Tummy Tuck / Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty, otherwise known as a tummy tuck, is a procedure to remove excess skin and fat from the tummy and tighten / reshape it to reduce the bulge and flatten the tummy.
Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty, otherwise known as a tummy tuck, is a procedure to remove excess skin and fat from the tummy and tighten / reshape it to reduce the bulge and flatten the tummy.
Eligibility Criteria
Ideal candidates for Abdominoplasty include those who are fit and healthy, who want to improve their body shape.
For those who are ideal candidates for Abdominoplasty, I have found that the procedure can result in an improvement of body shape. There is no guarantee of specific results and the results can vary.
My Abdominoplasty procedure is carried out under general anaesthetic and takes two hours and you can prepare to spend two nights in hospital.*
Once you are asleep, I make a cut from side to side along the bikini line.
The skin and fat is then lifted off the tummy muscles. The belly button is preserved and everything from the bikini line region to the belly button is excised in a lemon slice of skin and fat.
The skin is then stitched down to the bikini line area and the muscles are then tightened with a stitch and the belly button brought back to the surface.
In most patients I will also do liposuction to the upper part of the tummy as well as the flanks to enhance the waist and improve the final outcome of the tummy tuck.
Please pay careful consideration to the following before your surgery:
- You must avoid consuming alcohol for a week prior to the procedure.
- You must not take anything that may thin your blood in the two weeks prior to the procedure.
The above is to ensure that your blood clots normally.
This includes the following:
- Anything with aspirin such as Grandpa, Anadin, Dispirin, some cold and flu medications and combination pain killers. You may take Panado.
- All multi vitamins, vitamin supplements, omegas, fish oils and green tea.
- Anything from a health shop.
After the procedure, you are taken back to the ward.
- After the procedure, you are taken back to the ward.
- The first night post procedure should be relatively painfree thanks to the painkillers and local anaesthetic.*
- The day after the procedure it is important that you mobilize, so we remove your drip and catheter and get up to the loo and to eat.
- After the catheter is removed, you will have a pressure garment put on.
- Whilst in bed you will have the compression pumps on at all times.
- Provided you are feeling well, on day two post procedure, you will return home with oral painkillers and the drain, which typically remains for a week, sometimes longer.
- When at home, the pumps are replaced with anti DVT stocking.
- You are encouraged to get up for at least five minutes every hour to walk around. You should not carry anything heavy however or do any activities such as housework or gardening.
- If liposuction has also been undertaken, you will need to massage the area to assist healing. You are recommended to perform self-massage for about 15 minutes, twice a day, ideally using a hand held massage device (available from Clicks / Dischem stores).
- During the first week post procedure, you must not allow your dressings to get wet. You may bathe in a shallow bath or use a basin.
- You will have a follow up consultation 4-5 days after the procedure at which time I will teach you how to look after and minimise your scars.
- In most cases, patients can start driving between two and three weeks after the operation.*
Disclaimer: The photos below are patients that have undergone a procedure by Dr Paul Mcgarr. Results and outcomes may vary from person to person. I will discuss your expectations and outcomes during your consultation.
Fleur-de-Lis Abdominoplasty
65 year old patient, 1 month post-opp.
RISKS
Don’t be shy about discussing your concerns at your consultation. It is important that you feel comfortable talking to me.
- In my experience I have found it very uncommon for a patient to develop a haematoma,* which is bleeding from the wound. It is for this reason that prior to the procedure, you must not take any blood thinning substances. In this event, you may need to return to theatre to remove the blood and stop any further bleeding.
- As with any operation, there is a small risk of infection. In most cases, this will respond well to antibiotics.
- I have found that occasionally, but rarely, patients may develop a seroma,* a collection of serous fluid, (which is your blood without the red blood cells.) In this event, it will require draining.
Potential complication with abdominoplasty is deep vein thrombosis. **
To prevent this, as patients are put to sleep, compression pumps are put onto the calf region to ensure that blood is pushed away from the lower limbs towards the heart. On your return home, these are replaced with an anti DVT stocking.
EXPECTATIONS
- Remember that as with any operation, you should expect swelling, bruising and pain. The pain normally settles within two to three weeks, after which time it will disappear completely.
- Some patients may have a feeling of tightness in their stomach due to the muscles being pulled together, which may even make it difficult to stand up completely straight initially. Note that this is not a bad thing as it means that your tummy has been pulled really tight.
- Liposuction may also cause swelling. Combined with the abdominoplasty, it can take a full three to four months for the swelling to settle* and for your final result to be achieved.
- Patients should expect numbness in the skin above the scar and in most patients this numbness will never go away completely.
- Very occasionally one can be left with a little bit of excess skin at the edge of the scar. If this does not settle down within six months, we can carry out a touch up procedure to remove it.
- Swimwear choices may need to be revised after the procedure to conceal potentially visible scars.
- It’s natural to feel some anxiety, whether it’s excitement for your anticipated new look or stress about the operation. Don’t be shy about discussing these feelings at your consultation. It is important that you feel comfortable talking to me.
Disclaimer:
There is no guarantee of specific results and the results can vary from person to person. Safety concerns will be discussed during your consultation. Please refer to my concise disclaimer for more information.
** US National Library of Medicine & National Institutes of Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2884783/
Copyright© Dr Paul McGarr, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon, Durban
MBBCH (Wits), FCS (Plast), Practice No. 042-000-0142158
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