Tummy Tuck
Abdominoplasty, or what is more commonly referred to as a tummy tuck, is a cosmetic procedure that is in high demand; in fact, it consistently ranks in the top five most requested procedures, with over 150,000 performed in the U.S. in 2022. A tummy tuck is designed to step in where diet and exercise fail: it removes excess skin and fat, leaving you with a tighter, more toned midsection. In some cases, you may want to add liposuction to your abdominoplasty procedure, which can further help to slim and sculpt your abdomen.
Dr. Franziska Huettner utilizes her expert skills and state-of-the-art techniques to perform abdominoplasty procedures, with or without liposuction, to provide her patients with the smoother, flatter abdomen you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
What is Abdominoplasty?
Abdominoplasty is an elective surgery designed to reshape and tighten your abdominal wall. Pregnancy, fluctuations in your weight, genetics and age can all have an adverse effect on your abdominal contour, leaving you with loose skin, stubborn pockets of fat and stretched abdominal wall muscles and muscle sheets. A tummy tuck can fix all of that by removing excess fatty tissue and sagging skin, while also repairing and tightening your abdominal muscle sheets. The result is the smoother, flatter stomach you’ve been working so hard to achieve.
It is essential to understand the purpose of a tummy tuck, and that you are clear that it is not a method of weight loss, but rather a way to complement your weight loss process. Considering the physical changes that weight fluctuations and pregnancy leave behind (like excess skin and fat deposits), a tummy tuck is used to augment your fitness efforts by removing redundant tissue and restoring a slimmer contour.
The other purpose of abdominoplasty is abdominal muscle sheet repair. Diastasis recti (or abdominal muscle sheet separation) occurs when too much pressure is put on your abdominal muscles from the inside, causing them to separate down the midline. This is a common issue during pregnancy, with nearly one-third of pregnant women experiencing some degree of diastasis recti. The result is a weakened core and lower back pain, as well as a noticeable stomach “pooch” that doesn’t respond to even your best diet and exercise efforts. However, it is a condition that is easily fixed during a tummy tuck.
What is the procedure like?
Abdominoplasty is typically an outpatient procedure performed using general anesthesia. Most of the time, unless you have medical problems that would prohibit this, the procedure is conveniently performed as outpatient in the comfort of the fully accredited office based surgical center in the office.
The abdominoplasty procedure begins with Dr. Huettner making a horizontal incision across your lower abdomen, in the area below your belly button and above your pubic area. She will lift the skin, stitching together your separated abdominal muscle sheets if necessary, which will restore strength to your abdominal wall. She will then remove excess fatty deposits, pull the skin from your upper abdomen down and trim away any remaining redundant tissue. Dr. Huettner completes your abdominoplasty by creating a new opening for your belly button, and carefully closing the incision, leaving you with a flatter, smoother stomach.
In the majority of times Dr. Huettner performs a LIPO-ABDOMINOPLASTY, where she utilizes a special technique, combining liposuction and Abdominoplasty to create a nicely shaped abdominal wall with sparing of the blood supply to improve the outcome of the patients.
Many times patients chose to add adding areas of liposuction at the time of the abdominal surgery.
If you have chosen to include additional liposuction areas in your abdominoplasty surgery, Dr. Huettner will perform the liposuction in the selected areas as she completes your tummy tuck. In some cases, you may want to enhance the contouring of your midsection by getting liposuction on your flanks, waist, or back to augment your slimmer contour. In this case, liposuction can easily be combined with your tummy tuck, giving you the results you want in one convenient procedure.
Recovery & Results
After your abdominoplasty surgery, you will experience discomfort and swelling. Dr. Huettner will prescribe pain medication for you, and you will wear a compression garment to help reduce swelling and offer extra support to your healing abdominal muscle sheets. Many people don’t realize that abdominoplasty is a significant surgery, so you will need to allow plenty of downtime and follow Dr. Huettner’s post-surgery instructions to the letter to help ensure a safe and successful recovery.
In the first couple of weeks after your surgery, you will need to rest and take it easy, although walking is encouraged to help reduce swelling and prevent blood clots from forming.
Lifting anything over about five pounds is prohibited for those first couple weeks as well, and Dr. Huettner will monitor your recovery at follow-up appointments, letting you know when you can gradually begin to add daily activities back into your routine.
Much of the swelling typically subsides within the first month, giving you a glimpse of your trimmed down middle. However, it may take up to six months or more for your final outcome to be fully visible, as your body heals and settles into its new shape. The results of your abdominoplasty as lasting, as long as you continue to maintain a healthy, stable weight.
We are here to help
If you’re tired of the pain and discomfort caused by your breasts and want a change, Dr. Franziska Huettner can help you achieve the shapely, feminine and pain-free breasts you deserve. As a double board-certified surgeon with the credentials and experience to match, her exclusive patients receive highly personalized care and beautiful, artistic results that can only be achieved with skill and finesse.
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