Abdominoplasty, commonly known as a tummy tuck, is a safe and effective procedure to reduce excess stomach fat, tone sagging skin, and refine laxity in the abdominal wall for both men and women. Tummy tucks are popular with patients seeking a Mommy Makeover, but childbirth isn’t a requirement to be a good candidate for the procedure. Body types and target areas for improvement vary from patient to patient.
Good candidates for a tummy tuck include those who have had significant weight loss, pregnancies, previous stomach surgeries that need correction, or those who are experiencing the natural effects of gravity and aging on the body.
These factors affect each body differently, so it makes sense that there should be different types of tummy tucks! Each type is designed to effectively address specific issues while ultimately producing the desired contour. Your surgeon will recommend one of five types of tummy tucks: endoscopic, mini, moderate, standard (full), or circumferential. Mini and standard tummy tucks are popular at Capizzi MD as they address the majority of patient concerns. Tummy tucks are often accompanied by liposuction in the back, waist, thighs or buttocks area for a more complete body contouring experience. Your surgeon will discuss your ideal procedure at length during your initial consultation.
Mini Tummy Tuck
Sometimes, even people on the slender-side are troubled by a stubborn belly pooch that no amount of dieting and exercising will erase. The mini tummy tuck is designed for exactly this situation! It flattens out the cursed pooch that sits below the belly button. This procedure is most effective for people who are within their recommended weight range, but have extra skin or fat that’s hard to get rid of with diet and exercise alone.
This efficient and popular procedure boasts minimal scarring and great results. It is most often drainless and your surgeon will close the skin with knotless sutures. The surgeon will make a modest bikini-line incision, 6-8 inches long, and then will remove excess skin folds. Recovery from the mini tummy tuck is usually more rapid than with other procedures, due to the absence of repositioning the belly button. Patients wear a compression garment after surgery to ease discomfort and maintain results. Our patients are able to resume working, exercising, and driving within 24-48 hours.
Standard Tummy Tuck
The standard abdominoplasty is the most common type of tummy tuck and involves tightening the entire stomach wall, ensuring a tight, flat belly. This procedure is a great option if a patient has a stubborn belly pouch extending 1-2 inches, has undergone severe weight loss, or has had a past pregnancy. The standard tummy tuck requires a horizontal incision between the hips and a small incision inside the belly button. Your surgeon tightens the muscles and pulls down the skin over the stomach, removing the excess. After achieving your desired contour, your surgeon will reposition the belly button and close the incision. Typical recovery period is about 2 weeks to resume driving, work, and your normal routine. You will have two drains, one on each hip, throughout the first ten days to keep the area healing well. These are removed during one of your routine follow-up appointments.
Profound Skin Tightening, a non-invasive skin tightening treatment, is a great addition to a standard tummy tuck. Many patients opt to use this procedure to increase the integrity of the skin in the recovery period. Profound is a unique radio frequency treatment that provides non-surgical tightening to many areas of the body and addresses loose or sagging skin brought on by aging or heredity.
Standard tummy tuck recovery with The Capizzi Method™ includes Therapeutic Lymphatic Massage to aid with healing and comfort. We will also provide you with skincare products like Biocorneum and Capizzi MD Firm & Contour Body Moisturizer to aid with scarring and enhance results.
Not sure which tummy tuck is the best for your needs? Give us a call to chat through all your questions such as pricing, recovery, and more! Or schedule a consultation with Dr. Capizzi to build a customized plan designed to help you meet your specific goals.