Am I a Good Candidate for a Tummy Tuck Procedure?
If you complain about one or more of the following, you might be an ideal candidate:
*Sagging or excessive abdominal skin
*A swollen stomach that protrudes from the rest of your body
*Weak or separated abdominal muscles
*Fatty deposits concentrated in the abdominal area

Making an Informed Decision
During the first examination your plastic surgeon will ask you questions about your expectations. Your abdomen will be examined both while you are standing and lying down. The elasticity and looseness of the skin on your abdomen will be evaluated. Your plastic surgeon will examine the extent of the fatty deposits around your abdomen and the condition of your stomach muscles. Your doctor will also ask questions about your medical history, general health fitness, allergies and treatments or surgery that you have had up until that time. .

Surgery
Abdominoplasty surgery requires a horizontal incision immediately above the pubic hair where a caesarean is performed. The length of the incision varies depending on how loose the skin is and how much skin is to be removed. We draw the lines with you before the surgery in accordance with your bikini lines and hide the stitches below the bikini or panty line that you determine. Separation of the abdominal muscles are corrected with internal stitches to strengthen the muscular structure of the abdominal wall. Excess skin is stretched downwards and removed. The belly button is moved to its correct position on the tightened skin. At the end of the operation the incision is closed with invisible and aesthetic stitches. Immediately after the operation a special corset is put on the patients. The patient is occasionally asked to stay two nights in the hospital. You may return to work after 4-5 days of rest and may resume sports activities in 3 weeks. We use a new technique known as "liposuction and lateral tension abdominoplasty" ;, which is different from the classic tummy tuck operation. With this new technique, tightening is done in the hip, groin, inner thigh and waist regions, as well as removing all of the fatty tissue in the abdominal area with a single procedure. If there is no sagging in the abdominal area, just excess fatty tissue, then liposuction may be enough to correct the problem. In rare cases where there is a separation in the muscles of the abdominal wall, surgery can be performed with an endoscope.

Post-Surgery
When performed by an experienced surgeon it is very rare to have bleeding, infections, delayed healing or asymmetric results. Minor corrections can be easily performed any time. There may be a fluid build-up under the skin of the stomach in the days following the surgery.

However, this can be rectified by emptying the fluid with a needle once or more if necessary. Tissue loss on along the incision is a complication that is observed, especially in patients that smoke. Before the operation, it is very important to cut down on smoking, avoid the use of aspirin and do respiratory exercises. We recommend that you have a friend or relative who can take you home after the surgery and help you around the house for 4-5 days. You will be asked to stand up and walk the days after the surgery. Scars will fade over time becoming practically invisible. We apply special creams and tape to the area where the incision was closed for several months following the surgery. These applications help scars fade and ensure better healing.