Tummy Tuck Surgery in Denver, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, CO

Abdominoplasty is the technical word for a Tummy Tuck, an elective cosmetic surgery that improves the shape of the tummy (abdomen).

A tummy tuck or abdominoplasty can remove extra skin and extra fat from the tummy. The abdominoplasty/tummy tuck can also repair the muscles of the tummy, if they have been stretched by pregnancy or weight gain. Abdominoplasty is a name for many different procedures used to improve the appearance and shape of the tummy; the type of technique or combination of procedures is customized to best suit the needs of each individual.

In addition to wanting the best cosmetic outcome, your health and safety is paramount as you consider an elective cosmetic procedure. That’s why you should choose your surgeon carefully.

• Choose a Plastic Surgeon Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
  • A Board Certified Plastic Surgeon has gone through the most extensive approved training for these types of procedures and has passed rigorous testing demonstrating competence.
• Choose a Plastic Surgeon with experience
  • You want someone who has extensive experience in performing many types of tummy tucks and has demonstrated excellent outcomes.
• Choose a Plastic Surgeon with a team of professionals who will work together to give you the care and support you want and need.
  • During your consultation, make sure you feel good about the doctor and his staff:
    • Do they listen and seem to care, or do you feel rushed?
    • Is the doctor paying attention to your goals and your questions?

The terms that you might hear most often are “Full Tummy Tuck.” “Partial-” or “Limited Tummy Tuck.” and “Mini-Tummy Tuck.”

Generally, a “Mini Tummy Tuck” is a procedure where only a “pinch” of skin and fat is removed from the lower part of the tummy. This is suitable for individuals with a little loose skin in the lowest part of the tummy, above the pubic area. This procedure is easily done with a local anesthetic (injections of numbing medicine) in less than an hour. Most normal non-strenuous activities can resume right away.

The “Partial-” or “Limited Tummy Tucks” are procedures for removing a roll of skin and fat from the lower tummy, below the belly button. These procedures might include some liposuction or repair of muscle in the lower abdomen.

“Full Tummy Tucks” are operations that involve the full length of the tummy, above and below the belly button (umbilicus). Full Tummy Tucks are needed when there excess skin or laxity in the upper part of the tummy or more extensive repair or reshaping is desired.

The best way to find out what kind of Abdominoplasty you need is to have a consultation with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with a lot of experience in body contouring procedures like tummy tuck.

Liposuction is often done as part of a tummy tuck procedure to give optimal contouring when there is extra fat in the tummy. Liposuction of the waist or hip rolls may be important to give the best results.

How do I know if I just need Liposuction, or if I need a Tummy Tuck?

These questions are very common!

Liposuction and Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty do different things: Liposuction is a procedure ideally suited for fat removal only; Tummy Tuck will also remove loose skin and can be used to tighten lax, stretched muscles, muscles that are split or separated (“diastasis”) by pregnancy or weight loss, or repair a hernia.

Generally speaking, if you have some extra fat around your tummy, but skin tone is good, liposuction may be the best option. If you have extra or loose skin, skin folds or a weakened muscle wall in your tummy, abdominoplasty or tummy tuck is likely the better procedure.

We often see situations where the muscle wall is weakened by pregnancy or weight gain. An area of weakness can sometimes allow some of the core fat (intra-abdominal fat) push through, creating a bump or bulge. This is quite common in the umbilicus: after pregnancy, many women notice their belly button has gotten quite big or bulges intermittently. This may be the result of a hernia.

We commonly repair hernias at the same time as the tummy tuck. We fix the hernia by replacing the fat back into the tummy and put in stitches that close the opening and reinforce the muscle over the area.

Pregnancy or weight gain stretch the abdominal wall (the muscles of the tummy that hold all the organs inside). Sometimes the muscles don’t recover from that stretch and remain weak or loose. This can leave a gap down the middle of the tummy, between the muscles on the left and right sides. If this gap is weak or large enough, the tummy stays too round or “poochy,” despite intense abdominal exercising.

The separation of the muscles is called a diastasis. This can be repaired with strong stitches during a tummy tuck procedure, resulting in a nice, flat tummy.

A drain is a small tube that is placed in an area during surgery to help prevent fluid (blood or serum) from accumulating in the wound. Fluid accumulations (“hematoma” or “seroma”) can delay healing or even increase the risk of infection. To prevent such an accumulation after abdominoplasty or tummy tuck, surgeons use drains for a few days after the procedure, until the skin starts to heal down to the underlying muscle layer of the tummy, and the risk of hematoma or serum has passed. The drain is usually stitched in place in or near the suture line and is removed in the office at a follow-up visit.

