A good candidate for a Tummy Tuck is someone close to their ideal weight but has excess abdominal skin and weak abdominal muscles, either from pregnancy or weight loss.

Have a consultation with your abdominoplasty surgeon. Tell your surgeon about all medications and herbal supplements you take. You may need to decrease or discontinue the dosage of some medicines two weeks before surgery. Your surgeon will be able to tell you which medications increase the risk of complications. You will need to stop smoking two weeks before surgery and not smoke for two weeks afterward. Exercise, eat a balanced diet, and get plenty of rest in the weeks leading up to surgery. Follow any instructions from your surgeon to the letter.

During the abdominoplasty recovery period, you will feel temporary discomfort and pain, and you will need to move around gently. In addition, you will have abdominal sutures and a tummy tuck drain to remove fluid from the wound. It will be at least a week before the drain is removed, and you can return to work. The sutures will be released in stages over two weeks. Moderate walking and another very gentle exercise will help relieve swelling and prevent blood clots from forming in your legs.

Tummy tuck surgery can improve your appearance and self-confidence. Also, it may be performed for health reasons, like it is sometimes the case after losing a lot of weight.

After the procedure and upon returning home from the medical facility, there may be a certain level of pain and discomfort that you may experience. That’s the reason why the plastic surgeon will prescribe analgesics to alleviate the pain. In general, if the patient follows the surgeon’s recommendations and avoids strenuous physical activities while walking with the back slightly bent forward, it will reduce the discomfort and pain. If you do not have good pain tolerance, be sure to tell this to the plastic surgeon performing the procedure so that he or she can prescribe medication accordingly. Keep in mind that you will need to get out of bed and get active as soon as possible after the procedure to avoid the risk of blood clots.

Immediately after the procedure, the patient will notice no folds of skin remaining on the abdomen. The abdominal wall is firm and flat. However, side effects such as swelling and bruising can make it difficult to see the aesthetic results. It is essential to go for follow-up consultations with the plastic surgeon. Let them evaluate how the healing process is going while waiting to see the first final abdominoplasty results within three to six months after the procedure.

Your physician will determine the ideal amount of fat to harvest from other areas of the body for transfer to the buttocks. A variety of factors can influence the amount of fat harvested to achieve the best results. Still, the overall proportional balance of the body from head to toe is always a consideration. Often, a maximum of 4,000 cc of fat will be removed from the body by liposuction. Still, we may use only 1.5 to 2.0 liters for the transfer to the buttocks. The surgeon needs to collect many fat cells for purification because much of the fat will not be transferable. Therefore, patients must have excess fat in the body for the procedure to be successful. Underweight patients may be advised to gain weight to become a good candidate for the course.

Your surgeon will make one or more incisions during a tummy tuck, but those are smaller than other abdominoplasty procedures. Your incisions will most likely extend from one hip to the other and around the navel. The surgeon will remove excess skin and tighten the abdominal muscles. Sometimes a small amount of liposuction is used to remove small pockets of fat. The incisions are closed with surgical sutures, and, if necessary, the surgeon will reattach the navel.

Tummy tuck surgery is generally a safe procedure. If you take proper care to prepare for surgery and follow your surgeon’s instructions for postoperative care, the risks are minimal. However, there is a risk of infection, blood clots, or complications in the healing process. Generally, if there are complications, they can be treated. Although it is also true that complications can cause more prominent scars after surgery.

To maintain a better figure after abdominoplasty, you must perform an exercise routine and follow a balanced diet. With proper maintenance, you can keep the results of abdominoplasty for many years after surgery.

The use of girdle or compression garments can reduce the discomfort and pain associated with tummy tuck surgery. Applying ice packs to the operated area may also help.