The body of a woman is designed to produce life and to support a child. However, sometimes the stomach doesn’t recover after labor and pregnancy. Surgery called a “tummy tuck” is used to remove extra skin and fat from the abdomen. Additionally, it can realign the belly button, tighten the muscular wall of the abdominal wall, and eliminate stretch marks.
Patients feel less pain and more confident in their appearance following surgery. They may now enjoy sports they previously couldn’t perform and wear clothes they previously couldn’t fit into without worrying about what others would think about their tummies.
You could struggle to discover the proper information online, so we’ve provided the greatest resources for you in the following post.
Female tummy tuck before and after
A stomach tuck can be quite beneficial if you have extra skin and fat around your abdomen that won’t go away despite diet and exercise. A tummy tuck is a helpful operation for those who have lost weight or given birth since it removes excess skin and fat from the area around your stomach, giving you a more youthful appearance. Additionally, a belly tuck helps restore weak or strained abdominal muscles.
A stomach tuck, also known as an abdominoplasty, removes extra skin and fat to give the abdomen a toned appearance. Following the surgery, patients report feeling better overall and having more comfortable clothes fits. Patients frequently decide to lead more active lifestyles as a result of their increased self-confidence.
Serving the Nashville and Franklin regions, board-certified, Mayo Clinic trained NashvillesNext
Stages of swelling after tummy tuck
Everyone who undergoes a Pittsburgh tummy tuck that I perform laments the lower abdominal swelling and pain it brings on after the procedure. The bad news is that every patient experiences lower abdomen edema following stomach tuck surgery. Depending on how well you adhere to your surgeon’s recommendations and your general health, it might vary dramatically in how noticeable it is or how problematic it gets! I prefer to explain to patients what to anticipate before surgery at my plastic surgery practice in Pittsburgh so they are ready for the unavoidable.
After a belly tuck, you can anticipate some swelling, which will peak around days 3–5. Your swelling and/or bruising will significantly lessen as a result.
Post Operative Swelling: Why Does Swelling Happen?
When a horizontal incision is made across the lower abdomen, the skin just above the incision now has an altered blood supply. Blood can get in, but it has a harder time getting out because the veins run north to the chest and gravity works against them. Patients that have had flank liposuction at the same time as an abdominoplasty seem to have more swelling. I do this frequently to contour the waist. A basic principal is the fatter or thicker your tummy skin prior to the surgery, the higher the likelihood you will have prolonged abdominal swelling.
Avoiding Swelling After Tummy Tuck Surgery
The good news is that there are some fairly simple steps you can take to reduce the swelling after tummy tuck surgery and speed your post-tummy tuck recovery.
Banish the Bulge: Lay Flat
I always advise my patients to spend the first four days after surgery lying with their chests fairly flat and their legs elevated to aid in venous return from the skin flap and from their legs, thereby reducing the incidence of deep venous thrombosis, in order to prevent swelling after their tummy tuck/abdominoplasty procedure. EVERY OTHER HOUR, stand up, move around, hastily eat, then lie down again. SITTING IS THE KISS OF DEATH It will cause your blood and swelling fluid to collect in your pelvis, causing further abdominal swelling. It’s nearly as harmful to lie in a “V” position. Bad recliners raise the chest rather than the legs.
Post Tummy Tuck Compression Garments
A decent compression garment that is neither too tight nor too loose, such as Spanx, a lipo garment, or girdle, will also gently compress the tissues and lessen edema. After a belly tuck, drains are frequently required to remove the fluid that would otherwise collect beneath the skin. Verify that they are functioning properly. Every hour, strip them, empty them, and note the drainage in ccs. At least twice every day, use alcohol to clean the areas of your skin near the drain entrances.
Drains are not always a good thing. They aid in the healing of the huge internal incision by forming a seal between the fat on the skin and the abdominal wall, but they are also a source of bacteria getting into the wound and can lead to
Drains are there to reduce swelling after tummy tuck.
Recently, a new technique by a father and son plastic surgery team has been developed that accelerates the healing of the skin flap, and reduces the swelling. I use plication sutures between the deep fat and the muscles to close the space that accumulates fluid. My drainage amounts have reduced by 60%. I have been using this technique for the past 18 months.
Watch Your Diet
Making sure you are eating a healthy, low sodium diet is another great way to ensure you are reducing your post-op swelling as much as you can. Your body needs proper nutrition and hydration in order to heal, so give it what it needs!
Retained Seroma: What To Do
A decent compression garment that is neither too tight nor too loose, such as Spanx, a lipo garment, or girdle, will also gently compress the tissues and lessen edema. After a belly tuck, drains are frequently required to remove the fluid that would otherwise collect beneath the skin. Verify that they are functioning properly. Every hour, strip them, empty them, and note the drainage in ccs. At least twice every day, use alcohol to clean the areas of your skin near the drain entrances.
