The Hourglass Tummy Tuck is a V-shaped incision that removes excess skin and fat from the lower belly, hips, and waist, while also tightening the underlying abdominal muscles. The procedure can be performed through three different incisions: one horizontal across the lower abdomen; one vertical on each side of the bikini line; and one straight horizontal incision through which the excess skin will be removed.
The horizontal incision is made about three inches below the belly button. The surgeon then removes any excess skin in this area to give your body a more defined hourglass shape. Afterwards, muscle tightening occurs by suturing together several different muscles with small stitches. This helps give your abdomen a more toned look overall.
Read on to learn more about Hourglass Tummy Tuck Scars, What Does A Tummy Tuck Do? and Narrowing the Waist for an Hourglass Effect
Hourglass Tummy Tuck Scars
Scarring after the hourglass tummy tuck
Abdominoplasty, more commonly known as the tummy tuck, is a complex plastic surgery procedure performed with the aim to eliminate fat and skin tissues that are in excess on the inferior part of the tummy. During this procedure, the plastic surgeon can also strengthen loose abdominal muscles and correct umbilical hernia, if present.
The tummy tuck is recommended for patients of both sexes and of different ages who suffer from imperfections of the abdominal wall caused by different factors such as weight fluctuations, massive weight loss, or multiple pregnancies. This procedure is for patients of a normal weight who understand the limitations, risks, and complications associated with the procedure.
The hourglass tummy tuck derives from the classic abdominoplasty but has been improved to correct imperfections of the silhouette such as adipose deposits on the flanks, tummy, and narrow hips. The hourglass tummy tuck is a combination of liposuction, tummy tuck and fat transfer to the hips. As you can see, multiple areas of the body are targeted.
For liposuction, small incisions are required. The plastic surgeon will start on the flanks and abdomen and insert the liposuction cannula that will liquify and extract fat. The incisions are often no larger than 3 to 4 mm. When it comes to the incisions for the tummy tuck, we always have a suprapubic incision that can be smaller or from hip bone to hip bone. This incision is needed so the plastic surgeon can detach the skin from the muscles and then remove the excess skin tissue. If the skin sagginess is more severe, an additional incision will be required to reposition the belly button. This incision will have a circular shape and will be positioned around the navel. Most tummy tucks don’t need more than these two incisions, but if the procedure is performed secondary to massive weight loss (e.g. on patients who had bariatric surgery), additional incisions will be needed in many cases. These incisions can be performed on the flanks when there is saggy skin there as well. When it comes to the incisions needed for the fat transfer, they are also small and negligible as the plastic surgeon will use special syringes to inject the fat into the hips.
As you can see, the scarring after the hourglass tummy tuck is not very different from the scars left behind by a classic abdominoplasty procedure. The scarring can be different from patient to patient and depending on the cicatrization process of each patient. However, it is important to understand that the significant scars that are left behind are the same as in the case of the traditional tummy tuck. The scars left after liposuction and the fat transfer to the hips are usually very difficult to detect after they are fully healed and matured for people who don’t know you had undergone surgery.
What Does A Tummy Tuck Do?
A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a body contouring procedure that primarily involves skin removal to sculpt a trimmer, firmer, more appealing midsection. In some cases, fat removal surgery (liposuction) is performed in conjunction with tummy tuck surgery to remove stubborn pockets of fat and help patients achieve an even more dramatic transformation. Tummy tuck surgery is popular among women who have had children and are looking to restore their pre-pregnancy body, but it can also be highly beneficial for patients who have developed sagging skin and stubborn fat due to weight loss, aging, or other factors. Some of the most compelling improvements that can be made during Northern Virginia tummy tuck surgery include:
- Trim excess skin
- Tighten loose skin
- Remove pockets of fat
- Correct separated abdominal muscles (diastasis recti)
- Fix a hernia
- Improve continence
- Boost self-esteem
- Accentuate bust and buttocks
Narrowing the Waist for an Hourglass Effect
A few treatment options can effectively narrow a blocky or cylindrical-looking waist and produce an hourglass-like silhouette.
For individuals that simply have excess fat on the sides of the abdomen, liposuction on the flanks (the area right above the hips) can reduce the circumference of the waistline and “tuck in” the right areas. By carefully removing pockets of fat, Dr. Sanders can accentuate the contour between the bottom of the ribcage and the top of the hips so that it gently curves inward.
However, individuals that have loose tissues and sagging skin in the abdominal area — because of multiple pregnancies or significant weight loss — cannot achieve their desired outcomes with liposuction alone. In these cases, the better option is tummy tuck surgery (also known as abdominoplasty).
Tummy tuck is a popular and effective way to contour the front and sides of the abdomen for a narrower waistline. Patients usually report losing dress sizes or inches from their waistline after healing from surgery.
During the tummy tuck procedure, Dr. Sanders accomplishes the following:
- removes excess abdominal tissue
- removes loose, sagging skin
- repairs loose or weakened abdominal muscles and stitches the muscles together
- tightens the abdominal skin
- eliminates pockets of excess fat on the front and sides of the abdomen