• If you have an abundance of loose or excess skin on your abdomen, or have an excessive amount of external abdominal fat (fat that you can grab and pinch with your hands), you may be a candidate for tummy tuck surgery.
• In addition, most mothers have some amount of abdominal muscle stretching or muscle laxity due to childbirth. If you find you have one of these issues, or all three, a tummy tuck is the ideal way to correct these problems.

To be considered a good candidate for a tummy tuck procedure, you should:

• Be physically healthy
• Be at a stable weight (BMI under 30)
• Be a non-smoker
• Have realistic expectations as to what the procedure can do for your appearance

If you can pinch a large section of loose, sagging skin on your stomach, or you are constantly bothered by the feeling that your stomach is too large, a tummy tuck may be the appropriate procedure for you.

However, if you only have minimal excess skin and little weakness in the abdominal wall, you may be a candidate for a “mini” tummy tuck. during your initial consultation, we will determine which procedure is best for you.

Some patients may have excessive amount of internal fat which cannot be corrected by Plastic Surgery.

If your BMI is over 30 so, you have excess internal fat and would benefit from weight loss prior to your tummy tuck, you will be asked to lose a certain amount of weight before we can proceed with your surgery for losing excess intra-abdominal fat (via diet and exercise).

When seeking a tummy tuck or liposuction of the abdominal area, it is important to be able to differentiate between the internal fat and the external fat.

• Internal fat (visceral fat) is the fat contained within the abdominal cavity (the body cavity which contains the stomach, liver, intestines – vital digestive organs) and is closely wrapped around your internal organs. This fat can’t be removed by Liposuction only by loosing weight.
• External fat (subcutaneous fat) is the fat that is under your skin and can be removed via liposuction or cutting out during surgery.

• If you're a woman who is still planning to have children, you may want to postpone a tummy tuck until you're through bearing children. During surgery, your vertical muscles are tightened. Future pregnancies can separate these muscles and cause a hernia.
• Are you still planning to lose a lot of weight? Then you do not want to consider a tummy tuck until your weight has stabilized.
• It's important to note that a tummy tuck causes scarring on the abdomen. This scar is usually long and might be noticeable. If this is something you don't want, you may want to reconsider.

all these options will be discussed with you when you go for the consultation. And also, will discuss the results you want.

There are few other procedures that provide a transformation as pronounced as a tummy tuck – especially when performed by a surgeon with Dr. Brown’s range of skills, precision, and finesse.

A tummy tuck is designed to:

• Reduce unwanted fat of your abdomen.
• Remove loose unwanted skin.
• Improve laxity of the skin.
• Tighten weak underlying muscles.
• Create a flatter abdomen.
• Sculpt a tighter and smoother waistline.

A large amount of weight loss and the resulting sagging skin is only one reason to consider a tummy tuck. Other causes of excess, loose and sagging skin include:

• Aging
• Heredity
• Previous pregnancy
• Prior surgery

It is perfectly normal to want to have sagging skin or a protruding belly corrected. In addition to wanting to remove the loose skin around the midsection, patients may also want to consider a tummy tuck to:

• Correct a protruding stomach that is not consistent with the body’s proportions
• Improve tone in the abdominal and stomach muscles
• Eliminate skin problems in the skin fold under the abdomen
• Remove those areas of fat that simply won’t respond to exercise or dieting
• Correct prominent C-section scarring and stretch marks
• Repair diastasis recti
• Repair abdominal muscles that are overly stretched out

During your first visit, your plastic surgeon will likely:

• Review your medical history. Be prepared to answer questions about current and past medical conditions. Talk about any medications you're taking or you have taken recently, as well as any surgeries you've had.
• Tell your doctor if you are allergic to any medications. If your desire for a tummy tuck is related to weight loss, your doctor will likely ask detailed questions about your weight gain and loss.
• Do a physical exam. To determine your treatment options, the doctor will examine your abdomen. The doctor might also take pictures of your abdomen for your medical record.
• Discuss your expectations. Explain why you want a tummy tuck, and what you're hoping for in terms of appearance after the procedure. Make sure you understand the benefits and risks, including scarring. Keep in mind that previous abdominal surgery might limit your results.

Before a tummy tuck you might also need to:

• Stop smoking. Smoking decreases blood flow in the skin and can slow the healing process. In addition, smoking increases the risk of tissue damage. If you smoke, your doctor will recommend that you stop smoking 2 weeks before surgery and during recovery.
• Avoid certain medications. You'll likely need to avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements, which can increase bleeding.
• Maintain a stable weight. Ideally, you'll maintain a stable weight for at least 12 months before having a tummy tuck. If you're severely overweight, your doctor will recommend that you lose weight before the procedure. Significant weight loss after the procedure can diminish your results.
• Take medication to prevent complications. Shortly before your tummy tuck, you'll need to begin taking an anticoagulant to prevent blood clotting.

