Abdominoplasty, colloquially known as a tummy tuck, is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the world. If you’re at your wits’ end after trying everything to improve the appearance of your abdomen, abdominoplasty at Tarola Plastic Surgery in Murfreesboro, TN may be just the solution you’ve needed all along. Today, we’re looking at what you can expect during this procedure.

What to Expect During a Tummy Tuck

What occurs during your tummy tuck depends on why you are seeking the procedure and the variation of the procedure needed. If you are only concerned about loose, sagging skin and excess fat beneath your navel, you may benefit from a mini-tuck.

If you are suffering from medical conditions affecting your abdominal region, such as a ventral hernia or stress urinary incontinence, you need a full tuck. If you are also concerned about other areas within your core, you need an extended tuck.

Excess Skin Removal

Regardless of whether you need a mini-tuck, full tuck, or extended tuck, you can expect excess skin to be removed. The location of the excess skin removal is determined by the type of tuck performed. If you are only concerned about the appearance of your lower abdomen, only excess skin below the navel is removed.

If you are concerned about the appearance of your entire abdomen, Dr. Tarola will remove excess skin from both above and below the navel. Finally, if you need an extended tuck, excess skin will be removed from your entire abdomen as well as your lower back and flanks and hips.

Skin Tightening

Whether you have excess skin that needs to be removed or not, you can expect loose skin to be tightened. If you only need a mini-abdominoplasty, the loose skin beneath your navel will be tightened. If you are receiving a full abdominoplasty, the skin above and below your belly button will be tightened.

Finally, you can expect loose skin to be tightened around your entire lower core and upper abdomen if you receive an extended tuck. Keep in mind, you may not be considered a good candidate for this procedure if your skin is perfectly taut. There has to be a little “give” for the incisions to be made.

Whether your loose skin bothers you so much that you want it to be addressed or you’ve recently lost a lot of weight and want to give your skin time to tighten on its own will be discussed during your initial consultation.

Excess Fat Removal

During a tummy tuck, you can also expect the removal of excess fat. How much fat you can expect to lose depends on several factors, including the type of abdominoplasty you undergo, how much excess fat is in your abdominal region, and whether you simultaneously undergo liposuction.

It is crucial to understand that abdominoplasty is not a fat removal procedure. In fact, significant fat loss is beyond the scope of the procedure and requires simultaneous liposuction. Without liposuction, you can expect to lose a pound or two of fat through excision.

With liposuction, you can expect to lose between 10 and 11 pounds safely. However, the final results of such a body contouring procedure are not visible until four to months post-op.

Muscle Tightening

It’s commonly thought that the scope of abdominoplasty is to re-contour the abdominal skin by removing excess skin and tightening the remaining skin. While the appearance of your skin plays a significant role in your abdominal contours, it is certainly not the only important factor.

A full abdominoplasty is also used to tighten the abdominal muscles above and below the belly button.

The Correction of Stress Urinary Incontinence

While many people find the fact that they suffer from stress urinary incontinence embarrassing, we strongly encourage you to bring it up during your initial consultation if it is a concern. Stress urinary incontinence is a condition that affects men and women alike, but most often affects older women or women who have given vaginal birth.

If you suffer from this condition and have tried medications and lifestyle changes to no avail, you may benefit greatly from a full tuck. During your full tuck, Dr. Tarola will tighten the soft tissues that support the pelvic floor, bladder, and urethra.

The extra tension caused by this tightening will help to keep your bladder closed and mitigate the risk of leaks when you cough, sneeze, run, jump, laugh, or drive over a pothole.

The Correction of Ventral Hernias

You can also expect the correction of ventral hernias during your full tuck if you have not already undergone a procedure to address the issue. Even better, the tightening of the abdominal walls that occurs during every full tuck mitigates the risk that tissues will penetrate the wall of your abdomen in the future.

This is crucial for your future quality of life because one of the risk factors of future ventral hernias is a history of ventral hernias.

Learn More About This Procedure Now

Do you lead a fairly healthy lifestyle including a healthy diet and regular exercise? Are you sick and tired of loose abdominal skin and excess belly fat? If so, you may be the perfect candidate for a tummy tuck. To learn more about this procedure or find out how it can benefit you, contact us now at Tarola Plastic Surgery in Murfreesboro, TN to schedule your initial consultation.

And if worrying about the appearance of your abdomen has caused deep frown lines on your forehead, let Dr. Nicholas A. Tarola, MD know during your initial consultation. Botox can relax your tense muscles and smooth out the deepest lines with ease.