Typically after an abdominoplasty or “Tummy Tuck” operation, I tell my patients to ensure that their diet is high in protein. The abdominoplasty operation requires a significant amount of protein and nutritional calories to heal all the wounds well and without complications. Patients are instructed to eat 1mg/kg of body weight of protein per day. If a patient is 135…
An abdominoplasty or “tummy tuck” operation to get rid of stretch marks usually involves three components: 1. Skin Excision 2. Myofascial Plication 3. Liposuction It is quite common after pregnancy for the muscles, fascia, and skin of the lower abdomen to stretch. Despite numerous hours of sit-ups, cruches, or time on the stair master the muscles cannot be restored to…
Abdominoplasty is ideal for patients who have been exercising for quite some time, but who have difficulty tightening their lower abdomen. After childbirth, the lower abdomen can become significantly loose and distended. Often times, the lower abdomen will not “tighten-up” despite sit-ups or crunches. It is quite common to see patients in our Newport Beach office who present with a…
The photograph above demonstrates before and after photographs of a patient after a “mini-tummy tuck” and liposuction of the abdomen, flanks, lower back, and bra fat. It is quite common for women to present in our Newport Beach office who have lower abdominal laxity as well as localized deposits of fat around the abdomen. Often these women do not wish…
Managing Supra-Umbilical Scars in Abdominoplasty Q: I’ve heard that supra-umbilical scars or “scars above the belly-button” can impair healing in abdominoplasty incisions. Can you do anything to avoid this? A: I have found that often this problem can be circumvented by excising the abdominal scar completely. Often the midline scar can be revised and/or excised and closed, which is a…
Q: Can an Abdominoplasty and Hernia Repair be done at the same time? A: Yes, Tummy tucks and Hernia Repairs are commonly performed simultaneously. For example, some women experience an umbilical hernia after giving birth. In this case, a plastic surgeon would be able to perform a abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) to tighten the fibrous support and muscles in the midline…
Abdominoplasty procedures are common in women over 50 who have a loss of skin elasticity due to age or weight fluctuations. The abdominoplasty procedure requires an incision from hip to hip. During the procedure, the skin is elevated from the abdominal wall and the borders of the rectus abdominis muscles are identified. The umbilical stalk remains on the body wall.…
Abdominoplasty procedures are becoming more common in men these days. Men often go to the gym to lift weights or increase their amount of cardiac exercise to lose weight. The resulting excess skin that men accumulate often does not dissipate without a skin resection. That is, the abdominoplasty procedure in men is typically a skin excision only and does not…