Drains are not always a good thing. They aid in the healing of the huge internal incision by forming a seal between the fat on the skin and the abdominal wall, but they are also a source of bacteria getting into the wound and can lead to
Tummy Tuck Results
Here are some tummy tuck before and after photos of Dr. Cherup’s patients. Our website has a full gallery of untouched patient photos so you can see the real results that are possible from Pittsburgh’s top plastic surgeon.
How to reduce swelling after tummy tuck
After undergoing plastic surgery, especially a procedure as revolutionary as a stomach tuck, it’s typical to have both excitement and anxiety about seeing your improved appearance as soon as possible. Even though some treatments may produce apparent results right away, the full effects of most cosmetic procedures, including tummy tucks, often take weeks, months, or even longer to manifest as postoperative swelling decreases and wounds shrink. It’s critical for both men and women seeking a stomach tuck to have reasonable expectations regarding their recovery time and to exercise patience while they heal.
Dr. Christopher Khorsandi, Chief of Plastic Surgery at VIP Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas, NV, is a board-certified plastic surgeon who takes great effort to ensure that patients not only
WHAT DOES TUMMY TUCK DO?
Tummy tuck surgery, sometimes referred to as abdominoplasty, is a significant cosmetic operation that uses muscle strengthening, skin excision, and other methods to assist patients obtain or restore a smaller, smoother, tighter abdominal contour. Women who have given birth, people who have lost a lot of weight, or people who just have stubborn pockets of fat and loose, hanging skin as a result of aging are all excellent candidates for stomach tucks.
Dr. Khorsandi will create an incision on the lower abdomen, right above the pubic region, during the procedure in Las Vegas, Nevada. The amount of skin that must be removed and whether any further procedures are being done will determine the length of the incision that is required. Dr. Khorsandi is fully aware of the significance of maintaining
HOW LONG IS TUMMY TUCK RECOVERY?
The amount of time it takes to recuperate from a belly tuck depends on a number of variables, including as the patient’s general health and whether or not any other treatments were carried out during the operation. For instance, patients who undergo a stomach tuck along with breast augmentation, a thigh lift, and other procedures as part of a full mommy makeover transformation may need more time to recover. Generally, depending on the physical demands of their professions, patients having belly tucks should plan to miss two weeks of work. Lighter physical activity can normally be resumed after one to two weeks, but more demanding exercise should be avoided for at least six to eight weeks, or until your surgeon gives the all-clear. Although your abdominal area may noticeably change.
Tummy Tuck Cost
A 2020 American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) report estimates that a stomach tuck costs $6,154 on average. However, those rates do not account for expenses for items like anesthesia, the operating room, or medication. Depending on where you live, the price may increase to $20,000 after these expenses are factored in.
The cost of your stomach tuck may vary depending on your surgeon’s level of experience and the kind you choose. For instance, a little tummy tuck costs between $5,000 and $6,000 and is typically marginally less expensive than a full tummy tuck.
The costs quickly mount, starting with your initial consultation with a plastic surgeon and continuing with the equipment you’ll require while recovering.
Associated costs for a tummy tuck
The average cost of a tummy tuck is $6,154, according to a 2020 American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) report. But that amount doesn’t include costs for things like anesthesia, the operating room, or medication. Once you add in those costs, the price tag can soar to $20,000 depending on your location.
The experience level of your surgeon and the type of tummy tuck you have can make the final cost of the procedure higher or lower. A mini tummy tuck, for example, is usually slightly cheaper than a full tummy tuck and ranges between $5,000 to $6,000.
From your very first meeting with a plastic surgeon to the supplies that you’ll need during recovery, the expenses add up quickly. Tummy-tuck related costs you may pay include:
- Surgeon’s fee: This makes up the bulk of the average tummy tuck cost. More experienced surgeons, and surgeons in certain locations, typically charge more.
- Consultation fees: These are the fees you pay to meet with your plastic surgeon. Sometimes, these fees are included in your procedure cost quote, but not always.
- Anesthesia: There are fees for the time of the anesthesiologist and the anesthesia used in your procedure.
- Hospital or surgical-facility costs: The amount of the operating-room fee is based on where you have your surgery. Tummy tucks are usually done as outpatient procedures, so you’ll go home the same day as your procedure.
- Medical tests: You might need blood work or other diagnostic tests done before your tummy tuck.
- Post-surgery garments: Your surgeon will probably recommend that you wear compression garments after your surgery to help you heal faster and reduce skin sagging.
- Medications: You may need to take medications to help you heal or prevent infection. And you may have to pay those costs out of your own pocket.
The complexity of your tummy tuck procedure may also impact the cost. It’s important to discuss your situation, options, and potential costs with your healthcare provider.