If you’ve had a baby or two, if you’ve lost a good deal of weight, or if you’re aging and losing some strength in your abdominal muscles, it’s common to have a pooch in the lower abdomen. Now, it’s like that magpie out your bedroom window cackling every morning at dawn — it just won’t go away!
Fat deposits and muscle laxness in the lower abdomen are particularly difficult to address with diet and exercise. It’s hard to isolate and strengthen the big muscles that run across the abdomen. Fat deposits seem to find protection and often can’t be removed without help.
That help can come from Dr. Ip in the form of a tummy tuck.
What is a tummy tuck?
A tummy tuck is surgery to remove excess skin and fat and tighten the underlying muscles in the abdomen. The end goal is to change the contour to a slimmer, firmer presentation. Depending on the individual, a tummy tuck may involve one or two incisions.
The procedure
The two surgical options are either a fully or mini tummy tuck. In a fully tummy tuck the first incision runs from hipbone to hipbone, usually running down along the pubic hairline. The goal is to be able to cover this scar with a bathing suit bottom. The second incision is made at the belly button. Once the skin is separated from the underlying muscle, the abdominal muscles are pulled together and stitched into place to make the abdomen firmer and to narrow the waist. These muscles are anchored with deep tissue sutures. Next, the skin is pulled downward, excess skin is trimmed away, and the navel is reattached in a natural position.
In a mini tummy tuck, only a single incision is made. The location is dependent on where the patient has the loose, sagging skin.
Tummy tuck recovery
Since tummy tuck surgery involves muscles and tissue in the abdomen, recovery is somewhat involved. There will be pain and some swelling for the first few days and some residual soreness for a few weeks. Any heavy lifting and strenuous exercise is out for six weeks.
Interested in losing that tummy pooch? Call Dr. Ip at his Newport Beach or Manhattan office and schedule a consultation for a tummy tuck.
