Tummy Tuck
Conveniently located to serve Monterey
At Gallery Plastic Surgery in Monterey, Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Wendy Wong performs abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck, for patients with loose excess abdominal skin, pockets of stubborn abdominal fat, and stretched out abdominal muscles who want a tighter and flatter-looking stomach.
Why Is It So Hard To Make My Tummy Flatter and Tighter?
The “tummy” area is an area of concern for many women. Some women do not like the way their abdominal area looks after they had children. They may have extra saggy skin, stretch marks, stretched out muscles, a bulge (or “pooch”), and a thicker layer of stubborn fat.
Our patients will often say they have tried dieting and exercise to fix this problem, but were disappointed that it didn’t’ work. The reality is that no amount of dieting or exercise can fix these issues as they are permanent changes to the anatomy. Some women are unhappy with the way their abdomen looks after they have lost a significant amount of weight as they are left with sagging skin that is not elastic enough to bounce back to how it was before. The more weight they lose, the worse the sagging gets. Sometimes, the sagging skin makes moving around and exercise uncomfortable. For these types of problems, a tummy tuck surgery (or abdominoplasty) can be the solution.*
*Individual results may vary.
Tummy Tuck Following Pregnancy
As a mother of two, Dr. Wong understands a woman’s problem of not having the pre-baby body you once had. We love our children (of course!) and we didn’t necessarily think we were swimsuit models to begin with, but it can be pretty disappointing to not have your body bounce back. Women who are interested in undergoing abdominoplasty to restore the appearance of their body following pregnancy should wait until they no longer plan on having children before undergoing the procedure as pregnancy can affect the results of abdominoplasty.
What Tummy Tuck Surgery Corrects
Every woman’s body is unique and different. The source of abdominal problem areas can be one or all of the following:
- Muscle stretch
- Extra, sagging skin (+/- permanent stretch marks)
- Thicker fat layer
If the 6-pack muscles (rectus abdominis) have stretched, Dr. Wong repairs them with special suture techniques almost like an internal corset.
If the problem is sagging skin, the extra skin is cut out with an incision (scar) that is well-hidden in bikini bottoms and most types of underwear.
If there is thicker fat that is obscuring the underlying body shape, this can be addressed with liposuction.
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Tummy Tuck Variations
There are several variations of tummy tuck surgery, like a mini-tummy tuck. A typical incision for a full abdominoplasty spans from hip to hip and is placed low just above the pubic region where it is well-hidden in most bikini bottoms and underwear types. If you have a standard C-section scar, this can usually be included in the new scar. Depending on what the source of your problem areas are (eg. Skin, muscle, and fat), Dr. Wong will perform a detailed examination of your abdominal area and recommend a surgical plan personalized to your needs.
Is liposuction Alone Enough?
The answer is almost always no. Liposuction will not fix muscle problems or skin problems. Liposuction relies on good quality skin to retract and conform to the new thinner underlying shape. Patients who have gained and lost a significant amount of weight (either from pregnancies or weight changes alone) typically do not have optimal quality skin for liposuction to be enough. Liposuction cannot achieve the same drastic and attractive results the way an abdominoplasty or lipoabominoplasty can.*
*Individual results may vary.
Lipoabdominoplasty
This is a new technique that Dr. Wong uses to achieve drastic and attractive results to the female shape. In strategically combining liposuction with the benefits of an abdominoplasty surgery, an optimal and long-lasting result can be achieved.* This is one of Dr. Wong’s favorite surgeries to perform as it helps her patients restore their figures and self-confidence.
*Individual results may vary.
Is Tummy Tuck Surgery Right for Me?
Abdominoplasty surgeries are good for patients who are at their goal weight and in generally good health. You should have a BMI (body mass index) of 30 or less to optimize your safety for this surgery. This is not a weight-loss operation, so if you still want to lose a significant amount of weight, Dr. Wong will recommend that you go ahead and do that first to have a stable ideal weight. It would be disappointing to pay for tummy tuck surgery and go through the recovery only to have the results change because of large weight changes! Women who are pregnant or plan on being pregnant in the future should not have tummy tuck surgery for the same reasons. Use the nifty BMI calculator below to see if you are in a safe range.
What the Surgery Will be Like
Tummy tuck surgery is done on an outpatient basis where you will get to go home the same day. It is performed under general anesthesia where an anesthesiologist monitors you closely and safely. The actual surgery will usually be approximately 2 to 4 hours long, depending on your personalized surgical plan.
You will be in a “beach chair” position (bent at the hips) and placed in an abdominal binder with dressings after the surgery. One or two drains may be placed. You are then taken to the recovery room where a nurse monitors you and once you have recovered from anesthesia (usually after about an hour), you will get to go home with your family that same day. It is important that you have a driver (not a taxi, Uber, or yourself!) because it can be dangerous to drive immediately after having general anesthesia. If you are having this surgery in combination with another procedure, Dr. Wong may recommend for you to stay a night in the hospital for safety reasons as it can be a long time under general anesthesia, depending on what the other surgery is.
Patients are instructed to walk the very same day of having their surgery. This is very important to get the blood circulation in the legs going and avoid blood clots from forming. Patients are usually in the beach chair position for approximately a week and are encouraged to walk with an “old lady shuffle”, after which they can slowly straighten up. For the first couple of weeks, your abdominal area will feel sore, especially if your muscles were repaired. Dr. Wong will see you in the office within a week of your surgery to make sure you are recovering well.
Returning to work
Depending on what type of occupation you have, most patients take approximately 4 weeks off from work to recover. There have been some patients who go back to work earlier, but if you need the recovery time, listen to your body. 4 weeks is a relatively long time for recovery compared to other surgeries and is due to the muscle repair. We don’t realize how much we use our muscles for day to day activities. The better the muscle repair, the stronger and longer your result will last. You do not want to do any heavy lifting or extreme exercise during this recovery period. This does not mean you should be lying in bed all the time or under house arrest though; walking is encouraged, especially with this type of surgery!
Tummy Tuck Cost
The cost of the procedure varies as each tummy tuck procedure plan is personalized to meet the unique needs of each patient. Gallery Plastic Surgery offers financing options to make the payment process more manageable for our patients. Dr. Wong can discuss payment and financing options during the consultation process for your tummy tuck.
Schedule a Consultation
Contact Gallery Plastic Surgery in Monterey to schedule an appointment with Dr. Wong today so she can optimize and personalize your tummy tuck to suit your specific needs. She looks forward to meeting you!