Important Facts On Tummy Tucks Somerville Patients Need To Know

By Betty Roberts


Tummy tuck (also referred to as abdominoplasty) is a surgical procedure aimed at creating a tauter abdominal wall. The procedure is mainly used when the available non-surgical measures have failed to achieve the desired results. The procedure itself involves the removal of excess fat and loose skin from the tummy. If they have plans of undergoing tummy tucks Somerville residents need to have some important information beforehand.

Abdominoplasty is a procedure that is available for both men and women. While it is different from liposuction, it is common for both procedures to be performed concurrently. The typical candidate is an individual with central obesity or a woman who has just been through pregnancy and has a lot of redundant skin in the abdominal region. The major requirement is that one be in a good state of health.

What is required as part of preparation will be communicated by your surgeon. Generally, however, the requirements are similar to those that apply to any major operation. Smoking should be stopped two weeks before the procedure at the very latest. This is because smoking contains nicotine that delays wound healing and by extension, recovery. If you are on blood thinners or aspirin, you will also need to stop them at the same time.

There are two main types of operations that are performed: complete and partial (mini) abdominoplasty. The complete abdominoplasty is more extensive and has larger incisions. The mini abdominoplasty, on the other hand, involves of smaller quantities of fat mainly in the region below the navel. Ask the surgeon to show you illustration of incision placement so that you can participate in choosing your preferred technique.

Being a major operation, this surgery requires that general anesthesia be administered. What this means is that you will lose consciousness for the entire duration of the operation. This typically between an hour and five hours depending on the technique that is used and the extent of fat removal. When the required amount of fat has been extracted, the wound is stitched and dressed. Surgical tubes may be left in position to facilitate the flow of tissue fluids from the wound.

There are a number of complications that may be seen during the operation and in the course of the recovery. Pain is usually experienced for a couple of days so you will need pain relievers for some time. Infections may set in within the first few days hence the need for one to be on antibiotics for ten to fourteen days as the wound continues to heal. Other complications include bruising, swelling, numbness and fatigue.

It is not uncommon for persons to undergo repeat operations due to an unsatisfactory results. One of the causes of subsequent surgeries is the loss of more skin that was intended due to insufficient healing. Unsightly scars are also common among persons that are predisposed to keloid formation. Even for a person who is not at risk of getting keloids, the scars never completely disappear.

There are select circumstances in which having abdominoplasty is not a good idea. Women planning to get pregnant in a few months, for instance, should have the operation postponed. Pregnancy tends to stretch the abdominal wall hence their gains will most likely be lost. If you are an obese individual looking to lose large amounts of weight, this procedure may not help much as only a fraction of fat can be lost at any given time.




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