Abdominoplasty

Introduction:

Abdominoplasty or a tummy tuck, is a surgical procedure to remove excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen and to tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. You may be a good candidate for abdominoplasty if you have one or more of the following conditions:

  • excess or sagging abdominal skin, especially after weight loss or pregnancy
  • loose or stretched abdominal muscles that have been separated and weakened
  • excess fatty tissue that is concentrated in your abdomen

A tummy tuck can dramatically improve the appearance of the abdominal wall. This procedure may be combined with other procedures such as liposuction to improve the abdomen, trunk, and thighs to crease a more harmonious appearance.

Who is the beast candidate for a tummy tuck?:

The best candidates for a tummy tuck are men or women who are in relatively good shape but have lower abdominal fat or loose abdominal skin that doesn’t respond to diet or exercise. The surgery is particularly helpful to women who, through multiple pregnancies, have stretched their abdominal muscles and skin beyond the point where they can return to normal. Loss of skin elasticity in older patients, which frequently occurs with slight obesity, can also be improved.

You should be near your ideal or goal weight before having an abdominoplasty surgery. When a patient is at his or her ideal weight, the surgeon can safely remove more skin and get an improved result. If a patient looses more weight after a tummy tuck, the skin may become deflated and sag, requiring additional surgery to remove more skin. Therefore, the closer you are to you goal weight the less likely you will need an additional surgery in the future.

Women who plan future pregnancies should wait, as vertical muscles in the abdomen that are tightened during surgery can separate again during pregnancy.

What is an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck?

There are three options for a tummy tuck. After your consultation with Dr. Gonyon, a recommendation will be made for what type of procedure would provide you with the best result. These procedures include a complete abdominoplasty, mini-abdominoplasty, and extended or circumferential abdominoplasty. Each type of tummy tuck is designed to address the amount of excess skin or muscle laxity that you are experiencing

  • Complete abdominoplasty. This is the most common surgery for addressing excess abdominal fat or skin and tightening abdominal muscles. The incision is along the lower abdomen from one hip bone to the other. Dr. Gonyon utilizes the “hip hugger” incision. Unless your request otherwise, Dr. Gonyon will keep your incisions as low as possible on the abdomen, just above the pubic hairline. This incisions allows excess skin and fat to be removed and for abdominal muscles to be tightened if needed. Your belly button is left attached to the abdominal wall and is placed back in its normal location after the skin has been redraped. Drainage tubes are usually placed under your skin and these will be removed in a 7-10 days after surgery.
  • Partial or mini abdominoplasty. Mini-abdominoplasties are often performed on patients whose fat deposits are located below the navel or have only minor amounts of extra skin between the navel and hairline and the abdominal muscles are tight. This is a more limited procedure and usually requires a shorter incision. During this procedure, your belly button will not be moved and your abdominal muscles will not be tightened. The recovery from this procedure is shorter than a complete tummy tuck.
  • Circumferential. The extended abdominoplasty is usually reserved for patients who have lost significant weight, either by diet and exercise or by surgery, and have a very large amount of excess skin. The incision goes around the entire lower abdomen, hips, and upper buttock.

Planning your surgery:

Once you have made a decision to have surgery, Dr. Gonyon’s office will provide you with the necessary information to plan for your surgery, including guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, and taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications.

You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure you will undergo and any risks and potential complications of your surgery. There may be a waiting period of several days to weeks from the time of your consent to the day of surgery.

In addition to explaining your surgical procedure, Dr. Gonyon will discuss anesthesia, the recovery process and your obligations as a patient. You will also discuss where your procedure will be performed. Dr. Gonyon performs surgery at Harmony Ambulatory Surgery Center (Fort Collins), North Colorado Surgery Center, Medical Center of the Rockies, and the soon to be open 25-34 Aesthetic Surgery Center (located at the I25 – 34 junction). You may choose to have surgery at any of these locations.

Surgery is usually performed under general anesthesia, so you'll sleep through the entire operation. Most patients stay overnight at the surgery center to make the first day of recovery more tolerable. You will be given IV medications for pain and IV antibiotics as well as a full nursing staff to assist you and make sure you are comfortable.

What to Expect Immediately After Surgery:

You're likely to feel tired and sore for 10 to 14 days following your surgery. You will need to walk in a bent-forward position to keep tension off your incisions. You will have drain tubes in place and these are left in place for 7 to 10 days. You will be allowed to sponge bath while the drains are in place. You will be provided an abdominal binder or compression garments to wear and you should keep this in place for 3 weeks, removing it to bathe. The drains are usually removed after 10 days and you may resume showering. You can usually walk in a normal position 10 days after surgery. You will be seen by Dr. Gonyon within a week of surgery to ensure that you are having a normal recovery.

You will have gauze over your incisions. You may changes these if needed but otherwise you may leave them in place until you are seen by Dr. Gonyon

Resuming normal activities:

You should be able to return to light activity at 2 weeks. Most patients are able to return to restricted work at 3 weeks and full work duty at 6 weeks. Full exercise can be resumed at 12 weeks. As you increase your activity, you may notice temporary increased swelling. This will usually subside over 2 to 3 months. It can take 6 to 12 months for you to reach your final result.

Your scars will be firm and pink for at least six weeks. After approximately 6 months, your scars will begin to fade.

Your Results!

The vast majority of patients are very satisfied with the results of a tummy tuck. It is important for you to return for your regularly scheduled visits with Dr. Gonyon to ensure that you are recovering as expected and that you have achieved a good result.

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