What happens in a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty?
As we have discussed above, there are five different kinds of tummy tucks or abdominoplasties. In a traditional abdominoplasty, the doctor will make an incision from hip to hip and cut the navel from its surrounding skin. She will cut away the excess skin, pull together the abdominal wall muscles, and suture them together. She normally does a small amount of liposuction to smooth the body contours, but she won’t do a large amount because of the risk of surgical complications. The skin is then pulled down to the pubic line and a hole is made in the skin for the navel. The large incision is closed using special, barbed sutures and the navel is reattached to the skin and sutured in place. The procedure normally takes 3 to 5 hours and general anesthesia is used.
