Tummy Tuck

Tummy tuck is a surgical procedure that removes excessive fat and skin in the abdominal area and tightens the muscles of the inner wall. This is often done by some people after many natural and usual methods, such as diets or sports have failed to get rid of the belly's excess fat. Good physical health is one of the most important conditions to undergo a tummy tuck.

Some people may undergo a tummy tuck surgery for several different reasons, including:

• Eliminate sagging skin after weight reduction, especially in obese cases.
• Get rid of excess fat and sagging skin after pregnancy for one or more times.

A person who wants to have a tummy tuck must have a number of conditions to ensure his safety and avoid any complications that may threatens his life, such as:

• Stay away from smoking cigarettes for at least two weeks.
• Avoid taking blood thinners, herbal supplements, NSAIDs and aspirin.
• A person who wants to have a tummy tuck must be healthy and has a disease-free tests.

Before undergoing a tummy tuck surgery the patient should undergo a series of tests, which may include the following depending on the patient's condition and what the responsible plastic surgeon may decide:

• Knowing the patient's medical history, so that the patient informs his or her doctor about past and allergic reactions to the medication or certain substances (if any).
• Physical examination and evaluation of the abdominal area, the doctor can take a set of images of the abdomen to compare after the surgery and put them in the patient's record.
• Blood tests.
• Urine test.
• Pregnancy test.

Depending on the patient's condition, the plastic and reconstructive surgeon may request other tests.

Tummy buck surgery may include some risks and complications, the patient should be aware of all of them after discussing with the plastic surgeon, some of these complications:

• Subcutaneous bleeding.
• Allergic reaction with the anesthesia.
• Infection.
• Pain, numbness and general fatigue.
• Blood clot.
• Poor healing of surgery incision.
• Subcutaneous fluid accumulation.
• Swelling or discoloration of the skin.
• Unwanted scars on abdomen area, it could be permanent.
• The possibility of re-operation to modify the surgical mistakes.
• Death or damage subcutaneous deep fatty tissue.

This surgery includes three main stages:

• Preparing the patient for the surgery:

After testing and verifying the patient's ability to undergo this type of operations, a range of medications are given to prepare him, while some other drugs may be a as a preventive procedure to avoid complications. The patient discusses with his or her surgeon the most appropriate method of tummy tuck, as the tummy tuck surgery involves two methods: complete and partial, and then sign the consent form, which includes information about all the risks and complications of the surgery and the followed procedures then his total approval.

• During the surgery: 

The patient is given general anesthesia, and sometimes may be given an analgesic so that he remains partially awake, and then the surgeon follows one of two ways to tighten the abdomen:

1. Complete tummy tuck: The plastic surgeon cuts the abdominal area from the hipbone on one side of the body to the hipbone from the other side through the upper side of pubic area, and then makes another incision around the navel,then pulling the abdominal muscles after separate them from the skin and fix them into place to look more tighten within the abdomen, the separated flap of skin is then restored and fixed over the tight muscles, the excess skin is removed and the navel is restored to its natural position, then the incision is closed and wrapped with a compression bandage. Tubes may be placed under the skin for continued discharge of accumulated fluid, and are often removed after several days.

1. Partial tummy tuck: The plastic and reconstructive surgeon performs a smaller incision in the abdominal above the pubic area, the accumulated fat deposits under the skin is removed down from the navel without reaching it or changing its position as in the full tummy tuck surgery, after that the surgeon closes the incision and wraps it with a compression bandage.

Full tummy tuck may take two to five hours, while partial tummy tuck takes usually only two hours.

• After the surgery: 

After the operation, the patient can be kept in hospital for one night only in some cases to monitor his condition and to be sure of the success of the surgery, while in other cases that the surgery is conducted in the doctor's clinic the patient can leave in the same day. The plastic surgeon puts a compressed bandage on the incisions to reduce the swelling that may occur.

Often the patient suffers from pain and swelling for days after the operation, so the plastic surgeon responsible for the case recommends to the patient some pain medication and some other tips to deal with the expected pain, as this pain can accompany the patient for weeks and possibly for several months.

The duration of recovery from the tummy tuck surgery takes approximately six weeks, during which the patient must adhere to a set of instructions that may help him to recover quickly and return to normal activities, as the patient is prevented from carrying out any strenuous work or activities during this period, also following a healthy diet and following your doctor's instructions carefully can speed up the healing process.

The patient often feels satisfaction when the results of the tummy tuck start to appear several months after the operation, so he must be patient and adhere strictly to the instructions after the tummy tuck surgery until reaching the desired results