This surgery will take anywhere from one to five hours, depending on the results you want. If you have surgery as an in-patient or surgical operation can also be decided by your situation. They give surgical treatment to you, which will bring you to sleep during the procedure. It’s important to have someone who can drive you home with you. If you live alone and they send you home after the procedure, at least the first night after the operation, you will also need someone to stay with you.
Complete abdominoplasty: This is the option for patients most in need of correction. The incision (cut) is made at around the same level as your pubic hair, low on the abdomen, and typically runs from the hip to the hip bone. Your surgeon will then control the skin and muscles and form them as needed. Through this operation, you will also have an incision around your navel (belly button), so it is important to liberate your navel from the surrounding tissue. Drainage tubes may be inserted under your skin; when your surgeon sees fit, they will remove these in a few days.
Partial or mini-abdominoplasty: Mini-abdominoplasty is done with shorter incisions, often in patients with fat deposits below the navel. Your belly button will most probably not be pushed during this process. Between the incision line and your belly button, they will split the skin. An endoscope (a long tube with a small camera on the end) can also be used to perform this surgery. Depending on your condition and needs, this procedure can take up to two hours, again. As with full abdominoplasty, after surgery, you can have drainage tubes.
Circumferential abdominoplasty: The back area is used in this surgery. You can have either back liposuction or circumferential abdominoplasty if there is a lot of excess fat in the back as well as in the abdomen. The latter procedure allows both skin and fat to be removed from the hip and back regions, which Tri-dimensionally improves the shape of your body.
Your incision site will be stitched and bandaged after your partial or full tummy tuck. After surgery, the surgeon can make you wear an elastic bandage or compression garment. If so, you must obey all the directions from your surgeon to wear this garment and take care of the bandage. To relieve discomfort, your surgeon will also advise you on how to better arrange yourself when sitting or lying down.
You would have to significantly limit strenuous activity for four to six weeks if you are extremely physically active. When you go through the healing process, the physician will educate you on this. After the surgery, you may need to take up to one month off work to make sure you recover properly. Your doctor will, once again, help you decide this.