Tummy Tuck

Clinically known as abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck removes excess skin and fat and tightens or re-centers separated stomach muscles. This procedure gives patients a flatter, smoother, more contoured abdomen.

Pregnancy is tough on a woman’s lower abdomen. The localized weight gain and subsequent loss can stretch the skin and support tissues to such a degree that they cannot return to their former degree of tautness. Pregnancy can actually cause the stomach muscles to separate in the center of the abdomen.

Even if you haven’t had children, as we age our skin and muscles tend to slacken. No matter how many crunches you do, it’s still likely you have a slight pooch just above your hipbones.

Tummy tuck surgery corrects these issues.

Flatter stomach anyone? Who wouldn’t like to have the flat stomach they used to have in their 20s? That’s what a tummy tuck can do. When this procedure involves re-centering separated stomach muscles, Dr. Babbitt can actually narrow the patient’s waist. For men, just about everyone has some degree of stomach pooch no matter what kind of shape they are in. This surgery can remove that.

Dr. Babbitt stresses to patients during their consultation that they must be sure they are not going to have any more children. This isn’t an arbitrary thing: the localized gain and loss of weight will wipe out all of the changes made in your tummy tuck surgery. Plus, the weight gain can stretch and distort your incision scars, which is the last thing you want. If you’re even contemplating getting pregnant again, this procedure needs to wait.

When you come in for a tummy tuck consultation with Dr. Babbitt or Laura Hilliard PA-C, the goal is a two-way interchange so we can ascertain your goals and wishes for the procedure and you can ask us any questions you have about the procedure, our experience, the facilities, or anything else.

During your consultation, we will stress the importance of being sure you’re not going to get pregnant again, as well as the necessity of being within 10 percent of your ideal weight. We’ll discuss what is entailed with your recovery, the risks, and what you can expect from the procedure overall.

During your consultation with Dr. Babbitt or Laura, you’ll discuss your options for which tummy tuck method fits your unique situation. This will depend on where you have loose skin and weakened muscles. Here are descriptions of the three most common tummy tuck surgeries:

• In a full tummy tuck, a horizontal incision is made to address the lower abdomen below the navel. The goal is for the scar from the incision to be covered by a bikini bottom or underwear, so the incision will start at the hipbones and descend down to the top of the pubic area. The shape and length of the incision are dependent on the amount of excess skin involved. After the incision(s) are made, the upper abdominal skin is pulled away from the muscle beneath. The underlying muscles are evaluated, and if needed will be pulled together and stitched into place for a firmer abdomen and narrower waist. The skin is then stretched down and over the newly tightened muscles, excess skin is trimmed, and the navel may be moved to a new, natural position. The incisions are then closed.
• For extended tummy tucks, the lower incision extends to the flanks and sometimes around the side of the hips. Again, there is variability here and we will discuss what option best fits your needs.
• In a mini tummy tuck, the incision made is shorter and the skin is only lifted to the navel area and the navel remains in place. A mini tuck is ideal for patients who don’t have large amounts of loose skin, and whose muscle strength is still relatively strong. The tightening here is usually centered on the lower stomach to remove a smaller pooch.

Abdominoplasty with the team at Plastic Surgery of Southern New England is major surgery involving large incisions and extensive tissue repositioning. This doesn’t make for an easy recovery. You will have pain along your incisions, but you’ll have pain medication. We’ll have you up and walking after your surgery, with assistance. It will help your healing process if you take three to four short walks for just a few minutes daily. In the beginning, you’ll be a little hunched over, and the skin on your abdomen will feel very tight. In full tucks, it’s likely we will have placed drains to help reduce fluid buildup. These will be removed usually within the first week or two. We place you in compression garments with two purposes: to help minimize swelling and to help your skin adapt to its new slimmer contour.

You’ll likely be able to return to work in two weeks, but you may need longer. If you have a sedentary job, this will be easier than if you stand for portions of your job. There will be residual soreness; this will diminish within a couple of weeks, but it can come and go for a couple of months. Any strenuous exercise or lifting of any amount of weight will need to be put off for at least six weeks.

Our mommy makeover procedures include a tummy tuck, along with a breast lift (with or without augmentation), and sometimes liposuction.