Abdominoplasty or "tummy tuck" is a cosmetic surgery procedure to reshape and firm the abdomen. It involves the removal of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen in order to tighten the muscle of the abdominal wall. This type of surgery is usually sought by women (who are not considering having any more children) and individuals who have abdominal fat deposits which do not respond well to diet and exercise.

There are two broad varieties of abdominoplasty:

• Complete. Requires from about two to five hours
• Partial. Requires from about one to two hours

Procedures

Abdominoplasty operations vary in scope and are frequently subdivided into categories:

A complete abdominoplasty involves five steps:

1. An incision is made from hip to hip just above the pubic area.
2. Another incision is made to free the navel from the surrounding skin.
3. The skin is detached from the abdominal wall to reveal the muscles to be tightened. These muscles are tightened with sutures.
4. The skin flap is reattached with any extra skin being removed. A new hole for the navel is made and stitched into place.
5. All stitches are dressed and any excess fluid from the site is drained.

A partial abdominoplasty involves three steps:

1. A smaller incision is made.
2. The skin in removed between the incision and the navel. The skin is stretched down and excess skin removed.
3. The flap is stitched back into place.

An extended abdominoplasty is a complete abdominoplasty with extensions into the thighs (front) and/or flanks (back).

An abdominoplasty can be combined with a liposuction treatment.

Recovery from a complete abdominoplasty can take four to six weeks and patients are advised to take at least a portion of this recovery time off from work. Heavy activity especially must be avoided during this time. For the first ten days, a patient may experience bruising and discomfort. A supportive abdominal binder is normally worn to contain swelling and support the muscular repair. Patients are advised not to smoke both prior to surgery and during recovery. Smokers have a higher risk of complications with the operation.

Cost

The cost of a "tummy tuck" varies from country to country and even within locales of countries. As with most cosmetic surgery operations, the cost depends on a variety of factors like the age of the patient, their weight and the state of their health. Depending on the individuals, there may also be other costs involved after the operation. This does not include the follow-up visits as required by some doctors.

On average in the United States, this procedure can cost from USD$3,000 to as much as $20,000.

External links

• Tummy Tuck / Abdominoplasty information and before and after photos from PlasticSurgery.com
• In-depth description of abdominoplasty from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• Tummy Tuck Index from Plastic Surgery Interactive

Surgery