Cosmetic Surgery Belly Button
A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a cosmetic plastic surgery procedure that is designed to make the abdomen more firm and generally make the midsection slimmer and more youthful looking. It is called a tuck because it usually involves removing excess skin and fat tissue from the midsection and closing the incision with sutures. However there are several other steps to a tummy tuck that are taken to both slim and firm up the abdominal area.
People who want a tummy tuck are often women whose abdominal muscles have grown slack due to pregnancy, and/or who have put on weight in that area that they wish to reduce. A slack abdomen wall can also be the result of substantial weight loss. Cosmetic plastic surgeons may also perform an extended version of the tummy tuck by removing excess fat from the thighs and flanks as well.
The procedure is performed under anesthesia and generally begins with a curved horizontal incision from hip to hip, curving down toward the pubic bone at midpoint. An additional incision may be made around the navel. Through the horizontal incision, the muscles on the abdominal wall can be tightened (shortened) and repaired with sutures. The excess skin and fat are removed, and the incision closed with sutures.
The cosmetic surgeon may also remove excess fat from the upper abdomen through the navel incision. Often the navel stalk is repositioned through a new hole in the newly tightened abdomen so that it appears to be in the right place. The surgeon may also use liposuction to ‘sculpt’ the abdomen; that is, to remove pockets of fat here and there so that the result is a smooth, natural looking abdomen.
Sometimes a tummy tuck may involve removing adjacent excess fat. The surgeon can do that utilizing liposuction in the thighs and along the sides, or flanks alongside the hip bones. Liposuction may be effective in removing excess fat in these areas, but it is ineffectual with cellulite, which is the dimpled tissue that often forms in the upper legs and buttocks.
A tummy tuck will send you home with swollen areas where the incisions were made. It will be uncomfortable to stand erect at first. After a week or so, the swelling will have subsided and your new profile will be evident in the mirror, and in the clothing that suddenly doesn’t fit properly.
Mary Hart is a freelance writer specializing in Cosmetic & Beauty topics. DrBrianHoward.com has been helping his patients realize their Atlanta plastic surgeon goals at his Roswell-area facility since 1998. Find information about all types of plastic surgery procedures including tummy tuck, breast implants, breast augmentation, face lifts, and liposuction.
Woman has belly button plastic surgery, umbilicoplasty as part of a tummy tuck surgery in Utah.