Tummy Tuck -- One Way of Battling the Bluge

People often focus their beauty ideals onto their stomachs instead of their faces, and it can be frustrating when a bulging belly ignores your active and healthy lifestyle. Although weight loss can be healthy, it will not necessarily lead to a smooth firm stomach. In fact, weight loss or recovery from multiple pregnancies will leave you with stretched skin that hangs and bulges.

If you are in this situation and truly want to attain a smoother contour for your abdomen, then tummy tuck surgery is worth considering. Abdominoplasty, better known by its cuter name the tummy tuck, is a major surgery that carries with it the normal risks associated with surgery. Serious complications are rare, however, and the results are generally pleasing and impressive.

What Happens During Tummy Tuck Surgery

A complete abdominoplasty takes about two to four hours to perform. The time range is so wide because body sizes and shapes vary and this determines how much time the procedure will take. To begin, the plastic surgeon will make a long incision along your lower abdomen from hip to hip. Every effort is made to place this incision in a place where the future scar will be hidden by underwear or bathing suits.

Next the plastic surgeon separates your abdominal skin from the underlying tissue and lifts it all the way up to your ribs. This action reveals the muscles underneath. The plastic surgeon will pull the muscles closer together and stitch them in order to create a firmer and flatter stomach. At Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery, when we do our Beverly Hills tummy tuck we contour these muscles to create a nicer looking waist.

Once the muscles have been adjusted and secured into their new contour, your skin flap will be stretched over them. A new navel will also be created in the proper location and stitched into place. At Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery, we use this step to create our specialized Rodeo Drive Belly Button. Excess skin will be removed, which ends the problem of loose hanging skin and lessens bulging. Finally, the incision is stitched and dressed. If necessary, small tubes will be used for drainage.

The procedure is often done as an outpatient, and you can return home several hours following the tummy tuck surgery. It is very important that you get up and walk around following the surgery. This helps to alleviate swelling and lower your risk of blood clots. Typically, in the first days, you will not be able to stand entirely straight up, but this is temporary.

As you continue your recovery, you will be able to resume all normal daily activities within a few days. A supportive post-surgical garment will likely replace your dressings after a few days. Once a week or so goes by, your plastic surgeon will see you again, remove drains if they have been placed, and you will find you can do essentially all normal physical activities. The only remaining restriction will be no heavy lifting. Your surgeon may advise you not to do heavy lifting for six weeks or so following your tummy tuck.

If you are a good candidate, you may find that a tummy tuck in Los Angeles greatly improves your quality of life.

To view some of the dramatic results that a tummy tuck in Los Angeles can produce, visit Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery especially if you are seeking a Beverly Hills tummy tuck .