Tummy Tuck

As in every surgery, preop tests must be run and the patients must be examined by an anesthesiologist before tummy tuck surgery. Usually, these procedures are done the day before the surgery.

Also, patients are required to sign the necessary surgery consent forms the day before surgery. Preop photographs are taken of each patient. On the morning of surgery, necessary drawings and planning is made for the upcoming tummy tuck and for other surgeries, if any, to be performed in combination.

For a smooth and good wound healing after tummy tuck surgery, patients must avoid smoking for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after the surgery. Intake of aspirin is disadvised one week before surgery as it can increase bleeding.

Also, contraceptives should be discontinued 4 weeks before tummy tuck surgery, as they create a pregnancy-like effect and have negative effects on bleeding and coagulation systems. Since green tea consumption increases bleeding, it is recommended to stop consuming green tea a few weeks before surgery.

Tummy tucks are usually performed in combination with liposuction. I prefer to combine all tummy tuck surgeries with liposuction.

I try to achieve a nice trim in the waist area, by performing liposuction especially on the side parts of the abdomen, the back area and the lower parts of the waist. A tummy tuck surgery combined with liposuction takes around 4 hours on average.

The ideal tummy tuck techniques are determined by the patients’ underlying anatomies, the location and amount of redundant skin, and even their clothing preference.

Some plastic surgeons in Turkey instruct their patients to bring their favorite or usual swimwear, underwear, and/or pants so they can mark the possible scar/incision site in a way that it is hidden under clothing.

While it is always ideal to place the horizontal incision close to the pubic line so the undergarment can easily hide the resulting scar, some patients may have to accept a scar that rides higher than ideal. This is particularly true of someone with significant excess skin in her/his upper abdomen.

The list below explains the most common tummy tuck techniques used in plastic surgery.

Standard or full tummy-tuck

It uses hip-to-hip incision below the navel and another scar around the belly buttock so it can be repositioned after removing the excess skin in the upper abdomen.

After tightening the abdominal muscles with internal sutures and removing the excess skin, the remaining skin is pulled down over the stomach.j

Extended tummy-tuck

The horizontal incision reaches around the hips (i.e., sides of the lower back), so when the body is viewed posteriorly the tail ends of the scar are visible.

Because the extended tummy tuck removes more skin from a wider area than the standard technique, it is often reserved for massive weight loss patients.

Extended tummy tuck also requires a round incision to free the navel and reposition it higher once the excess skin has been removed.

Mini tummy-tuck

Due to the natural “diffusion” of excess skin after weight loss and/or pregnancy, mini tummy tucks are only suitable for a small number of patients because of their minimal improvement.

Mini tummy tucks, which require a 4-8 inches scar above the pubic region, do not reposition the navel nor remove the excess skin in the upper abdominal area.

You will need to take about 4 to 6 weeks off work and exercise. You will not be able to drive for a few weeks after the operation (your surgeon and insurance company can advise you about this).

It takes about 6 weeks to fully recover and to see the full effect of a tummy tuck.

You’ll usually need to wear a special type of corset or tummy-control pants for 6 weeks, to encourage your skin to heal properly and to reduce any swelling. Generally, you’ll need to take it easy during this time and keep your knees bent while in bed, to avoid putting a strain on your stitches.

After a few weeks, you will probably be asked to attend a follow-up appointment to make sure the wound is healing properly.

And After the 6th week, you will usually be able to stop wearing a corset and may return to doing most of your usual activities.