Find Best Abdominoplasty Plastic Surgeon Tummy Tuck Cosmetic Procedure Cost Minneapolis Twin Cities

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ABDOMINOPLASTY OR TUMMY TUCK

Abdominoplasty, commonly called a tummy tuck, is a procedure to tighten sagging abdominal muscles and give the stomach area a flatter and smoother appearance. The procedure is most commonly done on women after they have had children. Many women are simply restoring their past figures from B.C. (Before Children). This isn´t vanity; it´s a reclaiming of self, or a healthy undoing of the past. Pregnancy can cause the lower abdominal muscles to stretch out and displace from the midline, and excess subcutaneous tissue may accumulate. The lower abdomen is often a fat storage area in women. It´s like the hump on a camel and is extremely resistant to diet and exercise. Exercise will strengthen and firm the muscles, but all the sit-ups in the world won´t bring them back if your abdominal muscles have spread apart.

Only four percent of patients undergoing tummy tucks are men, and most patients are of baby boomer age. Abdominoplasty can flatten a protruding abdomen, but the trade-off is a scar running along the lower abdomen. Additional scars may be around the belly button, and some may extend from hip to hip, depending on how much skin has to be removed. The scars are permanent. Abdominoplasty is not a weight-loss procedure. It benefits patients who are in relatively good shape but are plagued by an extensive fat deposit or loose abdominal skin unresponsive to diet or exercise. Some older patients who have lost skin elasticity and developed mild areas of fullness can also be helped. Some patients store fat inside the abdomen around the intestines.

They look like they have a beer belly, but there isn´t really a large amount of fat on the outer abdominal wall. These patients aren´t candidates for abdominoplasty. The large amount of inside tummy fat pushes out the entire abdominal wall. This overall protrusion can´t be corrected surgically because the muscles are stretched everywhere rather than simply separated in the middle, as is usually the case following pregnancies.

If you plan to lose weight, do your best to do so before abdominoplasty.

Surgeons can obtain flatter results by removing as much skin as possible. Women who plan on a future pregnancy should wait to have abdominoplasty because the vertical muscles running up and down the abdomen—that six-pack we hear so much about—will stretch during pregnancy, undoing surgical repairs. If someone is undecided about having a baby in the future or isn´t planning on a family for many years, I let them decide if the surgery is worth it. In general, plastic surgeons defer abdominoplasty until after a woman has finished with child bearing.

This is not a simple operation. Your surgeon will want to take a health history, and determine the extent of fat deposits, and your skin and muscle tone. Be sure to tell your surgeon if you smoke, and report all medications and supplements you are taking. I will not operate on active smokers. Tell your surgeon what changes to your appearance you expect to see.

Based on your exam and a discussion with your surgeon, you may decide not to have the surgery at all. Ask your surgeon for a candid response about limitations based on your personal anatomy. Maybe liposuction alone could achieve a good result. Balance your expectations with a realistic goal. Review photos of prior patients with a preoperative anatomy similar to yours and compare their outcomes with what you want to see.

Regardless of which variation of abdominoplasty you and your surgeon

choose, be certain the most revealing clothing you are likely to wear will cover the incision lines. It´s a good idea to wear a swimsuit the morning of surgery to use as a reference. I draw the incisions for my patients while they´re looking in a mirror, so they can verify their satisfaction with the incision placement.

The Procedure

Abdominoplasty is usually done as same-day surgery. Generally, surgeons do abdominoplasty under general anesthesia, so you´ll be completely asleep with a breathing tube. Other surgeons, depending on the extent of the procedure, choose local anesthesia with heavy intravenous sedation to keep you in a twilight sleep. You shouldn´t feel any pain but possibly could feel some pressure or tugging.

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Gryskiewicz Twin Cities Cosmetic Surgery

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