One of our most popular operations is a tummy tuck, officially known as an “abdominoplasty,” and recent advances, like having no drains after surgery, have been met with cheers from our patients. Tummy tucks can be done as part of a mommy makeover, or they can be done as a separate procedure. But first, it’s important to understand some basic information about the procedure. Below are commonly asked questions.
I have a tummy pooch after having babies. Can I have liposuction to get rid of it? That depends on whether you have loose skin. If your skin tone is good, and the pooch is squeezable, liposuction is probably a good option. If you have loose skin, liposuction won’t be very helpful, and can make the skin even looser!
I have loose tummy skin. How can a tummy tuck help? Imagine drawing a line low across your lower belly, like the top of a bikini. Now draw another line from each hip bone to just above your belly button. All the skin you have just outlined is removed with a tummy tuck. That’s a lot of skin! The skin from the upper part of the tummy is stretched to cover the entire area, giving your abdomen a much tighter, firmer contour.
What happens to my belly button? The belly button stays put. It is separated from the surrounding skin, and it stays buried while the upper abdominal skin is being redraped. A new opening is created, and the belly button is sutured in place. Our new belly button design, which leads to a more natural appearing belly button is one of our tummy tuck advances!
I’ve heard a tummy tuck can repair torn muscles. Why are they torn? Pregnancy, weight gain, and other body changes can put a lot of stretch on the six-pack muscles of the abdomen. The six-packs are actually two vertical, ribbon-like muscles that extend from the ribs all the way down to the pubic bone. The muscles are not actually torn, just stretched apart. Imagine how much they stretch apart by the time a baby is full-term! While they shrink back together, there is often a gap that remains, so we actually sew the muscles together and close the gap. The muscles can then work more efficiently, which can help support the back better and improve the abdominal contour.
Do I need drains after surgery? Here is one of our most exciting changes to traditional tummy tucks- a tummy tuck that requires no drains to contend with after surgery! While tummy tucks have traditionally required drains, advances in abdominoplasty surgery have resulted in no drains in suitable patients. We’ve been thrilled to introduce the Progressive Tension Suture (PTS) technique to our practice. When we redrape the remaining skin, we put individual sutures that advance the skin and tack it to the muscle wall. This results in a lower complication rate and less tension across the incision. (We wish everyone were a candidate, but some people don’t have the tissues to support the sutures.) We are thrilled to be able to offer our patients the “no drain” tummy tuck as well as our new design for the belly button.