An alternative to using drains is to place additional internal dissolving stitches between the skin and the muscle so that the two layers are closely attached, leaving no room for fluid to accumulate. This procedure takes a bit more time during surgery, but is really worth it: not only does it eliminate the need for drains, but it helps for a better scar by reducing the pulling on the skin incision line.

Planning for a good recovery is every bit as important as a good operation! You get only one chance to recover well!

Recovery time depends upon the type of procedure: for example, a mini-tummy tuck will have a much shorter recovery than a full tummy tuck with muscle repair.

A mini-tummy tuck will typically require just a day or two of rest before returning to a normal daily schedule, but certain strenuous activities may be restricted for a couple weeks.

With a full tummy tuck, we generally expect about two weeks off work and before most normal activities can be resumed, and six weeks before resuming strenuous activities.

The vast majority of tummy tuck procedures are performed safely as out-patient procedures. Most tummy tuck patients do better recovering in the comfort of their own home. If you feel you need additional help at home we have a Plastic Surgery Registered Nurse who is able to stay with you as long as you wish. She is also available to assist you with transportation.

To provide you with safety and comfort, I have a nationally accredited surgical suite where my team and I have performed hundreds of tummy tuck procedures. The advantages of doing tummy tuck/abdominoplasty in my in-office surgical suite include:

• privacy
• safety
  • our surgical suite has passed rigorous inspection and re-certification to provide you with a safe environment for your procedure;
  • because we perform only elective cosmetic procedures in our surgical suite, our infection rate is much lower than at the hospital and we avoid the exposure to antibiotic-resistant infections that occur at hospitals
• comfort
  • our surgical suite is designed to meet your special needs as a cosmetic abdominoplasty patient;
  • the people who care for you at your consultation, pre-op- and post-op visits are the same people who care for you on your surgery day. Because my team works with me throughout your office visits and surgery, you will see familiar faces who already know you, on the morning of your tummy tuck, in the OR and in Recovery.
• efficiency
  • Working together as a dedicated and cohesive unit, my staff and I are well drilled and familiar in working together as team during your procedure. We never rush through an operation, but working well together as a well rehearsed team means no time is wasted during surgery. Less anesthesia and surgery time means less risk of complications and a faster recovery.

When muscle repair is done during tummy tuck, the muscle can be very tender after surgery. That’s why we use a “pain pump” to dramatically reduce the pain after tummy tuck. A “pain pump” is an ingenious and simple device that drips local anesthetic into the area of surgery, numbing the area and reducing the amount of pain medicine patients need to take. We did a study in our practice and found that patients took half as many pain pills after tummy tuck when we use the pain pump. Besides having less pain and feeling better faster, taking fewer narcotics means less chance of side effects like drowsiness, constipation and nausea.

We commonly combine other procedures with tummy tuck, as it makes sense to combine the recovery time. There is also an economic benefit, because combining procedures is much less expensive than doing them separately.

Liposuction is very common with tummy tuck, improving body contours for symmetry and balance of proportions.

Many women request breast augmentation, breast lift, or breast reduction at the same time as abdominoplasty or tummy tuck. Because so many women develop drooping or laxity of both their breasts and tummy after pregnancy, this combination of procedures has become so popular and common that it called a “Mommy Makeover,” and is one of the most frequent procedures we do in my practice. The results are very gratifying!

A Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty is not a procedure for weight loss; it is an operation to improve contours, not remove pounds. The operation will definitely make someone look slimmer by removing extra skin and fat, or repairing a weakened muscle wall, but the tummy tuck isn’t about taking off the pounds. (The same is true for liposuction) Weight loss is best accomplished through healthy lifestyle changes: diet and exercise.

How much weight should I lose before my Tummy Tuck?

We want to time your Abdominoplasty so the benefits will last. If you are having a lot of weight fluctuation, it is best to wait until your weight is stable. If you have lost weight, it is best to schedule your Tummy Tuck when you are close to your target weight. Depending on the amount of weight you are trying to lose, I usually recommend getting within 10- to 15-pounds of your goal.

Insurance may pay for repair of a hernia, but not for a tummy tuck, which is considered a cosmetic procedure. In cases of a very large amount of skin excess that hangs over the pubic area causing skin breakdown or hygiene problems, sometimes insurance will pay for removal of the excess, but not a full tummy tuck. These instances would be considered medical conditions and you would need a referral from your primary care doctor.