By Betty Roberts


Tummy tuck (also referred to as abdominoplasty) is a surgical procedure aimed at creating a tauter abdominal wall. The procedure is mainly used when the available non-surgical measures have failed to achieve the desired results. The procedure itself involves the removal of excess fat and loose skin from the tummy. If they have plans of undergoing tummy tucks Somerville residents need to have some important information beforehand.

Tummy tuck can be performed to both men and women as long as they are in a good general state of health. The typical candidate is an individual with central obesity who has been exercising for at least six months but still has a lot of flabby skin around their tummy. Women who have just completed a period of pregnancy are also good candidates as they tend to have a lot of overstretched redundant skin.

The details of the preparation will be communicated by your doctor. Generally, the preparation will be similar to that undertaken when a person is to undergo a major operation. For instance, if you are a smoker, you need to stop smoking at least 2 weeks before the operation. Continued smoking may delay healing. Blood thinners and other drugs that may increase the probability of bleeding should also be stopped for some time.

There are two main types of operations that are performed: complete and partial (mini) abdominoplasty. The complete abdominoplasty is more extensive and has larger incisions. The mini abdominoplasty, on the other hand, involves of smaller quantities of fat mainly in the region below the navel. Ask the surgeon to show you illustration of incision placement so that you can participate in choosing your preferred technique.

Being a major operation, this surgery requires that general anesthesia be administered. What this means is that you will lose consciousness for the entire duration of the operation. This typically between an hour and five hours depending on the technique that is used and the extent of fat removal. When the required amount of fat has been extracted, the wound is stitched and dressed. Surgical tubes may be left in position to facilitate the flow of tissue fluids from the wound.

Remember that complications are a possibility just as is the case with any major operation. Pain is a major complain during the first few days of the post-operative period. This pain should respond to standard analgesic agents. Another common complication is that of infections. Proper use of antibiotics for between 10 and 14 days after surgery helps prevent this problem. Other likely complications include numbness, fatigue and swelling.

It is not uncommon for persons to undergo repeat operations due to an unsatisfactory results. One of the causes of subsequent surgeries is the loss of more skin that was intended due to insufficient healing. Unsightly scars are also common among persons that are predisposed to keloid formation. Even for a person who is not at risk of getting keloids, the scars never completely disappear.

There are a few cases in which this procedure is considered inappropriate. For example, a person that is planning to pregnant in the next few months should postpone it as the stretching effect of a growing pregnancy will cause the problem to recur. Another group of persons that need to reconsider the operation is that of obese individuals who want to lose large proportions of their weight. Abdominoplasty is not that helpful for this.




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