting.  During the surgery an incision is made within the “bikini” line in the lower abdomen; this helps to hide the scar under clothes following the procedure. The incision extends from hipbone to hipbone, which grants the surgeon access to a greater portion of the internal structures. Excess skin and fat are removed, the muscles beneath are tightened, the skin is redraped to provide a pleasing body shape, and the belly button is usually repositioned for natural placement.
Finally, the cut will be stitched back together and wrapped with bandages. In most cases, the surgery restores weakened or separated muscles, creating an abdominal profile that is smoother and firmer. The procedure can also result in the removal of stretch marks in lower tummy area, due to the removal of excess skin.


Post surgery:
You will be encouraged to be moving and walking regularly within one to two days. Keep in mind that every person’s body is different. Your recovery time may be very different from someone else with a similar procedure. After surgery, patients will wear a compression garment and will need to rest for the first 48 hours. For the first few days, your abdomen will probably be swollen and you're likely to feel some pain and discomfort which can be controlled by medication. Sports or heavy activity will not be comfortable for about 6 weeks.  Follow-up appointments will be scheduled to check the patient's progress and advise when it is safe to return to work, exercise and other normal activities. You should make a concerted effort to move around in order to help promote blood circulation. Pain medication will be provided to help with post-operative pain. Scars can sometimes take months up to a year to fully fade and soften. While they'll never disappear completely, abdominal scars will not show under most clothing, even under bathing suits. For women who have had a previous C-section, the original C-section scar will be replaced with the tummy tuck incision. Most patients feel the physical results of this surgery far outweigh any scarring left behind.

With a balanced diet and regular exercise, results are long-lasting. An appealing effect of tummy tuck surgery is that stretch marks and existing scars are removed as part of the process.  As a result, Tummy tuck surgery can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence.