Newport Beach Tummy Tuck - Abdominoplasty Orange County

Ask Doctor Grover - Should I wait until after I have my last child before getting a Tummy Tuck?

Generally speaking, most patients who come in for a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) have had children before. They may have excess fatty tissue, excess or loose skin, and possibly loose abdominal muscles or separation (diastasis recti) with or without stretch marks. Adominoplasty will address all of these issues.

Some women are fortunate enough to retain a tight abdominal core following childbirth and may retain good elasticity and thus only require liposuction.

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon Q & A

Ask Doctor Grover - Do doctors use visible sutures under the skin for abdominoplasty”?

Both permanent and absorbable sutures are used in most abdominoplasty procedures. Permanent (but not visible) sutures are often used to tighten the muscles. It is variable what type of suture is used on the skin. If permanent sutures are used on the skin they are usually removed by one week.

Orange County Cosmetic Surgeon Q & A

Most patients will wear some compression for 4-6 weeks following a tummy tuck. Initially, they will wear the abdominal binder provided for the first week or so. Once the drains are removed, we will have our patients switch to a girdle or ‘barely there’ type of garment.

Orange County Plastic Surgeon Q & A

The use of abdominal binders following an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) is very common. It serves several purposes.

The first purpose is that it will help provide additional comfort to the patient following surgery. Second, it will provide a small degree of compression to the abdominal skin flap to help minimize swelling and limit fluid accumulation.

It is true, however, as with many things, too much of something can cause problems. If someone wears an adominal binder much too tightly, this could compromise the blood supply to the overlying skin.

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon Q & A

A small separation around the new umbilicus (belly button) can occur. It can occur as there is diminished blood supply in this area following abdominoplasty as well as too much tension. This type of wound will usually heal on it’s own but wet to dry dressing changes with normal saline solution will help clean it up and stimulate some granulation tissue. Revision is usually not necessary. Check with your plastic surgeon.
For more information, contact Orange County Plastic Surgeon Dr. Sanjay Grover.

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon Q & A

Ask Doctor Grover - Can an Umbilical Hernia be repaired during Tummy Tuck surgery?

An umbilical hernia can be repaired along with an abdominoplasty. Many times patients may feel that they have an umbilical hernia, but they actually have a separation of the rectus/abdominal muscles following pregnancy. These muscles will be ‘repaired’ with the abdominoplasty. Some patients, however, will actually have a true fascial defect or hole with protruding intra-abdominal fat or bowel. These can usually be repaired by your plastic surgeon at the same time as the abdominoplasty.

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon Q & A

You should not determine which procedure you will have because of the cost. If you are going to proceed with plastic surgery to enhance your aesthetic appearance and confidence, you should have the correct procedure done, whatever that may be. Many women following childbirth will benefit from an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) to get rid of excess skin and fatty tissue and to reconstruct the loose abdominal wall muscles.

Having said this, there is the rare woman who will have excellent skin elasticity and good muscle tone following childbirth and they may be an ideal candidate for Liposuction. Good luck.

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon Q & A

Tummy Tucks are ideal for the post-partum woman who has excess or lax skin, excess fat, and lax or separated muscles. Additionally, tummy tucks will benefit those patients who have lost a significant amount of weight and are now left with loose extra skin. An abdominoplasty can do wonders to improve or contour a person’s body, but does not generally result in significant weight loss. Some may notice a weight loss of 3 to 10 pounds.

Orange County Plastic Surgeon Q & A

As with any cosmetic surgery procedure, costs can vary based on a number of factors. Some of these factors can include:

1) Whether your surgeon is a board certified plastic surgeon or another type of surgeon;

2) The experience of your surgeon;

3) The results obtained by your surgeon;

4) Whether your procedure is performed in an accredited outpatient surgery center or hospital;

5) Whether you are using a board-certified anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthetist to perform your anesthesia; and

6) Whether or not there is liposuction performed along with your tummy tuck, etc.

Some surgeons may perform your tummy tuck in 2 hours, others may spend 4 hours. Some may ‘tighten’ the muscles with one layer of sutures, others may use several. As you can see, there are many factors.

You may find that typical surgeons fees for an abdominoplasty will range from $6000-$12000 without O.R. and anesthesia fees.

A nice place to find a plastic surgeon who is focused on aesthetic plastic surgery is www.surgery.org, the website of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Orange County Plastic Surgeon Q & A

Tummy Tuck Newport Beach - Abdominoplasty Orange County