Hermosa Plastic Surgery

One of the biggest issues with a tummy tuck is the length of the scar. I try to reinforce that the length of the scar is often long, but I will put it low and it will follow the underwear line. Even the thin cut underwear will usually hide the scars. Patients get better scar healing with the use of silicone strips. Rarely, a scar requires surgical revision because it is too wide. A revised scar usually heals better because it heals without tension.

Other types of lesser invasive procedures would include liposuction alone or liposuction in conjunction with a lesser excision of skin. These are usually reserved for those who do not have excess or only a minimal excess of lower abdominal skin. The upper abdominal skin is not excessive. In these situations, recovery is faster.

For all of the procedures, the full results would not be noted for at least three months. Usually, there are still some changes occurring at six months. I recommend silicone strips and compression for scar therapy. I recommend weight loss afterward. Patients will usually lose 15 pounds with the procedures. Not that I remove 15 pounds but most patients use this as a spring board to lose more weight. The patients that I have seen that have had the best results will lose 15% of their body weight over a period of a year.

There are other types of body re-contouring procedures which are specifically tailored to certain types of patients. But in the general, the above are what I recommend. The patient satisfaction is quite high for these procedures because they can begin to wear clothing that is fitted around the midline and that shows their nice body contours.

The full abdominoplasty removes a large portion of the skin, usually that extending from just above the umbilicus down to the pubic hairline.  With this excision of skin, most of the stretch marks are removed.  With this, the muscles are tightened with stitches.  The umbilicus or belly button is left on its stalk and brought out as the available upper abdominal skin is advanced downward, hence the name “Tummy Tuck.”  During the procedure, I perform liposuction in the flanks to improve the waist contour even more.  The procedure takes approximately two hours.

a After an Abdominoplasty, there is a significant amount of soreness.  I do not really have patients that complain of sharp pain, but they do have soreness.  To get a good result, I have to pull very tight.  Patients often will be walking hunched over for about a week.  There are two drains placed underneath the skin to prevent collection of fluid.  These drains stay in approximately one week.  We provide a garment to give comfort, support, and compression.  This also helps to decrease the amount of swelling in the skin.  I usually perform this on an outpatient basis.  I find that the patients become more ambulatory and recover faster if they are allowed to go home.  Nonetheless, some choose to remain in the hospital and receive IV pain control instead of just oral pain control.

I recommend approximately two weeks off of work and then afterward, I recommend not lifting more than 20 pounds for at least two months.  The stitches that are placed underneath the skin are strong, but with excess straining, there is a potential to rip through the stitches and lose the nice effect of the muscle repair.

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