Abdominoplasty / Tummy Tuck
A tummy tuck may sound awesome—a simple surgery to get rid of your droopy stomach? Before you sign up, there are some things you should know.
The tummy tuck is an invasive surgery that takes anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to perform and has a 2 to 3 week recovery period. This surgery is usually performed under general anesthesia, and allows the surgeon to perform two main tasks: removing the excess skin and fat from the tummy and tightening the underlying muscle layer.
Here’s how it works:
The plastic surgeon removes all the skin from between the pubic area and the belly button by making a hip-to-hip incision (and resulting scar), lifting the skin and fat off the underlying muscle layer, cutting off the excess skin and fat (typically everything between the belly button and the pubic area), and pulling the skin above the belly button down to the pubic region. The belly button is retained, but is now surrounded by skin that used to be much higher on the tummy. The muscle tightening involves using permanent or semi-permanent sutures to stitch the stretched out muscles back together, kind of like an internal corset.
The tummy tuck leaves a hip-to-hip scar and a round scar around the belly button that are both permanent. These scars never go away, even when you reach your 95th birthday.
A good plastic surgeon will do his or her best to hide the lower scar underneath clothing, like shorts or even a 2-piece bathing suit. I call my tummy tuck a “Hidden Scar Tummy Tuck” for this very reason. However, these scars will always be visible to you, and could be to anyone else who sees you without clothing.
Interestingly, however, although tummy tucks are one of the more invasive cosmetic surgeries that plastic surgeons perform, they also have one of the highest satisfaction rates. For some patients, getting rid of the excess, hanging skin of the tummy is well-worth the expense and discomfort of the surgery.
Until we develop an incredible skin shrinking laser, it’s either tummy tuck or nothing.
To learn more about Dr. Youn performing your tummy tuck, click HERE.