Press/Media
Tummy tucks or Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty is a procedure most commonly requested by women post pregnancy or after weight loss.
Following pregnancy/weight loss changes to the abdominal tissues result in stretching of the abdominal skin, redistribution of the remaining fat and relaxation of the abdominal wall muscles. There may also be excess in the buttock/back region that may need to be addressed.
Often patients describe both aesthetic and functional difficulties and find it hard to reveal themselves in public. They often find difficulty fitting in certain clothes and try and cover up their abdominal region resulting in a further lowering of self-esteem. The aim of abdominoplasty is to meet the needs and expectation of each individual patient using a variety of techniques.
Tummy tuck examples
Abdominoplasty usually involves surgery to all the lower abdominal tissue, separating the skin and fat from the abdominal wall, relocation of the tummy button and muscle wall plication leaving a scar that can be easily hidden. Occasionally a vertical scar in combination with a lower abdominal scar may be required although this is uncommon.
Liposuction can be performed alongside an abdominoplasty although it is important to consider previous scars and the risks involved with liposuction. It can help to define the hip/waist junction and its use in the upper part of the abdomen can help in defining the muscle edge and thus enhance aesthetic outcome.
Although redefinition of the abdominal muscle is aided by liposuction it is the plication or bringing together of the abdominal wall muscles that helps most to redefine the edges of the muscle. This can involve multiple different stitching techniques in cases where the abdominal wall has been stretched excessively.
Although uncommon, extended abdominoplasty where the scarring almost extends to the back is required to treat patients with excessive abdominal tissue. The same techniques combined with the extended abdominoplasty as described above can dramatically affect both cosmetic and functional outcome. In this case the patient did not wish to undergo a total body lift and wanted to achieve a functional improvement to enable her to wear clothes comfortably.
Where there is excessive tissue circumferentially around the body a total body lift may be considered. This combines both an abdominoplasty and buttock lift resulting in a circumferential scar. It has the benefit of improving the abdominal contour while also improving the contour of the buttocks. It is a longer procedure and should be performed in facilities with appropriate postoperative monitoring (preferably with ITU on site) and by a team who can limit the surgery time to less than 4 hours in order to minimise risks and complications.
The importance of consultation
A consultation regarding abdominoplasty must take into consideration the needs of each individual patient. Abdominoplasty remains an operation that can greatly improve quality of list for patients and give renewed self confidence. It should be performed, in suitable facilities, by surgeons able to offer a variety of different techniques. By minimising the risks one can optimise both the functional and aesthetic results and meet patient expectations.
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