Tummy Tuck Surgery - Overview and Phases

Tummy tuck is considered major surgery. The patient who will undergo tummy tuck surgery must prepare thoroughly because once the surgery is done, the healing process would take time. Therefore, the body should be more than prepared to outlive any possible complications associated with incisions and muscle operation.

The following details will talk about the methods used by many surgeons for tummy tuck surgery. Exact information however in any tummy tuck surgery shall be given after the doctor had done the initial examination with the patient.

Phase 1 - Anesthesia

Tummy tuck surgery utilizes either localized or generalized anesthesia. If the patient prefers to be awake while the operation is going on, then localized anesthesia should be used. Normally, tummy tuck surgery would last up to 5 hours. It would go beyond or within five hours in certain cases depending on the depth of work to be done.

On the other hand, generalized anesthesia when used will make the patient fully sedated. Most surgeons prefer using this anesthesia for full tummy tuck surgery. This is because when the patient is completely unconscious, the muscles in the abdomen would relax letting the surgeon to work smoothly and quickly.

Phase 2 – Tummy Tuck Surgery Procedure

Good result requires enough time on the patient’s part and substantial skills on the surgeon.  Any surgery requires incision. This is also true with tummy tuck surgery. The incisions would vary according to the type of abdominoplasty procedure. Mini tummy tuck would only require one small cut under the navel. On the contrary, circumferential tummy tuck requires more extensive incision. This is because this type of tummy tuck surgery will be performed on patients that have loose dangling skin on the whole hip region and the back. The cut would run across the fullness of the waistline. In traditional tummy tuck, the incision would be less as it would only require a single incision from hip bone toward hip bone.

The placement of incisions will be outlined by the surgeons before the surgery to prevent scars from showing up if the patient wears a bikini, underwear or any swim wear. It can be altered however according to the patient’s preferences, lifestyle and body type. This important phase should be discussed thoroughly before the surgery to avoid major upset.

Phase 3 - Muscle Firming

It is normal that when we aged, our muscle gets lax and saggy. Through tummy tuck surgery, it can be corrected by firming the muscle. Surgeons have the ability to stiffen sagging muscles in the abdomen and remove mass of excess fats around stomach area.

After several significant incisions, abdominal muscles will then be tugged closer together. It will be stitched jointly in a condition that creates a firmer form of abdomen. This technique can also make the waistline more slender.

Phase 4 - Sealing the Incisions

After completing the surgical procedure, the skin will then be joined together by surgical stitches. The stitches should be properly done to unite the cells at the incision site to help sealing the incisions naturally. During the stitching process, a surgical drain needs to be inserted on the incision site to speed up the healing process and lessen the pain. The surgical drain inhibits the build up of fluid under the skin while the body repairs the wounds surrounding the cells. In most cases, stitches will be removed after a couple of weeks.

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