A tummy tuck surgery is the removal of excess skin and fat on the lower portion of the abdomen, but also involves stitching the muscles back together in the middle when they have often been stretched out from previous pregnancy or weight fluctuations.
This procedure is similar to a panniculectomy, with some nuanced differences. An abdominoplasty will have the stomach muscles, or six-pack muscles, sewn together deep in the abdomen, while a panniculectomy only involves removing excess skin and fat from the belly, without any sort of muscle repair.
There are numerous reasons why someone in Fort Worth may want to get an abdominoplasty or panniculectomy – and North Texas Plastic Surgery should be your first choice in expert body contouring.
Most commonly, we see patients who have excess fat and skin buildup from post-pregnancy changes. Additionally, patients that have undergone a fair amount of weight loss will have extra skin remaining. In fact, most people end up with a little extra fat around their midsection as they age, for no specific reason, which may then lead to stretching skin tissue.
Frequently, we see patients who have had children. Despite strong exercise regimens, living healthy lifestyles, and eating a healthy diet, they still have extra skin and fat around their midsection that none of those habits have adequately addressed. A tummy tuck can effectively get rid of that extra skin and fat that a healthy diet and exercise have been unable to do.
Additionally, patients who have undergone weight loss surgeries and had a successful amount of weight loss may end up with extra skin that can cause irritation, rashes, or does not allow them to wear their desired clothing.
There are numerous benefits to tummy tuck surgery. The most obvious is that it gets rid of excess skin and fat in the abdominal area which many patients take issue with and find embarrassing. But there are multiple secondary benefits that our patients frequently express to us.
Patients will note that they want to wear new, slimming clothes, but feel they are being held back. We love it when we see a patient come back from vacation and say they felt comfortable in a bathing suit when they previously were not! The feeling of having a flat tummy, and an increase of the core strength or abdominal muscles, are other positive aspects patients tend to notice after a tummy tuck.
A full tummy tuck surgery affects local areas of the body. Predominantly, it affects the appearance of the abdomen from the front, but part of the surgery involves restoring the strong abdominal muscles back together in the middle after being stretched out after pregnancy or weight changes. This can increase core strength, improve posture, and increase abdominal tone to get a more secure feeling in the core muscles.
A full tummy tuck surgery is done in the operating room under general anesthesia. It involves a low bikini line incision that allows a plastic surgeon to remove the extra skin and fat from the area of the pubic bone to above the belly button. They can repair the abdominal muscle back together in the midline while removing that extra skin and fat. Tummy tucks also tend to involve liposuction all the way around the waist, so the body proportions are balanced.
Whether for aesthetics reasons, physical reasons, or because you simply want to fit better into your ideal clothing, everyone has their own reason to get a tummy tuck. Our board-certified and board-eligible plastic surgeons can discuss all aspects of this procedure with you during a consultation in our Fort Worth office. Learn more by calling us at your earliest convenience.
