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Tummy Tuck in Newport Beach and Orange County

What is tummy tuck?

A tummy tuck, also known as an abdominoplasty, is a popular procedure for patients who have excessive abdominal skin and tissue with or without abdominal muscle laxity. Over the recent years, significant advancements to the original tummy tuck procedure has been made in order to meet the aesthetic needs of patients. Today, there are several types of tummy tucks to serve mild to severe cases of abdominal tissue laxity. The typical tummy tuck is the process of surgically removing the extra abdominal tissue and skin between the navel and the pubic area while tightening the abdominal muscles to restore the feminine hour-glass figure.

Who can benefit from tummy tuck surgery?

Typical candidates for this procedure are patients that have excess tummy skin, are unable to tighten their abdominal wall with diet or exercise, or has lost their skin quality due to aging. In most cases, these changes result after pregnancy or weight loss. Although the effects of childbearing differ from patient to patient, the majority of patients will experience some degree of laxity of their abdominal skin and muscle post-pregnancy. During pregnancy, the abdominal skin and muscles are stretched out significantly, with breakage of skin collagen layer, which presents as stretch marks. This stretched out skin does not always retract back to its original form. Also, the divergence between the separated abdominal muscles often remains despite abdominal crunches and exercise. A tummy tuck is the only way to remove the stretched out abdominal skin and to tighten the abdominal muscles at the present time.

What is involved in a tummy tuck procedure?

A tummy tuck procedure includes several components. These include: removal of excess skin of lower abdomen, removal of waist fat by liposuction if necessary, muscle tightening to repair the separated abdominal muscles, and reshaping and repositioning of the belly button.

Tummy tuck procedures available at our Newport Beach Office?

There are several types of tummy tuck variant available to suit different patients and their abdominal tissue excess. These variant include:

Mini tummy tuck
Full tummy tuck
Liposuction Tummy Tuck (lipo-abdominoplasty)
Extended tummy tuck
Circumferential tummy tuck (Belt Lipectomy)
Reverse tummy tuck

What is the most typical tummy tuck procedure?

Although there are several different tummy tuck types, most patients benefit from the full tummy tuck surgery. During a full tummy tuck, your plastic surgeon will make an incision from hip to hip in the lowest part of the abdomen. The incision is then extended through a layer of fat under the skin as far as the abdominal muscles. Next, an incision is made around the belly button to release it from the abdominal skin. The location for the upper incision is then checked and modified if needed. The excess skin and underlying fat in between the lower incision and the upper incision is then excised, revealing the abdominal muscles. The upper abdominal skin and fat are then elevated over the abdominal muscles. The muscle laxity is then gauged at this point and marked for correction. Stitches are then placed in the two main abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus) to approximate the left and right muscle bundles. The upper abdominal skin and fatty layer are then pulled down as far as the lower incision. A new opening of the navel is then marked on the abdominal skin. Some surgeons prefer to create a new opening in the shape of a "shield". At our practice we create a vertically oriented elliptical navel according to studies that have shown this shape as the most aesthetically pleasing belly button form. The opening is then cut and the navel brought through. If the flanks are full, the love-handle fat is then liposuctioned at this stage. Your plastic surgeon will place a drain on each side before reattaching the belly button, and this drain will typically stay in place for about 5 days post-operatively. The incision is then closed with 3-layers of suturing at our practice. This includes approximation of the fatty layer first, followed by the layer below the skin, and finally the skin itself. The patient will then have surgical tape placed on their incision and be wrapped in an abdominal binder to help reduce swelling.