Over the years, many people develop a progressively more and more rounded tummy, after a pregnancy, considerable weight loss or too much time away from the gym. This change in body shape or accumulated fat around the belly area is not only hard on self-esteem but it can lead to back pain or discomfort at knee or hip level. Three belly areas are involved when considering an abdominoplasty, typically the skin, fatty cells and abdominal wall muscles. Dr. Knutti will discuss with you the different possibilities available, to improve your condition and bring your belly back to a flatter, more gratifying form. Generally, this involves tightening the muscles, removing excess fatty tissue and surgically removing distended skin, to bring back a younger, tighter belly. Each situation is different and Dr. Knutti's long experience will allow you to find out about the latest aesthetic surgical technics, the one that is best for your individual condition, as well as the required time of convalescence. Following an abdominoplasty operation, patients regain a great deal of self-confidence as well as an improved quality of life.
The muscles of the abdominal wall are tightened. Only a very tiny scar remains.
When the skin is still relatively tight, without too much slackness on the abdomen, mostly fatty tissue is removed. The scar is short, similar to a caeserean operation.
When an excessive amount of skin slackness is apparent, a full abdominoplasty is necessary. The muscle layers of the abdominal wall are tightened, excess fatty tissue and loose skin are removed, to bring back a fitter, tighter look to the abdomen. The scar is slightly longer in this type of operation but can easily be placed under the bikini line and therefore be completely invisible.
If there is excess fatty tissue and slackened skin not only in the abdominal region but around the hips and waist, a circular (or circumferential) abdominoplasty can be performed. This procedure creates a somewhat longer scar which can nevertheless be fairly easily hidden. - Lower Body Lift: This procedure, which aims to improve the appearance of the entire lower body area, adds to an abdominoplasty operation, treatments to improve the thighs, hips and buttocks. Scarring is kept to the lower-body area, easily hidden by even a small bikini.
The selection of the most appropriate procedure is always done in consultation with the aesthetic surgeon, whose experience is crucial in making the right decision. In most cases, the best solution involves a full abdominoplasty, which aims to provide a permanent outcome.
The operation is performed under general anaesthesia and lasts between 2-3 hours. The patient remains overnight at the clinic in the care of a professional night nurse, for observation and a change of bandages the following day. Patients can then return home to complete their convalescence, with a further stop at the clinic five days later to have their stitches removed. An almost complete stop to physical activity is encouraged for optimal healing, for a period of 2-3 weeks. A minor amount of post-operative pain and discomfort is possible in certain individuals, and can easily be managed with common analgesics, available by simply asking the doctor. A return to light sporting activity can be considered after about six weeks. A certain amount of swelling is considered normal and may persist for a few weeks after the operation. The final result is definitively set after a complete healing of about six months, but spectacular results are often visible already, a short time after surgery.
No. As the term suggests, liposuction involves an aspiration process, of drawing excess fat through a thin tube (cannula) inserted into a particular region of the body through a tiny incision. Abdominoplasty can of course be combined with an additional liposuction procedure, and often is, but liposuction on its own brings no correction to the skin surface or abdominal wall muscular structure.
It depends on the type of abdominoplasty performed. It varies between a length similar to that required for a C-section, or a longer scar in the case of a full abdominoplasty, although in both cases, the scar can be hidden below the bikini line, and will remain invisible.
No, that's very unlikely. New technics in abdominoplasty offer the possibility of making sure the second one is kept in the same place as the previous one.
A tummy tuck can indeed improve a person's silhouette but it is never a replacement for a full abdominoplasty procedure, which affects many important areas, including the muscle layer of the abdominal wall.
