Tummy Tuck as a Mommy Makeover Surgery

Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty is one of the most common “mommy makeover” surgeries.  In this procedure, plastic surgeons create a horizontally-oriented incision below the navel to get rid of the hanging, loose skin across the abdomen; and if needed, they also tighten the underlying muscle to further achieve a toner and slimmer appearance.

The procedure is more commonly performed on women than men because they experience pregnancy that often results to loose skin and stretched/weakened abdominal muscles.  By contrast, male patients only need this surgery after losing a significant amount of weight that left them with pannus, which is an apron-shaped skin in their abdomen.

Traditional tummy tuck involves a horizontal incision placed just within or above the pubic region.  The length of the surgical cut depends on the amount of skin to be removed, overall structure of the abdomen, and sometimes even the style of bathing suit or undergarments a patient prefers to wear.

Plastic surgeons will make every effort to keep the incision within the undergarment or bathing suit lines; however, this may not always be possible particularly those with excessive flap of skin and fats that reach and cover the pubic area.

In addition to the horizontal incision within or above the pubic region, doctors also create another one to free the navel in order to pull down the redundant skin above it, and remove any excess tissue.  The position of the belly button remains unchanged.

For some patients, the abdominal wall must be tightened and sutured to further address the sagging appearance.  This approach is particularly necessary for women who had previous pregnancies.

Because some of the skin is removed, the stretch marks in the area may be eliminated as well.  Any remaining purplish or whitish lines may become less apparent, although patients should not expect a dramatic change in their appearance.

The result of tummy tuck is supposed to last a lifetime, unless a person gains or loses a significant amount of weight.  The post-surgical outcome may also be reversed by pregnancy; for this reason, it is best to postpone the surgery if a woman is planning to have children in the future.

As with any body contouring surgery, there is really no point of having tummy tuck if one is not willing to maintain a stable weight through healthy diet and regular exercise.  It is important to note that while touch-ups are fairly common with this procedure, it results to more scarring.