Wish you had a firmer, slimmer abdomen?  Do you work out to no avail day after day?  An abdominoplasty may be able to help you, just as it has helped numerous other people to reach their ideal shapes.  Abdominoplasty can involve the removal of excess fat, excess skin or both.  Many people choose to get abdominoplasty to firm up their abdomens after losing a lot of weight or after pregnancy since it can remove sagging folds of skin.

How does abdominoplasty work, and how long does it take?  There is more than one type of abdominoplasty; usually this type of surgery is divided into two categories:  partial abdominoplasty (also known as a mini tummy tuck) and complete abdominoplasty (a full tummy tuck).  A partial abdominoplasty can be accomplished in just a couple of hours.  A complete abdominoplasty may take an hour or it could take up to five depending on how extensive the operation in question will be.

The process is as follows for a complete abdominoplasty:  First the surgeon makes an incision across your hips.  Then the surgeon makes another incision which allows the navel to be released from the surrounding skin, which can be peeled away to reveal the abdominal muscles and fascia.  This region is tightened up using sutures.  If there is excess fat or skin, the surgeon will remove it at this point.  Finally the skin is placed back down and excess fluid is drained from the site.

For a partial abdominoplasty, the incision is much smaller and the skin is left partially attached during the procedure.  Excess fat and skin are removed as in a complete abdominoplasty, and sutures are used to tighten the muscles in the abdomen.  Then the skin is replaced and fluid is drained.

Not sure what type of abdominoplasty you want or need?  Ask your surgeon for more details during your consultation in order to learn more about complete vs. partial abdominoplasty.