Surgical Procedures for Women
Tummy Tuck
(Abdominal reduction or abdominoplasty) - Page 2 |
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Who is a candidate?
Anyone who has abdominal skin and fat may be a candidate. With women the problem is usually caused by pregnancy, but is greatly aggravated by weight loss. The muscles of the abdominal wall may be weakened by pregnancy and actually pulled apart in the middle (divarification of recti). Men are similarly affected by weight loss. Stretch marks (striae) are simply the scars which are left after extreme stretching of the skin. They are usually most apparent on the lower part of the abdominal wall. There is no specific treatment for these stretch marks, but many of them are excised in an abdominal reduction and those that are left are tightened making them look less obvious. Patients that are unable to tighten the abdominal wall skin with exercise or wish to achieve a smoother flatter abdomen will also benefit.
What are the consequences?
The patient is left with noticeable scars. The main scar runs transversely across the lower part of the abdomen and in a standard abdominal reduction there will be a scar around the umbilicus. Other or different scars may be left where the patient has particular individual problems. Some patients make better scars than others and in any case all scars are red initially. It is essential that the patient understands where these scars will be and should discuss them with the surgeon. In many cases the position of the scar can be altered to allow them to be concealed beneath your preferred style of underwear/ swimwear. There is numbness in the lower part of the abdominal wall after surgery and this is usually temporary. Swelling above the scar is usually present due to a collection of tissue fluid which normally drains to the groin. This swelling (also known as oedema) settles within a few months.
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