How to Prepare for Your Tummy Tuck

Getting a tummy tuck can help make you look slimmer, more toned, and create a firmer abdomen. As tummy tuck procedures continue to increase in popularity, the surgeons at Gawley Plastic Surgery always recommend patients to be educated with the basics of surgeries they’re interested in, including tummy tucks. Well-informed patients are typically good candidates for cosmetic surgery procedures.

What Is A Tummy Tuck?

A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure that removes excess skin and fat from the abdominal region. It may also entail repairing muscles that have stretched or separated, frequently caused by the stresses on these muscles during pregnancy and childbirth. This makes tummy tuck surgery a common surgery as part of a mommy makeover procedure.

What Types Of Tummy Tucks Are Available?

Patients have three main options for abdominoplasty in Phoenix, AZ based upon their goals and body types. The best way to know which procedure and technique is right for your unique needs is to schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon at Gawley Plastic Surgery. They can examine your problem areas, take your medical history, and offer an honest professional recommendation for tummy tuck surgery to help you achieve the aesthetic you want.

Full Tummy Tuck

This is also known as a classic or traditional tummy tuck. This abdominoplasty technique requires an incision around the belly button in addition to one from hip to hip just above the pubic region, through which your surgeon can remove fatty tissue, tighten the abdominal muscle wall (Diastasis recti), and get rid of loose, excess skin. This surgery is capable of addressing problem areas both above and below the belly button.

Mini Tummy Tuck

Mini tummy tucks focus on the lower abdomen, under the belly button. They can use a smaller incision and are quicker to recover from compared to other tummy tuck procedures. With the mini tummy tuck, patients still have the option to get the abdominal muscles tightened, although not as extensively as with a traditional abdominoplasty.

Extended Tummy Tuck

This type of tummy tuck targets the abdominal region as well and the hips and sides, even extending to the back. It uses incisions that extend beyond a traditional tummy tuck, sometimes needing a vertical incision in addition to the horizontal one. This surgery is suited for patients who’ve lost significant weight and/or have had a lot of skin and muscle stretching from pregnancy.

Risks Of Tummy Tucks

Like any surgical procedure, tummy tucks have risks. These include:

  • Skin loss
  • Numbness
  • Bleeding
  • Retaining fluid
  • Swelling
  • Discolored skin

When your procedure is performed by a board-certified specialist like the doctors at Gawley Plastic Surgery, the risk of developing complications such as these are much lower.

How To Prepare For A Tummy Tuck

To get the best results, patients must prepare for their procedure thoroughly. This may include:

  • Quitting smoking
  • Getting lab work done
  • Abstaining from certain medications or supplements that may promote bleeding, such as blood thinners

Depending upon the type of tummy tuck, patients will either be released the same day or spend time in an overnight facility.

What To Expect In Recovery

There will be downtime. The first week will require lots of rest and limited exertion. You will wear compression garments or bandages to prevent excess swelling or bleeding, as well as to encourage natural-looking results through proper healing of tissues. Patients will also have drainage tubes to collect liquids and prevent complications such as seroma or hematoma.

Patients will be taught how to care for their incisions and drains, which medications to take or avoid, and any other health concerns regarding their healing. The doctors at Gawley Plastic Surgery will guide you through the recovery process and help make it as easy and smooth as possible.

Abdominoplasty in Phoenix, AZ

A tummy tuck procedure can be a life-changing surgery for people struggling with body issues like excess skin or diastasis recti (separation of abdominal muscles), whether due to pregnancy or extreme weight loss. In any case, the doctors at Gawley Plastic Surgery are here to help you achieve the figure and look you want while harmonizing your results with your natural beauty. To learn more about this highly personalized procedure, contact our team by calling our office or requesting an appointment online today!