Frequently Asked Questions Tummy Tuck

When is a tummy tuck indicated?
A tummy tuck is done when a woman is finished having children. The intent of the surgery is to return the woman’s physique to a more youthful pre pregnancy state. The benefits are a flat abdomen, tighter muscles, an improved waist line, rejuvenation of the pubic area, removal of most of the stretch marks and loose, sagging skin.

Where is a tummy tuck done?
I perform all my tummy tucks in my office surgical suite as an outpatient procedure. It is done under intravenous sedation and epidural anesthesia. Truthfully, I never perform just a “tummy tuck”. I like to reshape the person’s whole midsection. This involves a lot of liposuction for contouring the back, bra rolls, hips, “muffin tops”, upper buttocks and performing the tummy tuck as well. If I do a “mommy makeover”, than I also address the breasts. This could involve a short scar lift or breast reduction or breast augmentation.

How does smoking affect healing after a tummy tuck?
Smoking does slow down healing. I make a point not to operate on smokers or people who cannot stay away from a smoking environment. In a tummy tuck, there is a lot of tissue dissection, stretching of the skin and these do compromise the blood supply to the skin. Add smoking to this, could lead to the incision opening up, skin necrosis and weeks of painful dressing changes. The nicotine and other chemicals in the cigarette do cause the small blood vessels or capillaries to constrict or shut down, thus limiting nutrients and oxygen from reaching the healing tissues. This certainly will require a scar revision, but if you continue to smoke you can run into the same problem.

Are there different tummy tucks?
There are different tummy tucks. A full tummy tuck involves skin excision, liposuction and muscle repair. Some women, who never been pregnant, will not need a muscle repair, thus their recovery is shorter. Some women who underwent massive weight loss will need an extended tummy tuck, muscle repair and possible a lower body lift done at the same time. There’s a “mini” tummy tuck which involves skin excision in the lower abdomen, muscle repair below the belly button only and no scars around the belly button. Very few patients fit into this group.

What are the possible major complications of a tummy tuck?
A tummy tuck is a major surgical procedure that should be done by plastic surgeons experienced in all aspects of body contouring. It should be done on otherwise healthy individuals. If someone is diabetic, probably their surgery should be done at the hospital. Surgical risks and complications are very rare in the proper surgical candidate. Potential complications are bleeding, infection, wound breakdown especially in poor nutritional status (in massive weight loss patients), hypertrophic scarring, and pubic area distortion, blood clots in the lower extremity veins, pulmonary embolus and death.

Can you have a tummy tuck without a scar?
There’s a trade off. To get a better shape, flat abdomen, improved waist line, you will end up with a scar. Fashions change through the years and I ask my patients what they like to wear. Based on that, I can place the scars in an area that will be covered by clothing. After about a year most scars become a fine white line and barely noticeable.

What are the surgical fees for a tummy tuck?
Surgical fees can vary depending on the geographic area. Needless to say, the highest fees are in the New York area followed by the West Coast. It can depend on the BMI (body mass index), areas of liposuction with the tummy tuck, etc. On the average, fees can run between $3,000-8,000. This does not include the facility and anesthesia fees. My surgical fees include all the postoperative follow-ups.