You are committed to leading a healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition and exercise. The best way to determine if you are a candidate for tummy tuck or panniculectomy is through a consultation with a surgeon at NYC Surgical Associates. Our team is composed of abdominal surgeons, hernia surgeons, and plastic surgeons who often will corroborate to obtain the best tailor made plan for you.Your belly button remains attached to your abdominal wall. Dr. Roudner will lift the skin and fat off the abdominal muscles. He will check your abdominal muscles to determine whether it has separated at your midline. Dr. Roudner will suture the muscles to repair your weakened abdominal wall. This will pull the stomach muscles tighter and create a sort of internal corset for Miami patients undergoing the tummy tuck procedure.
If you’re like many people in Miami, you’ve probably tried everything to get rid of that stubborn belly fat. Sit-ups, crunches and leg lifts are great abdominal exercises, but pregnancy, heredity and fluctuating weight can cause your stomach to sag. A tummy tuck is a great option for Miami patients who are physically healthy, maintain a stable weight and don’t smoke.
Most patients are discharged 1 to 3 days after the surgery, and instructed about proper wound care at home. After the stitches are removed, do not expose the area to the sun. Scars will become lighter and flatter in 3 to 6 months. Strenuous activity is prohibited for the next four to six weeks or until the wounds heal. You will be able to resume work in 2 to 4 weeks.
Do you know the risks of tummy tuck? See results Can seromas be prevented? Studies show that by providing a hemostatic therapy to the patient, a seroma after tummy tuck could be prevented. Hemostatic is an agent that prevents the secretion of blood and other body fluids. Or sometimes, a binder placed on the surgical wound is ordered to prevent unnecessary movement on the wound and promote quicker recovery.
Dr. Roudner will siphon off excess abdominal fat and pull your skin into its new taut position. Miami patients undergoing a full tummy tuck will get a new navel opening. Dr. Roudner will place drains between your skin-fat layer and the abdominal muscles to remove any excess fluid that accumulates during your tummy tuck recovery. He will remove the drains during your follow up consultation at his office. Dr. Roudner will trim the excess skin; close the incisions around your belly button and your lower abdomen with sutures. Most Miami patients can resume their activities and return to work in about 10 days. It will take about 6 months for you to notice the full effects of your tummy tuck procedure.
Before your procedure, a detailed medical history is obtained, and a thorough physical examination is performed. During your consultation, your doctor will advise you to stop smoking, if you smoke, so as to avoid post-surgical complications and delayed healing. You should eat a healthy diet and avoid any restrictive dieting during this time.
While the body is working to “rewire” these nerves, or create entirely new nerve pathways, pain sensations may go into hyper-overdrive. This rewiring will take the form of burning, raw, or itching sensations. Over time, generally by three to four months, most of these sensations will have faded. If patients can tolerate it, Dr. Deuber recommends nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Motrin or Advil, which are available over the counter.
The simplest tummy tuck with the least amount of scarring is the MINI-TUMMY TUCK. Patients without much skin laxity or who just need their abdominal muscles tightened are good candidates for this procedure. Also, with the mini-tummy tuck, the belly-button can be moved down about an inch from the inside without creating an external scar. If the skin has more laxity requiring more skin removal, then the scar must be made longer. The belly-button stalk is also freed up so that it won’t end up too low.
It’s very important that you follow all of your surgeon’s instructions on wearing this garment (if you are given one) and caring for the bandage in the days following surgery. Your surgeon will also instruct you on how to best position yourself while sitting or lying down to help ease pain.
