An abdominoplasty or tummy tuck can be performed as part of a “mommy makeover,” or by itself depending on the effects pregnancy had on the body. Dr. Andrew Kaczynski at Advanced Concepts in Plastic Surgery in Sacramento has performed hundreds of tummy tuck procedures over the last 25 years.
With pregnancy, certain changes happen in a woman’s body, all designed to insure a safe pregnancy and a good delivery. Without getting to technical, the most obvious ones are the weight gain, which in many women is concentrated in the abdomen, and stretching of the skin as the baby grows larger. To accommodate the baby, the rectus muscle which goes in a vertical direction separates. This allows the baby to grow to its full size. The muscles then go back to their original position. However, with multiple births, large babies and especially twins (or more) the muscle doesn’t go back together. This makes the abdomen look round, almost as if there is still a pregnancy even after weight loss. The changes that occur in most women with pregnancy include stretched skin, extra fat and separated muscle. The amount of change depends on skin elasticity, how many babies, how many times, how much weight gain and the body’s genetic ability to “spring back.” For every woman who looks incredible after three children, there are 999 who don’t.
Skin, fat and muscle are all involved in abdominoplasty tummy tuck. After the patient is asleep, a large smile-shaped incision at the bikini line is made and all the skin is lifted up to just below the breasts so that the muscles may be repaired. The repair to the muscles is done without any cutting which can cause postoperative pain. Rather, a suture is laced up like an internal corset, tightening the tummy. The extra skin is then pulled down like a window shade and removed. The belly button, which was attached to the muscle, is then brought through the skin to its new position and everything is then closed.
The surgery takes two to four hours depending on size and whether extra liposuction is performed. The patient recovers in our recovery room for several hours and then goes home. Initial recovery takes about seven to 10 days. At that time, many people can go back to an office job. Light exercise may begin after two weeks. Full exercise such as running and weightlifting can start after one month.
Sacramento Tummy Tuck Before and After Pictures
