Abdominoplasty/Tummy Tuck
*Please note that abdominoplasty scars always look worse in photographs than in real life. Also, most post operative photos are taken at four months when scars have not yet fully matured. Complaints about an abdominoplasty scar are uncommon.
Abdominoplasty/Tummy Tuck
These photographs illustrate some of the benefits of an abdominoplasty. Many women complain that when they bend over the skin of the abdomen hangs. In this case, you can clearly see the skin excess in the frontal view, and the pooch seen on the lateral view. This has been corrected, in large part, with her abdominoplasty which tightens the fascia of the abdomen and reduces the skin excess.
Abdominoplasty/Tummy Tuck: Scar Improvement Over Time
The following three photos illustrate how the abdominal scars change over time. The first photo is the patient’s pre operative abdomen. The second was taken at four months, and the last was taken at 14 months after her abdominoplasty. It actually takes about 2 years or so for a scar to completely mature. During that time the redness deminishes, the scar flattens and minor skin irregularities improve. The scar is real, it goes from one hip to the other but it is rarely a source of concern.
Male Abdominoplasty/Male Tummy Tuck
This is a 24 year old male, 5’9” and 162 pounds who lost forty pounds with diet and exercise. He complained of fullness in the chest area and excess, loose skin of the abdominal area. He was chock full of misinformation that he learned from the Internet. We discussed options, and he elected to treat the gynecomastia/fullness of his chest with liposuction and the excision of dense breast tissue as well as a full abdominoplasty. The full abdominoplasty (defined as complete fascial/muscle suturing, and removal of excess skin) was recommended because he had loose fascia that made a bulge on his abdomen and his skin laxity was significant because of his large weight change.
He is seen here six months from surgery. The bulge on the lower abdomen is gone and excess skin has been removed. His gynecomastia is vastly improved. His scars are still red at this time as it takes about two years for them to become more skin colored. He has gained some weight because “life is good”, but I reminded him of the need to watch his weight. Abdominoplasty in men is most common in those who have had large weight reductions. Gynecomastia can be associated with obesity as fatty tissue accumulates in the breast as well as other areas (this is called pseudogynecomastia).
Age: 48 Abdominoplasty/Tummy Tuck
This woman, 5’8″ and 148 pounds had bariatric (weight loss) surgery performed and lost over 100 pounds. She was interested in body contouring options for her loose, saggy skin. We elected to focus initially on the “big picture” and opted to perform a bilateral breast enhancement as well as an extended abdominoplasty. She is seen here about four years after her procedures. The improvement is obvious, her excess skin has been removed and the fascia of her abdomen was tightened (sort of like taking in your pants after you lose weight). She had a thigh lift performed elsewhere (this is the scar on the upper part of her thighs).
There is a large spectrum of options available for weight loss patients. Personally, I perform procedures that can be done on an outpatient basis (procedure in my office and return home or to a recovery facility if you choose). Larger more complex procedures are best performed in the hospital setting. I always try to see the good aspects of every woman who has experienced massive weight loss and who has loose, saggy skin. In my opinion, the results don’t have to be perfect (in fact, it can’t be perfect), and I like to focus on those areas that patients benefit most from. Ultimately, “correcting” every area of loose or saggy skin will result in a “ragdoll” distribution of scarring which some patients may object to. Having said that, many bariatric patients don’t have concerns about scarring (“anything is better than what I have”). You can imagine that to some degree bariatric patients would naturally have some body image distortion because of the radical change that has occurred to them. This takes careful and thoughtful counseling to explore these issues and determine what is best for the individual patient. If you are planning complex procedures that require a long operation time and a lengthy recovery you must accept a higher complication rate. This is one of the prime reasons I prefer to stage your rejuvenation-I believe it is safer and more manageable to take it in bites rather than swallow the whole enchilada. You will sometimes pleasantly be surprised that less is more.
Age: 37 Abdominoplasty/Tummy Tuck
This mother of two children weighed 130 pounds and wanted to reduce her contour. She considered SmartLipo before coming to Westlake Plastic Surgery. She was fearful about a scar from a tummy tuck. We told her she would need both — a full tummy tuck and liposuction to achieve her goals. (Liposuction alone would not improve her abdominal area like a tummy tuck because she had only “fair” skin quality). We decided to perform a full tummy tuck and 2250cc liposuction of her hips, posterior waist and upper medial thighs.
Her “after” photos were taken at five months post-operatively. She weighs 122 pounds now and her dress size decreased from a 10 to a 4. Note that she is much smaller, even though she still has cellulite and some loose skin around her hips. She has no complaints about her abdominal scar. She is elated with her results.
Patient Testimonials