Yes. Depending on the degree of soft tissue removal needed and the patient’s goals, we will recommend one of several various abdominoplasties:

Mini Abdominoplasty:

done with shorter incisions often at a similar location as a C-section scar.

 and are often performed on patients whose fat deposits are located below the navel.

During this procedure, your belly button most likely will not be moved.

Your skin will be separated between the line of incision and your belly button.

This procedure may take up to two hours, again, depending on your situation and needs.

As with the complete abdominoplasty, you may have drainage tubes after surgery.

Full Abdominoplasty:

This type of abdominoplasty is the most commonly performed type.

The incision typically extends from hip bone to hip bone and is often made in an area which is concealable with underwear.

Through this incision, the surgeon is able to tighten the abdominal musculature.

Then, the surgeon redrapes the skin downward and makes a new incision through which the belly button (umbilicus) is reset.

So, the resulting scars are twofold with one in the underwear line and one around the belly button.

Fleur de lis Abdominoplasty: This type of abdominoplasty is a variant of an abdominoplasty in which the surgeon utilizes a large incision which results in an inverted T scar.

When necessary, your surgeon may recommend this technique to further enhance the upper abdomen which may otherwise remain full after another type of abdominoplasty.

Like the full abdominoplasty, an incision is made around the umbilicus in order to redrape the skin around this site.

In addition, the muscles may be tightened with this procedure.

This technique is often recommended for patients who have lost a lot of weight and have excessively sagging skin even in the upper abdomen.

Extended Tummy Tuck: This technique is so named because the length of the incision is "extended".

It is regularly performed for patients who have significant loose skin in the midsection, flanks and lower back.

This is commonly seen after massive weight loss or post-bariatric surgery.

Circumferential abdominoplasty: 

This surgery includes the back area. When there is a lot of excess skin in the back as well as the abdomen, you may have circumferential abdominoplasty.

The latter procedure allows for the removal of both skin and fat from the hip and back areas, which improves the shape of your body three-dimensionally.

Monsplasty:

This is an adjunctive procedure by which we can reduce the size and shape of the area above the pubic bone (mons pubis).

When necessary, the surgeon may make additional incisions to help facilitate a more aesthetic contour.

Liposuction:

This is an adjunctive procedure by which the surgeon uses specialized cannulas to remove excessive fat along the sides of the abdomen.

When necessary, combining this with an abdominoplasty may help the surgeon to achieve a more aesthetic contour.

Muscle repair:

Muscle repair (repair of rectus diastasis) that takes place during a tummy tuck repositions separated abdominal muscles which were stretched and separated during a pregnancy.
In mild cases of rectus diastasis, abdominal workouts and physio may be helpful.
However, for many of the women we see, no amount of sit ups, physio, diet or exercise will correct the separation.  In such patients, muscle repair (diastasis repair) is the only effective treatment.

An abdominoplasty may also be performed in conjunction with other body procedures such as breast augmentation, breast lift and breast reduction.

• Abdominoplasty recovery differs depending upon the patient and the technique used. Most Cascade Plastic Surgery patients take a minimum of two weeks off from work, others may need up to three weeks off
• It is common for abdominoplasty patients to experience some bruising, swelling, and tenderness for several weeks.
• Pain medication will be prescribed to manage discomfort during your recovery.
• Activity will be significantly limited for 4-6 weeks after your procedure.

Avoid any vigorous exercise, heavy lift, or gym for 6 weeks after the surgery.

Failure to do so will lead to loss of muscle repair, and abdominal bulging (throughout the entire abdomen, around the belly button, or in the upper or lower abdominal area),

Although complications following Abdominoplasty are infrequent; the following may occur:

1. Bleeding, which in rare instances could require hospitalization and blood transfusion. Blood clots may form under the skin and require drainage.
2. Skin irregularities, lumpiness, hardness and dimpling may result; some problems disappear with time and from massage, but skin irregularities, hardness, lumps, dimpling or other problems may persist and additional treatments may be necessary
3. Infection is rare but may occur and treatment with antibiotics and/or drainage may be required.
4. Wound dehiscence (wound opening) may occur and is generally allowed to heal on its own.
5. Outpatient nursing may be required to assist with the wound care.
6. Abnormal scarring or scar position is rare but is possible.
7. Dizziness may occur during the first week following Abdominoplasty surgery particularly upon rising from a lying or sitting position.
8. Deep Venous Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism and Fat Embolism may occur.

The risk of these specific complications is increased in patients with increased BMI and previous abdominal surgeries. If left untreated these complications may be fatal.

You will notice a marked improvement immediately after your surgery.

As the swelling subsides over the next several weeks, the results of the procedure will be in full effect.

It may take as long as 3 months to see final results.

We feel that you should wait to have the tummy tuck until after you are finished having children, as this will help to both maximize and prolong the results achieved with the procedure.

Abdominoplasty is often combined with other procedures, such as breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction and liposuction.

Having these procedures at the same time as a tummy tuck helps you avoid multiple surgeries.

Light exercise can begin within about 6 weeks. More strenuous exercise, including running or heavy lifting, can usually begin within 12 weeks after your surgery.