Tummy Tuck at East Bay Dermatology & Plastic Surgery

Tummy Tuck

Tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure aimed at enhancing comfort, restoring abdominal contours, and boosting self-confidence.

At East Bay Dermatology & Plastic Surgery, our experienced surgeons recognize that each individual has unique needs and desires when it comes to tummy tuck procedures. Utilizing advanced techniques, we craft personalized treatment plans tailored to your aesthetic goals, whether it’s tightening loose skin, addressing separated abdominal muscles, or achieving a flatter and more toned abdomen. From comprehensive consultations to post-operative care, our commitment to skill, safety, and patient satisfaction ensures exceptional results that empower you to embrace your body with renewed confidence. Begin your journey to a more confident you with East Bay Dermatology & Plastic Surgery.

Kenneth Francis Before and Afters -Tummy Tuck

What is a Tummy Tuck?

A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure that involves removing excess skin and fat from the abdomen while tightening the abdominal muscles. This surgery is commonly used for cosmetic purposes but can also have reconstructive benefits. It helps improve the shape of the abdomen and can address issues such as pain, itching, bladder function, skin infections, muscle loss after pregnancy, and muscle loss after weight loss.

If you have a protruding abdomen, stretched out skin, and/or stretch marks of the mid-section, you may want to consider tummy tuck surgery (“abdominoplasty”). The plastic surgeons at East Bay Dermatology & Plastic Surgery are highly skilled tummy tuck specialists who will help you achieve your cosmetic goals. With years of experience in performing facial rejuvenation, breast lift, breast reconstruction, male breast reduction, brow lift, neck lift, and body contouring procedures.

When choosing to undergo abdominoplasty with our plastic surgery team, you will be provided with exceptional care and the most up-to-date plastic surgery techniques.

For those who would like to have excess fat removed from the abdomen, as well as gain a tighter surrounding muscle, this type of body reshaping surgery may be an option for them. Women who have stretched abdominal muscle due to previous pregnancies can greatly benefit from abdominoplasty.

In addition, a good candidate for tummy tuck is someone who is:

  • In good physical and psychological health
  • Realistic in his/her expectations and goals
  • A non-smoker or willing to quit for the duration of the procedure
  • Not currently pregnant or planning on future pregnancies

During a pre-operative visit with our Manhattan tummy tuck surgeon, the two of you will discuss your medical history, what results to expect, and if liposuction (“lipoplasty”) would be a more appropriate procedure (depending on the condition of the operated area) or a complimentary surgery to be performed in combination with abdominoplasty.

Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty is a surgical operation that is performed to improve the contours of the abdomen, waistline, and hips. The procedure typically targets the damages that are inflicted on the abdominal wall during the stretching of tissues and weight gain that occur with pregnancy but is sometimes performed in men as well.

In its most complete form, it involves removal of excess fat and skin, tightening of the abdominal muscles with stitches and recreation of a nicer belly button.

There are several modifications of the operation that can be used to tailor the procedure to each individual’s needs. For instance, if there is only loose skin with good muscle tone, a removal of skin only can be performed. The cost of the procedure can vary depending on the need for such modifications.

What to Expect?

After a tummy tuck, you can expect to have a slimmer, trimmer waistline, hips, and abdomen. Many women (and men) are able to confidently return to wearing tighter, more form fitting clothing and displaying their new and improved waistline look. It carries a very high satisfaction rate making it a very popular procedure.

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Kenneth Francis Before and Afters -Tummy Tuck (1)

Procedure Steps

The steps to obtaining a beautifully enhanced and reshaped abdomen through tummy tuck begin with your decision to seek consultation with us. In our practice, the first consultation includes a discussion of your goals and expectations, a physical examination to determine your actual needs and the feasibility of the procedure for your particular situation.

Once you have made a decision to schedule surgery and are deemed a suitable candidate you will return for a second, or, pre-operative visit.

During this visit final plans are designed, measurements and photographs are obtained and the procedure is scheduled. Instructions for the days immediately preceding the procedure are also given, including what to eat, medications to take or discontinue, blood tests to obtain and whether medical clearance is required or not.

Best Candidates

The typical candidates for tummy tuck procedure are women that have been through one or more pregnancies and, as a result, have any combination of extra skin, stretch marks, excess retained fat and muscle weakening or separation. These conditions are the result of the tissue stretching and weight gain that occurs during pregnancy.

Of course, Tummy Tuck is not limited to these patients. There are many others, including men, who have not gone through pregnancy but may have extra skin, stretch marks or muscle separation after significant weight loss or weight gain.

Recovery Time

Recovery has been likened to recovery from C-section. Walking is encouraged and expected on the same day of procedure. There is discomfort for the first 5-7 days, which is easily tolerated with the use of pain medication. Sometimes drains are placed during the procedure. These may stay in place for 7-10 days on average.

Our patients are permitted to shower within the first week following procedure, even with drains in place. Avoidance of strenuous exercise or lifting of items greater than 5 pounds is not recommended before 6 weeks if the muscles have been tightened.

Most patients in my practice are cleared to begin light walking for exercise at the 3-4 week mark. Driving can usually resume at about 2 weeks following procedure, as long as no narcotic pain medications are still being used.

Post-Op

After a tummy tuck you will be expected to walk almost immediately. This helps to prevent blood clots from developing. You will also be placed in a compression garment of some type, usually in the form of an abdominal binder. You should have a loved one or friend stay with you for the first day or two after tummy tuck.

The nurse will give instructions for care of the drains to you and your caretaker. Your dressings and bandages will remain in place until your first visit back to the office. Return visits to the office usually occur within 4-5 days, one week following that, two weeks later, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after surgery.

