Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
The coveted 'flat tummy', yes, you can have it.
- Have you had children and it stretched your abdominal skin and muscles?
- Are you self-conscience when in a swimsuit or when being intimate with your partner because of loose skin on your abdomen?
- Do you exercise to try and flatten your tummy to no avail?
Perhaps an Abdominoplasty is right for you.
About Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty is surgery of the abdomen for (usually) cosmetic purposes. Excess skin is removed and lax muscles are often tightened. In the end, your abdomen is much smoother and tighter, clothes fit better and self-confidence is improved. The complexity of an abdominoplasty will vary depending on the patient, the amount of loose skin, the amount of muscle laxity and the desired improvement. Sometimes only a ‘mini’ abdominoplasty is required which is a shorter incision, the belly button is unaffected and the muscle are not affected. More commonly, a standard abdominoplasty is performed, which requires an incision hip to hip, the abdominal muscles are sutured together to tighten them, the belly button (umbilicus) is released via a circular incision, the skin is pulled down and excess is trimmed off, the belly button is then released back into its original position and sutured into place. Stretch marks are often trimmed away with a tummy tuck. Sometimes an ‘extended abdominoplasty is performed with incisions that extend around the hips to remove excess skin that extends past the abdomen, and still yet, sometimes a lower body lift is required. An abdominoplasty procedure can accomplish what no amount of exercise possibly could. It is one of the most popular procedures performed and has a very high satisfaction rating.
Costs and Financing
Abdominoplasty is sometimes, but not often, covered by insurance if the excess skin causes health issues for the patient and their insurance covers such procedures. More often, it is cosmetic and not covered by insurance. Total Cost for abdominoplasty generally varies between $8,500 and $12,000 which includes pre and post op appointments, the surgical fee, anesthesia and required recovery garments. Be certain when you are getting approximate quotes for procedures that you are getting an actual estimate of the entire cost and not just the surgeon fee so that you aren’t surprised later. We understand that financing is a concern for many people and an important part of the decision making process. We offer several options for financing and will work with you to come up with a surgical plan and financing that suits your needs.
The Surgery
The surgery is usually performed in our state-of-the-art, accredited surgery suite in our Kirkland Clinic and is an outpatient procedure but, on occasion, an abdominoplasty will be performed at a hospital, especially if it is extensive and/or combined with other procedures. We avoid general anesthesia and a tube down the throat, preferring to give ‘twilight sleep’ with the patient breathing on your own. Dr. Partington will carefully follow the surgical plan he has set forth with you using the best technique for your given situation. The surgery generally takes about two to four hours. You will be observed for some time after your procedure and then released to go home with the adult caretaker you have chosen.
Recovery
Post-operative pain varies with abdominoplasty depending on how extensive your procedure was but, in general tends to be more aggressive than pain after other procedures. You will go home with a pain pump which releases medicine into the operative area and helps with pain for the first 5 days. In addition, you will be prescribed medication to help with the pain. You will be given instructions on how to care for yourself at home. These instructions are gone over with you prior to your surgery. It is very important that you follow the instructions given to you and communicate with your surgeon about anything that seems unusual. During your initial healing you will walk sort of hunched over as you acclimate to the new tautness of your abdomen. Eventually you will feel comfortable standing upright and, as your recovery progresses, normal mobility of the abdomen should return. The typical time taken off work for an abdominoplasty is about a week. Some patients take two weeks and some even more especially if their abdominoplasty was combined with other procedures. There are scars associated with abdominoplasty. Usually, there is a scar across the low hips and one around the belly button. Sometimes, when there is a high amount of excess skin (as can be the case with some post weight loss patients) there can be an incision down the center of the abdomen. Patients scar in different ways. For most patients, scars start out red and eventually fade into soft white lines. Scars generally take a year to fully ‘mature’. The vast majority of patients feel that the eventual faded scars are a worthwhile trade-off for the improvement in their proportion self-esteem.
Is Abdominoplasty right for you?
If you think you might benefit from abdominoplasty, please contact us to schedule your consultation.