Tummy Tuck
For many people, loose skin, excess fat, abdominal bulges and other cosmetic issues in the abdominal area can be a major issue of insecurity and concern. This is especially true as the appearance of a protruding stomach can persist despite exercise, calorie counting and weight loss. These concerns can be particularly important following pregnancy, weight loss or other changes that can have a major impact on body image and appearance. There are options that can help you take action to restore your slender appearance and enhance the look of your abdominal area.
An abdominoplasty or tummy tuck is a popular plastic surgery procedure that can reshape the abdominal area to show off the look and feel of a tight, flat, toned stomach.
At Cold Spring Plastic Surgery, our plastic surgeons are experts who have performed many successful tummy tuck procedures over the years. Tummy tucks can be a great choice for both women and men, and your plastic surgeon can remove excess skin and restore the appearance of weakened muscles in the abdomen.
Who is a Good Candidate For a Tummy Tuck?
A tummy tuck can be a great surgical option for anyone with stubborn pockets of fat or remaining loose skin in the abdomen despite exercise, diet and other attempts to change the appearance of the area. This procedure can be an effective choice for people in generally good health and physical condition but who are dealing with loosened and weakened muscles, fatty or protruding bulges or stretched and sagging skin in the abdominal region. It can be an excellent choice for people who have had changes to the appearance of their bodies after pregnancy, people who have had significant weight loss but have remaining sagging skin or people who are somewhat overweight and older who have lost elasticity in their skin due to aging.
A tummy tuck is an excellent way to respond to the aesthetic changes in the body caused by pregnancy. Because of this, an abdominoplasty is recommended for women who have completed their planned pregnancies and are not planning on future childbirth. Pregnancy and childbirth in the future could be expected to diminish the changes and results of the tummy tuck procedure. In addition, a tummy tuck is a good choice for people who have completed their planned weight loss. If you are planning on major weight loss in the future, it is best to plan this procedure following weight loss in order to address all loose skin at one time.
The Long Island tummy tuck plastic surgeons at Cold Spring Plastic Surgery will develop an individualized assessment and plan for your procedure to help you achieve your aesthetic goals. Your surgeon will work to sculpt the appearance of your abdomen in order to produce the silhouette you desire. A tummy tuck is not only a technically precise surgery, it is also an aesthetic, artistic procedure that results in a natural, attractive, toned look in the abdomen.
What is Tummy Tuck Surgery Like?
Prior to surgery, you will have a one-on-one consultation with your Huntington plastic surgeon that will include a review of your medical history and desired outcomes for the procedure. Your surgeon will review expectations and others’ experiences for a tummy tuck with you in order to develop a surgical plan.
The abdominoplasty procedure is performed under general anesthesia and takes from two to five hours. A tummy tuck can be performed on an outpatient or inpatient basis, depending on your surgeon’s assessment of your health needs and the extent of your procedure.
During the procedure, your surgeon will make two incisions, one of which will sit around the navel while the other will stretch between the hip bones near your pubic area.
Your surgeon will then separate the skin over the area from the musculature of the abdomen; the surgeon will bring the muscles back together where they had separated and contour them to put them in place. This process will produce a slimmer, firmer abdominal area and a narrower, naturally appearing waist. The surgeon will then remove excess skin covering the abdominal area and lay the skin precisely over the newly tightened muscles. This will work to ensure a natural, precise appearance of the abdomen, waist and navel.
What Results Can You Expect from a Tummy Tuck?
You can expect that abdominoplasty will leave you with a flatter, more toned and more shapely abdominal area and stomach. A tummy tuck is designed to restore the youthful, slender appearance of the stomach and highlight a natural waist and contour. This procedure can have excellent effects on body confidence and body image, especially after changes to the body that have affected a patient’s comfort while naked, in a swimsuit or while wearing clothes. You can expect to be more comfortable in revealing clothing like a bikini or a body conscious dress or simply feel more confident in your own skin.
A tummy tuck can leave some scarring in the abdominal area; however, the plastic surgeons at Cold Spring Plastic Surgery are experienced in minimizing scarring. They take care to use techniques for incisions that can be covered even in a small bikini, so you can feel comfortable in lingerie or on the beach. You can expect the results of this procedure to be long-lasting and even permanent. The appearance of your abdominal area can even improve further with continued exercise.
What is the Recovery Like for a Tummy Tuck?
After your procedure, your surgeon will provide you with individualized guidance to care for your body. Following the surgery, you can wear compression garments to protect the abdominal area. You may have a tube temporarily inserted under the skin to drain fluid that may occur. You will need to rest for approximately 48 hours following the tummy tuck, but you can expect to get up to the bathroom and other similar needs on the same day of your surgery.
Complete recovery will take from two weeks to two months following your procedure. In one to two weeks after the procedure, you can return to your workplace and normal routine. During that time, moving around can help to improve your recovery, and you can return to normal exercise routines in six weeks.
Request a Tummy Tuck Consultation
The Long Island plastic surgeons at Cold Spring Plastic Surgery will be happy to discuss a tummy tuck and how an abdominoplasty can help you. Call us or use our online form to make an appointment at our convenient Huntington office in Suffolk County on Long Island. We look forward to speaking with you about how our plastic surgeons can help you achieve your aesthetic goals.