Risks and Safety

Although considered a very safe operation, as with any surgery, no matter how minor, tummy tuck carries some risks. These may range from general risks that can occur with any operation, such as bleeding, infection, healing problems, poor scarring, and blood clots to risks more specific to tummy tuck, such as irregularities or asymmetries in the scar, belly button issues and stretching or breaking of the muscle tightening stitches.

Of course, smoking increases the risks of any surgery across the board and should be discontinued completely.

Preparing for a Tummy Tuck

There is no specific preparation. Smoking cessation and a healthy diet should be observed to optimize the results and minimize the risks. Obesity is NOT an indication for tummy tuck and being close to expected body weight will maximize the results.

Results

Results are almost universally satisfying. The improvement in the contour of the abdomen, hips, and waistline far outweighs the scars that are required to achieve the enhancement. Many women find that they are capable of returning to the use of a bikini on the beach.

Kenneth Francis Before and Afters -Tummy Tuck
Side-by-side comparison of a woman’s abdomen before and six months after a tummy tuck, showing reduced skin sagging and a surgical scar.
Side-by-side photos show a torso before and after a tummy tuck procedure, displaying reduced abdominal sagging and a surgical scar at six months post-operation.
Side-by-side comparison of a woman's abdomen before and five months after a tummy tuck, showing reduced loose skin and improved contour.
Side-by-side comparison of a woman's abdomen before and after a tummy tuck, showing reduced excess skin and a flatter appearance five months post-operation.
Side-by-side photos of a woman before and six months after tummy tuck surgery, showing reduced abdominal skin and improved contour.
Side-by-side comparison of a person's abdomen before and after a tummy tuck, showing reduced skin laxity and contour improvement 6 months post-surgery.
Side-by-side photos show a woman before and after tummy tuck and breast lift with implants, with visible weight loss after two years post-operation.
Before and after photos of a woman showing results of a tummy tuck and breast lift with implants, including noticeable weight loss over two years.
Side-by-side photos show a person before and after tummy tuck and breast lift with implants; left is pre-operation, right is 2 years post-operation with 15 lb weight loss.
Side-by-side comparison of a woman's abdomen before and after a tummy tuck, showing reduced loose skin and a flatter appearance in the postop image.
Side-by-side comparison of a woman's abdomen before (left) and 5.5 years after (right) a tummy tuck, showing reduced loose skin and a flatter appearance.
Side-by-side photos of a person’s abdomen before (left) and six months after (right) abdominoplasty, showing reduced skin and fat in the postoperative image.
A comparison of a woman's body.
Side-by-side photos showing a woman before and 6 months after abdominoplasty and BBL surgery, with noticeable reduction in abdominal fat and body contour changes.
Two side-by-side images show a person’s abdomen before (left) and six months after (right) abdominoplasty and BBL surgery, demonstrating a slimmer, more contoured appearance postoperatively.
Side-by-side photos show a woman’s abdomen before and 3.5 years after abdominoplasty and BBL, highlighting reduced loose skin and visible surgical scar post-operation.
Side-by-side before and after photos of a woman's torso showing reduced abdominal fat and tighter skin following liposuction, tummy tuck, and Brazilian butt lift procedures.
Side-by-side photos showing a woman before and after liposuction, tummy tuck, and Brazilian butt lift procedures. The "before" image shows loose abdominal skin; the "after" image shows a flatter abdomen.

Consultation: “What to Discuss”

Your surgeon will likely guide most of the discussion, but be sure to ask questions such as, “Am I a good candidate?, What can I expect as a result?, How many tummy tucks have you performed?, What is the scarring like?, What is the recovery like and when can I return to work?”

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Choose a Tummy Tuck Surgeon You Can Trust

Plastic surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery have been through rigorous training and an extensive examination process to receive the certification that ensures that you are in trustworthy hands for your planned tummy tuck. No consideration should be given to any surgeon without these credentials.

Drainless Tummy Tuck

Since the invention of the tummy tuck or abdominoplasty operation to tighten abdominal skin, muscles and waistline, drains have historically been used to remove fluid from under the skin during the patient’s recovery period.

These cumbersome and sometimes annoying, complicated devices made for a difficult and sometimes annoying recovery. For those of you who have had tummy tucks in the past or those that have had other abdominal surgery involving the use of drains afterward, you are well aware of the annoyances.

The amounts of drainage had to be written down every 8-24 hours for the surgeon to review. The tubes connecting the drains would become tangled during sleeping hours.

Drains would occasionally be accidentally pulled out prematurely by this tangling, or by getting hooked on clothing or bedside objects. Ugh! Utter nuisance!

Here at East Bay Dermatology & Plastic Surgery,  we now perform the overwhelming majority of my tummy tucks without the use of these cumbersome drains. That’s correct “The Drainless Tummy Tuck.” For 2-3 years now the “Drainless Tummy Tuck” has become the mainstay of my tummy tuck practice. The benefit for my patients is not having to deal with these annoying devices any more.

The recovery is much easier and much more manageable without the presence of the drains. No more documenting amounts of fluid. No more twisting and tangling of tubes while sleeping. No more accidentally pulling out drains before their time. My patients appreciate a much more free and mobile recovery.

An added advantage of the “Drainless Tummy Tuck” is that the abdominal skin contours are more defined. In other words, more of a definition, six pack effect, is achieved with the technique. This is because in place of the drains, specialized stitches are placed under the skin attaching the skin more closely and more tightly to the underlying muscle contours creating a more defined appearance and result.

So, come in for a consultation to learn more about the “Drainless Tummy Tuck” and start on your journey to your six pack abdomen.

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